Polyphonic Mass in Honor of St. Josemaria
Miguel del Barco, orchestra conductor, organist and professor emeritus of the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, composed a Mass for organ and four mixed voices with the texts for the feast of St. Josemaría. Its first performance was on January 9, anniversary of the birth of the founder of Opus Dei, in the Basilica of San Miguel (Madrid), during a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Antonio María Rouco, archbishop emeritus of Madrid.
The polyphonic Mass includes the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei, and texts from the liturgical memorial of St. Josemaría: the entrance antiphon, the alleluia and the communion antiphon. Miguel del Barco said that the new composition is based on Gregorian chant and the religious motifs found in the popular music of Extremadura.
It was sung by the Guadalajara City Choir and the Kromática Vocal Group, conducted by Mercedes Padilla, who directed the Symphony Orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Madrid.
Romana, n. 66, January-June 2018, p. 146.