Music in the California missions : a critical look at the Misa de Cataluna

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Authors
Murphy, Harmony R.
Advisor
Crow, Andrew
Steib, Murray, 1954-
Issue Date
2013-07-20
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (D.A.)
Department
School of Music
Other Identifiers
Abstract

Spanish Priests of the Franciscan order built 21 missions along El Camino Real between 1769 and 1835 before the mission system collapsed. El Camino Real, now generally referred to as “The King’s Highway” or “Mission Road,” runs 600 miles in California between Mission San Diego de Alcalá in modern-day San Diego to Mission San Francisco Solano in modern-day Sonoma. The missions served as communities with Catholicism and music, specifically music for services, at the heart of the culture. The music reflected the culture of these missions by presenting a hybrid of European and Native American styles. The Misa de Cataluña appears in nine of the extant mission manuscripts making it one of the most frequently transcribed surviving works in the California Mission System. Often the work appears in a position of honor within the intentional ordering of the choirbooks. Frs. Durán and Tapís, noted for their musical contributions to the California Mission System, both included this work in their choirbooks. Since the mission period, there have been at least two known arrangements of the work. As such, this work holds a respected place in California’s musical history. In this project, I seek to honor and explore this notable work by creating a critical edition of the Misa de Cataluña from the nine surviving manuscript sources to enable performance by modern choirs. Additionally, I discuss various challenges of performing the work with modern choirs and provide solutions to potential difficulties.