Gloria (from Petite Mass): Choral Instrumental Pak
By John Leavitt
Item: 35-PK00246858
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Description
Alternating between a dance-like 6/8 and a more tranquil 2/2 meter, this buoyant setting of the Gloria of the Latin mass is a fresh and contemporary work that will absolutely delight your audience! Whether you perform it with piano or with the sparkling chamber orchestration, this will become a welcome addition to the choral repertoire! Duration: ca. 4:00.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00246858
More about this title
About the Composer: John Leavitt
John Leavitt is a prolific composer and arranger whose catalog spans choral, instrumental, and vocal music for educational and professional ensembles. His work emphasizes accessibility without sacrificing musical substance, making him a trusted voice in the choral community. Leavitt's settings of sacred texts are particularly valued for their ability to balance reverence with contemporary sensibility, offering directors sophisticated yet performable options across skill levels.
Why we love this
Leavitt captures the jubilation of the Gloria text without relying on predictable harmonic or structural choices. The interplay between 6/8 and 2/2 creates rhythmic momentum that keeps the piece feeling fresh on multiple listenings, and the optional chamber orchestration gives directors a genuine upgrade path as their ensemble develops.
What to expect
The piece radiates joy without bombast. Its oscillation between sprightly dance rhythms and contemplative expansiveness creates a kind of joyful acceptance, as if the text is being sung in real time rather than recited from tradition. The 4-minute arc feels both substantial and nimble.
Who it's for
This work suits intermediate to advanced choirs seeking a mass movement with contemporary appeal and modest harmonic language. Directors programming sacred music in secular venues or designing festival programs will find it equally at home in either context.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish the 6/8 sections with a clear sense of lilt rather than heaviness; the meter should feel like it's propelled forward, not counted in beats.
- Shape the transition into 2/2 as a genuine shift in character, not simply a tempo change. Let the choir settle into the broader metric space before entering.
- If using the chamber orchestration, invest rehearsal time in locking the instrumental parts with your vocal lines; the sparkling texture depends on rhythmic precision.
- Balance articulation across meter changes so that the brightness of the 6/8 passages doesn't get lost when the ensemble shifts to longer note values in 2/2.
How to use it
Place this as a centerpiece for a spring concert built around Latin sacred texts, or use it to open a festival program with immediate energy. It also works as a powerful standalone concert closer, leaving audiences with brightness and momentum.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and internalizing two contrasting meters (6/8 and 2/2) within a single piece
- Maintaining rhythmic independence when the meter shifts beneath constant harmonic motion
- Balancing articulation and phrasing across stylistically distinct sections
- Coordinating vocal and instrumental lines in chamber orchestration settings
- Interpreting Latin text with contemporary musical sensibility