To Hope! (A Celebration): SATB with SATB Soli Choral Book

Brubeck wrote a mass that actually sounds like Brubeck, the harmonic language, the rhythmic sophistication, the sense of gentle swing, without ever sacrificing the dignity of the liturgy. The flexibility built into this score (jazz ensemble, concert hall, church service, Vespers selections) means you're not locked into one performance mode; the music lives in multiple contexts and rewards different interpretations each time.

Reverent but never stiff. The score carries warmth and accessibility while maintaining real musical substance; it sounds familiar enough to put listeners at ease, yet offers enough harmonic and rhythmic sophistication to engage serious musicians. There's an underlying optimism in the writing that matches the title.

Cathedral choirs, collegiate ensembles, and parish choirs ready to program something beyond conventional mass settings. This works equally well for directors seeking a meaningful concert piece as for those needing flexible liturgical music that holds up under repeated performance.

• Balance the soloists prominently enough that their phrases read as distinct from the choral sections; Brubeck's writing gives soloists real material, not filler lines.
• Let the jazz vocabulary breathe. The rhythmic freedom in certain passages isn't meant to feel metrically rigid; singers and accompanists need permission to shape the phrasing.
• The optional handbells and celeste add luminous color but aren't necessary; perform this with piano alone if needed and the score loses nothing essential.
• Rehearse the doxology and great amen with particular attention to harmonic clarity; these moments contain some of Brubeck's most interesting voice leading.

Perform the complete mass as your main choral work, or extract individual movements for specific liturgical occasions or concert sets. The "Gloria" and "Lamb of God" work particularly well as shorter concert selections if you need to program Brubeck without committing to the full score.

• Reading and performing jazz-influenced harmonic language within a classical sacred framework
• Balancing solo and choral textures in liturgical music
• Navigating flexible rhythmic phrasing while maintaining ensemble cohesion
• Approaching twentieth-century sacred music that doesn't follow traditional mass conventions
• Ensemble collaboration across varied instrumentation (piano, optional handbells, celeste, optional jazz ensemble)