Chamber Singers to Perform Ancient Mexican “Passion”

Music Professor Grey Brothers will direct the Westmont Chamber Singers in a Palm Sunday performance of Antonio Rodriguez de Matta's “The Passion According to Matthew,” 7 p.m. April 4 in Deane Chapel, next to the Art Center on the lower campus. The concert is open to the public and admission is free.

Matta was a 17th-century maestro of the Mexico City Cathedral. Brothers edited Matta's “Passio secundum Mattheum” from a manuscript found in the cathedral’s archives. This may be the first time Matta's work has been heard since the 17th century.

The account of the Passion of Jesus Christ, including his observance of the Passover with the disciples, his vigil and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, his trial before the Jewish and Roman authorities, and his crucifixion, was chanted as early as the ninth century.

Three roles were usually sung, each to its own melodic formula: The Chronista (narrator); Jesus; and the Synagoga (assembly). The Synagoga included the speech of all those besides Jesus, be they individuals (Pilate, Peter, etc.) or groups (disciples, chief priests, etc.).

Polyphonic, or choral settings of the Passion appeared in the 15th century. The responsorial Passion was the sort favored by Spanish composers, including those who emigrated to take up posts in the opulent music programs of the New World cathedrals.

“In this type of Passion, only brief portions were sung polyphonically while the remainder was performed in the traditional plainchant,” Brothers explained. “The plainchant version of the Passion, to be performed in this concert, was brought to the New World in the 16th century from the region of Andalusia, in southern Spain.”

Members of the Westmont Chamber Singers will perform the roles of Jesus and the Synagoga, while Brothers will sing the part of the Chronista.

For more information, contact the music department at (805) 565-7040 or pubaffairs@westmont.edu. For directions to campus, go to the college Web site at www.westmont.edu.