Leonard Bernstein - Mass-A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers

Bernstein began to conceive his Mass in the late 1960’s, when young people believed that drugs, sex, and rock-and-roll music would save the world...In addition to being an attack on all authority, the work is also an attack on the the authority the composer-conductor himself had become. Bernstein talked to Peter Davis about this in an interview that appeared in High Fidelity magazine. He spoke of the moment when the Celebrant smashes the holy vessels and there is only silence on stage: "There are 160 people sitting there, none of whom can breathe, make a move, or take the next step in life because of the fraction that occurred. There has been a fraction of many things, of the vessels of the psyche, of this character, and of the faith itself. At that point everyone has to look very deeply into himself to find that very thing he has destroyed." When Davis asked what it is that finally heals them, Bernstein replied that it lies in the act of finding within one that part of oneself that has been destroyed. "In other words, you cannot have a relationship with another person unless you have some kind of relationship with yourself, and with that indefinable "divine" element in yourself that we’ve been talking about---the quality the Celebrant possessed before he became priestly, gorgeously clad, powerful..."

Leonard Bernstein "Gospel-Sermon" from Mass

Preacher: "God said: Let there be light. And there was light." Chorus: "God said: Let there be night. And there was night." Preacher: "God said: let there be day. And there was day..." Chorus: "...day to follow the night." Preacher: "And it was good, brother" All: "And it was good, brother" Preacher: "And it was good, brother" All: "And it was goddam good." Preacher: "God said: Let there be storms Storms to bring life..." Chorus: "...life in all of its forms, Forms such as herds..." Preacher: "...herds and gaggles and swarms Swarms that have names" Chorus: "...names and numbers and norms." Preacher: "And it was good, brother" All: "And it was good, brother" Preacher: "And it was good, brother" All: "And it was goddam good!" Preacher: "God said: Let there be gnats Let there be sprats..." Chorus: "sprats to gobble the gnats So that the sprats..." Preacher: "...sprats may nourish the rats, Making them fat..." Chorus: "...fat, fine food for the cats." Preacher: "And they grew fat, brother" All: "And they grew fat, brother" Preacher: "All but the gnats, brother" All: "They all grew fearful fat." Preacher: "And God saw it was good." Chorus: "God made it be good." Preacher: "Created it good" Chorus: "Created the gnats..." Preacher: "...gnats to nourish the sprats..."
Chorus: "...sprats to nurture the rats" Preacher: "And all for us big fat cats." All: "Us cats!" Chorus: "And it was good, and it was good, And it was good, and it was good." First Solo: "God said it's good to be poor, Good men must not be secure; So if we steal from you, It's just to help you stay pure." All: "And it was good!" Chorus: "And it was good! (etc.)" Second Solo: "God said take charge of my zoo I made these creatures for you; So he won't mind if we Wipe out a species or two." All: "And it was good!" Chorus: "And it was good! (etc.)" Third Solo: "God said to spread his commands To folks in faraway lands; They may not want us there, But man it's out of our hands." All: "And it was good!" Chorus: "And it was good! (etc.)" Fourth Solo: "God said that sex should repulse Unless it leads to results; And so we crowd the world Full of consenting adults." All: "And it was good!" Chorus: "And it was good! (etc.)" Fifth Solo: "God said it's good to be meek And so we are once a week; it may not mean a lot But oh, it's terribly chic." All: "And it was good!" Chorus: "And it was good! (etc.)" Preacher: "God made us the boss God gave us the cross We turned it into a sword To spread the Word of the Lord We use His holy decrees To do whatever we please" Chorus: "Yeah!"Preacher: "And it was good!" Chorus: "Yeah!" All: "And it was good, Yeah! And it was goddam good!" Preacher: "God said: Let there be light. And there was light." Chorus: "God said: Le there be night. And there was night. Preacher: "God said: Let there be day. And there was day..." Chorus: "...day to follow the night." Preacher: "And it was good, brother!" Chorus: "And it was good, brother!" Preacher: "And it was good, brother!" All: "And it was..."

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