Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Trumpet, Viola, Piano, 3 Percussionists.
Percussion 1 - 3 Wood blocks, 3 Suspended Cymbals, 3 Small Tomtoms
Percussion 2 - 3 Wood blocks, 3 Suspended Cymbals, 3 Small Tomtoms
Percussion 3 - 3 Suspended Cymbals with Contact Microphones, 8 Small gongs with Air Microphones, 8 Metal Plates with Contact Microphones.
For Movement 26 only:
Percussion 1 - Marimba, 1 Timp
Percussion 2 - Cencerros, 2 Timps
Percussion 3 - Vibraphone
Microphones for Oboe, Clarinet, Trumpet, Viola, Piano and Percussion 3.
4 Channel Tape Recorder
2 Channel Tape Recorder
Real Time Processing (see below)
Mixer
8 Channel Loudspeaker System
The eight speakers are placed around the hall as follows (see layout illustration below):
1 and 2 = L and R stage wide
3 and 4 = L and R auditorium front
5 and 6 = L and R auditorium rear
7 and 8 = L and R stage narrow (in front of ensemble)
The four channel tape should be routed to speakers 3, 4, 5 and 6
The two channel tape should be routed to speakers 1 and 2
All Percussion 3 microphones should be routed to speakers 7 and 8.
The processing system requires six inputs for the six amplified instruments, and eight outputs feeding the speaker channels. Processing requirements are:
- Six tap delay line with pitch shifts - maximum delay 4583.3mS
- Two three tap delay lines with pitch shifts - maximum delays 3333.3 and 4583.3mS
- Four Ring Modulators
- Three Reverberation Units with maximum decay times of 3.6 seconds
The complete system may be implemented on an IRCAM Signal Processing Workstation with two DSP cards and two SoundSmith I/O units. A MAX patch to implement this is available from the composer. A version of the patch for MAX/msp on MacIntosh or Windows XP can also be obtained from the composer. For the original performance a system comprising four Yamaha SPX1000 processors and four DACs Ring Modulators was connected via a 360 Systems 16x16 Matrix Patcher as shown below. The patcher was also linked by MIDI to the SPX1000s, to send MIDI Program Change messages. In this way the quick patch changes required were made possible. A connection diagram is shown below:
| Patch No | Movement No | Details |
| 1 | 3 |
Trumpet to Delay/Pitch Shifts 833.3mS, -3.50, Sp 5 1250mS, +3.00, Sp 2 1875mS, +6.50, Sp 3 2916.7mS -8.00 Sp 4 3333.3mS -10.50 Sp 1 4583.3mS +10.50 Sp 6 |
| 2 | 4 |
Oboe to Reverb (1.2 sec) Sp 1 and 7 Viola to Reverb (1.2 sec) Sp 2 and 8 |
| 3 | 4 |
Oboe to Reverb (1.6 sec) Sp 1 and 7 Viola to Reverb (1.6 sec) Sp 2 and 8 |
| 4 | 5 |
Clar to Reverb (1.6 sec) to RM 1A Trump to Reverb (1.6 sec) to RM 1B Rm 1 to Sp 7 and 8 |
| 5 | 8 |
Clar to Reverb (1.6 sec) to RM 1A Viola to Reverb (1.6 sec) to RM 2A Piano to RM 1B and 2B RM 1 to Sp 7 and 8 RM 2 to Sp 1 and 2 |
| 6 | 9 |
Oboe to Reverb (2.0 sec) Sp 1 and 7 Trump to Reverb (2.0 sec) Sp 2 and 8 |
| 7 | 9 |
Oboe to Reverb (2.4 sec) Sp 1 and 7 Trump to Reverb (2.4 sec) Sp 2 and 8 |
| 8 | 12/14 |
Oboe to Delay/Pitch Shifts 833.3mS, -3.50, Sp 5 1875mS, +6.50, Sp 3 3333.3mS -10.50 Sp 1 Viola to Delay/Pitch Shifts 1250mS, +3.00, Sp 2 2916.7mS -8.00 Sp 4 4583.3mS +10.50 Sp 6 |
| 9 | 15 |
Clar to Reverb (2.8 sec) Sp 1 and 7 Viola to Reverb (2.8 sec) Sp 2 and 8 |
| 10 | 16 |
Oboe to Reverb (2.8 sec) to RM 1A Trump to Reverb (2.8 sec) to RM 2A Piano to RM 1B and 2B RM 1 to Sp 7 and 8 RM 2 to Sp 1 and 2 |
| 11 | 18 |
Clar to Reverb (2.8 sec) to RM 1A Viola to Reverb (2.8 sec) to RM 1B Rm 1 to Sp 7 and 8 |
| 12 | 20 |
Clar to RM 1A Viola to RM 2A Clar to RM 3A Viola to RM 4A Perc 3 to RM 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B RM 1 to Sp 3, RM 2 to Sp 4, RM 3 to Sp 5, RM 4 to Sp 6 |
| 13 | 22 |
Clar to RM 1A Trump to RM 2A Viola to RM 3A Oboe to RM 1B, 2B, 3B RM 1 to Sp 1, RM 2 to Sp 7 and 8, RM 3 to Sp 2 |
| 14 | 23 |
Clar to Reverb (3.2 sec) to Sp 3 and 5 Trump to Reverb (3.2 sec) to sp 7 and 8 Viola to Reverb (3.2 sec) to Sp 4 and 6 |
| 15 | 23 |
Oboe to Reverb (3.6 sec) to Sp 3 and 5 Trump to Reverb (3.6 sec) to sp 7 and 8 Viola to Reverb (3.6 sec) to Sp 4 and 6 |
| 16 | 24 |
Clar to Delay/Pitch Shifts 1250mS, +10.50 Sp 6 1666.7mS, -10.50 Sp 1 2708.3mS -8.00 Sp 4 3333.3mS +6.50 Sp 3 3750mS +3.00 Sp 2 4583.3mS -3.50 Sp 5 |
The origins of my perception of the Mass as drama are buried somewhere in my Anglo-Catholic upbringing. That this ritual of life, death and rebirth is a metaphor for much of what we all perceive about our existence is no surprise: that is what religion is for. This idea of ritualised drama has influenced much of my work. In 1970 I was invited to compose a mass setting for the centenary of St Augustine's Church, Queen's Gate, London, and I chose to make this a Mass for Pentecost. Not only were the metaphors of wind and fire obvious inspirations, but Pentecost seemed to me to be about the nature of inspiration itself.
Having produced this work I wanted to take my ideas further, which I did in two ways. I composed a series of works entitled 'Kyries and Alleluias', which developed the musical material of the canons which formed a central part of the original. I also created an entirely different version for the Imperial College Chaplaincy in which I used the voices of their members to create new taped material representing Wind, Fire and Tongues. Traditional Mass settings are frequently performed in concert, but this completely ignores the larger structure of the Mass itself. I always intended that a concert version would represent the whole dramatic structure of the Mass. In 1983 I was invited to propose a work for the centenary of the Royal College of Music and produced the concert version at last. This incorporated the original material from both formats, together with new versions of the 'Kyries and Alleluias' pieces, together with some new material, representing the portions of the Mass not normally included in musical settings.
Still I was not satisfied that my journey was completed, and in 1991, when the RCM invited me to propose a work for my 50th birthday, 'Ritual Dances' was born. The 1983 version of the Mass consisted of six (sometimes overlapping) layers. These progressed from the most external, the equivalent of the organ Preludes and Postludes which provide a transition between the Mass and the outside world, to the most internal, representing the deepest, and most sacrificial moments of the Mass. These layers are:
1 Prelude, Sequence and Postlude (three "Exultations for the Procession of the Comforter")
2 Processions (In the 1983 version the performers processed in, around and out of the hall playing percussion instruments - these are omitted in Ritual Dances)
3 Fanfares and Commentaries (the Fanfares have been substantially rewritten)
4 Propers (the special texts for Pentecost were spoken, with interspersed instrumental passages which have been retained)
5 Ordinary (the familiar sections of the Mass [Kyrie, Gloria, (Credo is omitted), Sanctus and Agnus Dei] occur in only vestigial form, the tape "intonations" from the original 1970 setting)
6 Three "Exultations for the Sacrifice of the Lamb" which represent the deepest level of the drama.
Layer 1 is retained in greatly shortened form (originally the Prelude began before the audience were admitted and the Postlude finished after they had left).
Layer 2 is omitted entirely, so the outer levels of the ritual are very much reduced.
Layer 3 is retained almost in tact, with revised versions of the Fanfares utilising electronic delays.
Layer 4 remains without the spoken texts and with some electronic enhancement.
Layer 5 is omitted except for the tape "intonations" that introduced the sung movements and some vestiges of the percussion parts.
Layer 6 remains unchanged.
The net effect, apart from making it a much shorter work and a work without the literary element of the spoken and sung texts, is to shift the emphasis away from the outer, more visible elements of the drama toward the inner, more "secret" aspects of the ritual.
A complete list of the remaining movements, with instrumentation, follows:
| Movement | Instruments | Tape Q | Patch |
| 1 Prelude | 1 | ||
| 3 1st Fanfare | Tpt | 1 conts | 1 |
| 4 Introit | Ob, Vla, P1, 2, 3 | 2, 3 | |
| 5 1st Commentary | Cl, Tpt | 4 | |
| 6 Kyrie | 2 | ||
| 7 Gloria | P 1, 2 | 2 conts | |
| 8 1st Exultation | Cl, Vla, Pno | 5 | |
| 9 Alleluia | Ob, Tpt, P 1, 2, 3 | 6, 7 | |
| 10 Sequence | 3 | ||
| 12/14 2nd/3rd Fanfare | Ob, Vla | 3 conts | 8 |
| 15 Offertory | Cl, Vla, P 1, 2, 3 | 9 | |
| 16 2nd Exultation | Ob, Tpt, Pno | 10 | |
| 17 Sanctus | P 1, 2 | 4 | |
| 18 2nd Commentary | Cl, Vla | 11 | |
| 19 Benedictus | P 1, 2 | 5 | 12 |
| 20 3rd Commentary | Ob, Cl, Tpt, Vla, P 3 | ||
| 21 Agnus Dei | 6 | ||
| 22 3rd Exultation | Tutti | 13 | |
| 23 Communion | Ob, Cl, Tpt, Vla, P 1, 2, 3 | 14, 15 | |
| 24 4th Fanfare | Cl | 7 | 16 |
| 26 Postlude | Ob, Cl, Tpt, Vla, P 1, 2, 3 | 7 conts |
Missing numbers are movements from 'Missa Spiriti Sancti' that are omitted entirely from 'Ritual Dances'.
It is not always immediately obvious from the score how some of the movements overlap. Here is a resume of these. 1 and 3 finish approximately together after the start of 4. 6 starts before the end of 5. 7 and 8 start simultaneously. 12/14 starts during 10 and they finish approximately together. 16 and 17 start together. 19 overlaps 20. 24 overlaps the tape part of 26.
Lawrence Casserley
Revised October, 1996; July, 2004