The work is intended to be staged theatrically, but it has also been performed in a standard concert setting. Mass also includes additional texts in English written by Bernstein, Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz, and Paul Simon (who wrote the first quatrain of the trope 'Half of the People'). The liturgical passages are sung mostly in Latin, though the 'Sanctus' includes portions in Hebrew. The work is based on the Tridentine Mass of the Catholic Church. Mass premiered in Europe in 1973, with John Mauceri conducting the Yale Symphony Orchestra in Vienna.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The performance was part of the opening of the John F. The production used costume designs by Frank Thompson. Commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy, it premiered on September 8, 1971, conducted by Maurice Peress and choreographed by Alvin Ailey. Mass (formally: MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers) is a musical theatre work composed by Leonard Bernstein with text by Bernstein and additional text and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
