Missa Materialis

for percussion quartet or trio
commissioned by line upon line and Owen Weaver

The initial idea for Missa Materialis (2010) was inspired by a visit to the Cathedral of Junk in Austin, Texas. The site is built upon an array of old junk yard items welded together by artist Vince Hannemann to form a series of towering, pyramid-shaped sculptures. Considering the ritualistic cycle of western society’s economic materialism, I set out to create a soundtrack for this life-sized installation. Borrowing from the Cathedral of Junk’s religious imagery, Missa Materialis mirrors the form of a liturgical Mass (“Missa” in latin), and includes references to specific musical fragments and texts. The work’s core instrumentation features ‘found’ objects inspired by common consumer products such as a garbage can, boombox radio, saw, plastic water bottles, and shopping bags. As the piece progresses, our throw-away product culture is subjugated to the inevitability of environmental destruction.