The ''Missa Luba'' is a setting of the
Latin Mass sung in styles traditional to the
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
. It was composed by Father Guido Haazen, a
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
friar from
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, and originally celebrated, performed, and recorded in 1958 by Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin (King Baudouin's Troubadours), a choir of adults and children from the Congolese town of
Kamina
Kamina is the capital city of Haut-Lomami Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Transport
Kamina is known as an important railway node; three lines of the DRC railways run from Kamina toward the north, west, and south-east. The ...
in
Katanga Province
Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914.
It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika Province, Tanganyika, Hau ...
. It would later become the partial basis for a Congolese usage of the
Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite Mass, the
Zaire Use
The Zaire Use (), officially the Roman Missal for the Dioceses of Zaire, is a Congolese-based variant use of the Roman Rite within the Catholic Church. Approved by the Vatican in 1988, it contains many elements from the Ordinary Form of the Roman ...
.
Background
Father Guido Haazen O.F.M. (
Order of Friars Minor
The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...
) (b. 27 September 1921, d. 20 August 2004) became director of
Kamina
Kamina is the capital city of Haut-Lomami Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Transport
Kamina is known as an important railway node; three lines of the DRC railways run from Kamina toward the north, west, and south-east. The ...
Central School in what was then the
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964.
Colo ...
in September 1953. Within weeks he established an ensemble consisting of a male choir – about forty-five boys aged nine to fourteen and fifteen adults – and percussion. In 1957 he received royal consent to name the ensemble Les Troubadours du Roi Bauduoin in honour of the Belgian king
Baudouin I
Baudouin (;, ; nl, Boudewijn Albert Karel Leopold Axel Maria Gustaaf, ; german: Balduin Albrecht Karl Leopold Axel Maria Gustav. 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993), Dutch name Boudewijn, was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his dea ...
. In the same year Haazen and the
Baluba
The Luba people or Baluba are an ethno-linguistic group indigenous to the south-central region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The majority of them live in this country, residing mainly in Katanga Province, Katanga, Kasai region, Kasai a ...
people of
Kasai and
Katanga began developing the ''Missa Luba'' from collective improvisations on traditional song forms. It was first celebrated at the Catholic mission of St. Bavo in Kamina on 23 March 1958. The next day, the ensemble left for a tour of Europe, performing the Mass and Congolese folk music in Belgium (where they gave concerts at the
Brussels World's Fair
Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Bel ...
, the Netherlands, and Germany (where they sang with the
Vienna Boys Choir
The Vienna Boys' Choir (german: Wiener Sängerknaben) is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countr ...
). The celebrated recording of the ''Missa Luba'' by the Troubadours and soloist Joachim Ngoi, a teacher at Kamina Central School, was made at this time.
Elements
Music
The music for the Mass was not written down. Father Haazen responded to demand from choirs wanting to perform the piece by publishing a transcription of the recorded version in 1964, with a new edition in 1969.
The
Kyrie
Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of (''Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the Kyrie eleison ( ; ).
In the Bible
The prayer, "Kyrie, eleison," "Lord, have mercy" derives fr ...
is in the style of a ''kasala'', a
Luba
Luba may refer to:
Geography
*Kingdom of Luba, a pre-colonial Central African empire
* Ľubá, a village and municipality in the Nitra region of south-west Slovakia
*Luba, Abra, a municipality in the Philippines
*Luba, Equatorial Guinea, a town ...
song of mourning. The
Gloria
Gloria may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music
* Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise
* Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise
** Gloria (Handel)
** Gloria (Jenkins) ...
is improvised in the
Kiluba
Luba-Katanga, also known as Luba-Shaba and ''Kiluba'' ( lu, Kiluba), is a Bantu language ( Zone L) of Central Africa. It is spoken mostly in the south-east area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the Luba people.
Kiluba is spoken in th ...
style characteristic of Katanga. The
Credo
In Christian liturgy, the credo (; Latin for "I believe") is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed – or its shorter version, the Apostles' Creed – in the Mass, either as a prayer, a spoken text, or sung as Gregorian chant or other musical setti ...
, the longest section of the Mass, is based on five different folk songs linked by improvisations. The text of the Credo refers to the crucifixion of Christ and the vocal part in the ''Missa Luba'' is preceded by the customary announcement of death, first on the ''kyondo'' (log drum), then on the ''kikumvi'' (
tom-tom
A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go as l ...
). There follows a ''kilio'' (elegy) without percussion accompaniment, sung by the solo voice. The
Sanctus
The Sanctus ( la, Sanctus, "Holy") is a hymn in Christian liturgy. It may also be called the ''epinikios hymnos'' ( el, ἐπινίκιος ὕμνος, "Hymn of Victory") when referring to the Greek rendition.
In Western Christianity, the ...
and the
Benedictus
Benedictus may refer to:
Music
* Benedictus (Song of Zechariah), ''Benedictus'' (''Song of Zechariah''), the canticle sung at Lauds, also called the Canticle of Zachary
* The second part of the Sanctus, part of the Eucharistic prayer
* Benedictus ...
were inspired by a
Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
farewell song. The
Hosannah is a rhythmic dance of Kasai, and the
Agnus Dei
is the Latin name under which the " Lamb of God" is honoured within the Catholic Mass and other Christian liturgies descending from the Latin liturgical tradition. It is the name given to a specific prayer that occurs in these liturgies, and ...
is a typical Bena Luluwa song, such as might be heard around
Kananga
Kananga, formerly known as Luluabourg or Luluaburg, is the capital city of the Kasai-Central, Kasai-Central Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was the capital of the former Kasaï-Occidental , Kasaï-Occidental Province. It is ...
.
Dance
The choreography for the Mass was done by
Eleo Pomare
Eleo Pomare (20 October 1937 – 8 August 2008) was a Colombian-American modern dance choreographer. Known for his politically-charged productions depicting the Black experience, his work had a major influence on contemporary dance, especially Bl ...
.
In popular culture
The Gloria featured in
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...
's ''
The Gospel According to St. Matthew'' (1964). The Kyrie was used in the Mexican film ''Un alma pura'' (1965) and the MGM film ''
The Singing Nun
Jeanne-Paule Marie "Jeannine" Deckers (17 October 1933 – 29 March 1985), better known as Sœur Sourire () and often called The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries, was a Belgian singer-songwriter and a member of the Dominican Order in ...
'' (1966). The Sanctus featured prominently in
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading-light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered for h ...
's 1968 film ''
if....'' starring
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is a British actor, producer, and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Alex DeLarge in ''A Clockwork Orange.'' He was born in the Horsforth suburb of Leeds and raised in ...
, with which the Mass was for a time closely identified. It was also used in the
telemovie
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
''Deadly Voyage'' (1996), in which it accompanied the closing credits; in ''
Lost and Delirious
''Lost and Delirious'' is a 2001 Canadian drama film directed by Léa Pool, and based on the novel '' The Wives of Bath'' by Susan Swan. ''Lost and Delirious'' is told from the perspective of Mary ( Mischa Barton), who observes the changing love b ...
'' (2001); and in ''
Never Let Me Go'' (2010).
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
refer to the recording in the lyrics of "Car Jamming" on their 1982 album ''
Combat Rock
''Combat Rock'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Clash. It was released on 14 May 1982 through CBS Records. In the United Kingdom, the album charted at number 2, spending 23 weeks in the UK charts and peaked at number 7 in ...
''. The cover of the Troubadours' album appears briefly in the
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
film ''
A Clockwork Orange
''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to:
* ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess
** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel
*** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...
'' (1971) as Malcolm McDowell's character, Alex, strolls through a record shop.
The ''Missa Luba'' was the most successful of many
world music Masses created in the 1950s and 1960s. It eclipsed the earlier ''Messe des Savanes'' (1956) arranged by Abbé Robert Wedraogho in Upper Volta (now
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
) and gave rise to several imitations, including the ''
Misa Criolla MISA may refer to:
*Maintenance of Internal Security Act, an act of Parliament in India
*Media Institute of Southern Africa
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) is a non-governmental organisation with members in 11 of the Southern Africa Dev ...
'' (1964) arranged by
Ariel Ramírez
Ariel Ramírez (4 September 1921 – 18 February 2010) was an Argentine composer, pianist and music director. He was considered "a chief exponent of Argentine folk music" and noted for his "iconic" musical compositions.
Ramírez is known primari ...
and the ''Misa Flamenca'' (1966) arranged by Ricardo Fernández de Latorre and José Torregrosa.
In the authoritative music magazine
''Mojo'', the Belgian-Congolese record Missa Luba of Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin is mentioned as one of the ten albums that 'made' the sound of
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
.
Original recording
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in A ...
released a ten-inch LP of the ''Missa Luba'' by Les Troubadours du Roi Baudoin in the Netherlands and other European markets in 1958. The track list was:
Side A: Congolese songs
# Dibwe Diambula Kabanda (Marriage Song) – 3:02
# Lutuku & A Bene Kanyoka (Emergence from Grief) – 2:48
# Ebu Ewale Kemai (Marriage Ballad) – 2:22
# Katunbo (Dance) – 1:42
# Seya Wa Mama Ndalamba (Marital Celebration) – 2:21
# Banaha (Soldiers' Song) – 2:01
# Twai Tshinaminai (Work Song) – 1:01
Side B: ''Missa Luba''
# Kyrie – 2:03
# Gloria – 2:39
# Credo – 4:06
# Sanctus – 1:36
# Benedictus – 0:52
# Agnus Dei – 1:52
This program was retained for reissues throughout the early 1960s, including the first U.K. release (1964) and the first U.S. release (1965), and has also been carried over into the digital reissues of more recent times (CD and download) – except that the ''Missa Luba'' now sometimes precedes the songs.
Philips capitalised on the exposure the music received in ''if....'' by releasing the Sanctus and Benedictus as a single, which spent eleven weeks in the British charts, peaking at No. 28 in March 1969.
Some twelve-inch LP versions of the album issued later in the 1960s contained additional material from the 1958 sessions, including:
Sacred music
* Ave Maria (
Jacques Arcadelt
Jacques Arcadelt (also Jacob Arcadelt; 14 October 1568) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in both Italy and France, and principally known as a composer of secular vocal music. Although he also wrote sacred vocal music, he wa ...
) – 2:30
* Mbali Kule (Gloria in Excelsis Deo) – 2:44
* O Jesu Christe (
Jacquet de Berchem Jacquet de Berchem (also known as Giachet(to) Berchem or Jakob van Berchem; c. 1505 – before 2 March 1567) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in Italy. He was famous in mid-16th-century Italy for his madrigals, approximately ...
) – 3:57
Children's songs from the Baluba
* Kamiole – 1:10
* Katende – 1:04
* Kilio
* Kamuyambi – 1:22
* Daina – 1:08
More Congolese songs
* Kamimbi (Kiluba) – 1:42
* Maningi Daba (Kiswahili) – 1:75
* Mikomba (Tshiluba) – 2:02
* Salibona (Kiswahili) – 2:42
* Kansembe (Kiluba)
* Tambwe Dishinda (Tshiluba) – 1:32
No single issue has brought all of this material together. The most complete version is ''The Original Missa Luba and Songs from the Congo'' released by Universal in 1999, which contains an expanded program of twenty-two Congolese songs and the ''Missa Luba'', but omits several of the previously released songs and the other three sacred pieces.
Troubadors of King Baudouin / Troubadours du Roi Baudouin: The Original Missa Luba and Songs from the Congo
All Music. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
The Troubadours' recording of the ''Missa Luba'' has also been reissued in various couplings with the ''Misa Criolla MISA may refer to:
*Maintenance of Internal Security Act, an act of Parliament in India
*Media Institute of Southern Africa
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) is a non-governmental organisation with members in 11 of the Southern Africa Dev ...
'', ''Misa Flamenca'', and ''Messe des Savanes'' performed by other artists.
There are later recordings of the Mass by the Muungano National Choir of Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
(Philips, 1990) and the Choral Arts Society of Washington
The Choral Arts Society of Washington is a major choral organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1965 by Norman Scribner, it is regarded as one of the premier symphonic choruses in the United States. The Choral Arts Society of Washingt ...
(Naxos, 2006).
References
{{Authority control
Democratic Republic of the Congo music
Masses (music)