My Joy

I have been writing a mass setting and my original inspiration for doing so was to write music for liturgy that is joyful. For me personally, the meaning of an expression of joy is critical because I want joy with sincerity. The first hurdle I faced was finding a musical pallet that had depth, but not darkness. It was also a great consideration to make sure the music was joyful versus happy. Happiness alone is a shallow representation of joy in Heaven, or the Love of God. This is aptly illustrated by the definitions of joy as found in the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “1a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: DELIGHT b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion: GAIETY. 2: a state of happiness or felicity: BLISS. 3: a source or cause of delight.”

The first definition connotes a secular happiness resulting from personal success, luck, and often material pleasures. None of these things are expressly bad, yet they are not necessarily “joy in heaven.” Definition number three is much closer to what I want my music to accomplish, “a source or cause of delight.” Something that has the ability to cause or be the source of joy is much more powerful than that which we commonly know, for my music, such a thing is the delight of God’s love and the source of goodness in our lives as Christians. This source of joy is what needs to be communicated in the music that is written, so that, the person singing or listening to it feels this source of Joy and is uplifted in the expression of joy during the worship service.

The goal for this musical composition is to great a “Total Worship Experience.” I am about mid-way through the project. My concept is to write really more than just the individual mass parts but accompany them with additional music for opening, closing, and communion. I was inspired to take on this project because it was always a terrible disappointment to me as a musician to find the same lifeless music played week after week for service. Our lives as a matter of principle should be led with joy, led with recognition of the love that we share with Christ. Our music should reflect that as well. I look forward to working on this project every moment that I get, my mass of Joy.