Like a lot of people, my first encounter with this African choral album was watching Lindsay Anderson's if... (1968), and being captivated by the 'Sanctus' piece of music favoured by Malcolm McDowell's lead character. Following the film's release, Philips released it as a single which entered the UK charts. The original LP, however, dated back to 1958 when it received a limited release, and subsequent reissues throughout the 60s, and the 'Missa Luba' itself was arranged by a Belgian priest in 1957.
Father Guido Haazen (1921-2004) became director of a school in the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1953, and established a choir that same year, featuring 45 boys and 15 adults singing and playing percussion. The first side of this album consists of seven traditional pieces, with the Missa Luba taking up side two.
Although structured like a traditional mass with the Latin text, each section is based on African folk forms. The Kyrie is based on a Luba mourning song, the Sanctus and Benedictus on Bantu farewell songs, and so on. It's beautiful stuff to listen to, with the Sanctus the definite highlight.
link
pw: sgtg
