J.J. Wright
Catholic Musician
J.J. Wright’s Vespers is a service composed for jazz piano trio (piano, bass, drums), cantor, and congregation. The service follows the format of Vespers from the Liturgy of the Hours and includes simplified settings of traditional Gregorian Chant psalm tones between each antiphon. It was composed in this manner to allow for full congregational participation without sacrificing the integrity and beauty of the music. Much historical research was done before beginning the compositional process (all the way back to the earliest instances of Christian prayer after Christ’s death, and up through modern times) to ensure a contemporary service without compromising the inherent formal beauty present in the traditional Catholic Vespers service. This Vespers service also incorporates elements of jazz and popular music, interweaving melodies from Sufjan Stevens’ “The Transfiguration” and improvisational meditations. These elements both illustrate the thematic content present in the Transfiguration narrative and also take the participant-listener on a journey through the experience of the Transfiguration as presented through musical form and ideas.