A mass in the liturgical sense celebrates Jesus, not necessarily God the Father.  Mass for the Father celebrates God the Father and what He has done by giving up His son and what messages He asked God the Spirit to deliver to us.  This piece uses the text from the Ordinary of the Mass, which includes the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei.  The text Pater Noster, Our Father, is added to Mass for the Father.  The order of the movements has been changed from what composers traditionally place them, which is liturgical.  The Credo has been split into four parts.  The part about God the Father, the part about Jesus dying, the part about Jesus rising and the part about the Holy Spirit of the Credo are set thought the mass.  The Credo becomes the foundation in which the rest of the movements are structurally supported.

• The Mass for the Father begins with Credo 1, in which the text of the Mass describes God the Father as maker of the heavens and the Earth.

• The Kyrie follows and petitions for the mercy of the Father and that of the Son of God.

• The Credo 2 states the belief that Jesus, the Son of God, was born of the Virgin Mary to die for the sins of the world.

• The Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God, is about the gift that God the Father gave us - the gift of his son, Jesus, who died for the sins of the world.  It is also a cry for peace and for and an end to the suffering on earth.

• The Pater Noster, Our Father, is the focal point of Mass for the Father because it illustrates the Father's relationship to the people on Earth.

• Credo 3 describes the ascension of Jesus Christ on the third day after his death.  This is the fulfillment of the gift that the Father has given to us.

• The Sanctus is about the collective power of God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  The Sanctus is the seventh movement and marks the first time in this piece wherein reference to the Trinity is made.  The number symbolizes perfection, according to church symbolism.

• In Credo 4, the Holy Spirit is described as the Lord and giver of life.

• The Gloria, the last movement, includes and describes the Trinity, or the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, joined together in a musical celebration.

Duration:  32.5 Minutes
Number of measures:  609
Number of pages (Score):  118

Instrumentation Flute Oboe Bb Clarinet Bb Bass Clarinet French Horn Bb Trumpet Trombone Timpani Mallets - Crotalies, Orchestra Bells, Chimes, Xylophone, Marimba, Vibraphone Percussion - Triangle, Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbal, Tam-tam, Bass Drum Choir Violin 1 Violin 2 Viola Cello Contrabass

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Performance History This piece was premiered on Eric D. Sharp’s composition recital and was conducted by Eric D. Sharp on May 10, 1998 at the Daniel Recital Hall in Long Beach, CA. Flute - Kathy Smith Oboe - Shane Fitzgerald Clarinet - Jamie Likley Bass Clarinet - Megan French Horn - Christine Morse Trumpet - Len Montgomery Trombone - Jennifer Broome Percussionists - Jim Folger, Greg Holcombe, Mariono LaSpisa Violin 1 - Marie Gonzales Violin 2 Allison Reid Viola - Amber Driscoll Cello - Alicia Day Contrabass - Josh Becker Sopranos - Sharon Mckenzie, Kristen Reed, Kimberly Sullivan Altos - Summer Benton, Susan Figge Tenors - Rob Giracello, Sydney Velasquez Basses - Charlie Hickman, Josh Lapp, David Somers, Leland Vail