Moy Ortiz: Beyond The CompanY with Mass Pop

If Moy Ortiz had written Mass Pop two centuries ago, he would have been heavily castigated by the Catholic Church or even hauled off to some town square and quartered. What about accused of blasphemy and maybe sent to face the Spanish inquisition. This is because back in those olden days it was forbidden to use female voices and the piano and other percussion instruments in music settings of the Holy Mass.

Ortiz is guilty of all those in his new work Mass Pop. He has female singers from the assorted groups he used in the recording. Then while he uses no musical instruments, the album is all a cappella, Myke Salomon’s beat boxing in several cuts, can certainly pass for a percussion instrument. And what about the music? His choices would have jarred a lot of pious ears.

Ortiz is a prolific and popular and award-winning songwriter, singer, arranger and record producer. Think Pagdating ng Panahon by Ice Seguerra and Pakisabi Na Lang by the singing group The CompanY. He also formed The CompanY nearly 40 years ago and remains one of the members. Think of hit songs like Everlasting Love, Now That I Have You, Muntik Na Kitang Minahal and others.Aside from Ortiz, the other current members of the group are Annie Quintos, Sweet Plantado and OJ Mariano.

Now, unknown to many all these past years, Ortiz had a passion project that is drastically different from the jazzy pop music he makes with his group. The project was not only about music, it would include his strong sentiments born out of his religious upbringing and the resultant longing to do something in praise of, in gratitude of and in fulfillment of a silent promise he made to God. He has finally done it. “Hey Lord,” he probably said when he finished his work, “Here is Mass Pop in Your honor for what you made of me.”

Mass Pop is an album that features Ortiz’s original setting for the traditional Latin Mass. As everybody knows, the Mass is the Eucharistic liturgical service of the Catholic Church. Religious rites starting from centuries ago provided composers a much-desired place for their works. Just check out how many Ave Marias have been composed over the years.

Another one that they created a lot of great music for in plainsong or in the Gregorian chant were the different parts of the Mass. This undertaking was very popular and most of the great composers tried their hand in putting the sacred text to music not only for use during the service in church but also for performance in concert halls.

There now exist Masses by the likes of Palestrina, Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Beethoven and many others. Recent times have seen renderings by Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber. There are also missas by Filipino composers Fr. Manuel Maramba OSB, Alfredo Buenaventura and Ryan Cayabyab. We can now add the name Vadim Sisenand Villaluz Ortiz to the list.

Aside from his early decision that Mass Pop would be done all a cappella, Ortiz also decided that he would only have the best vocal groups around to record his work. And he got them all. Get a load of the album lineup:

Kyrie Eleison by Ortiz, The CompanY and Salomon; Gloria by Ortiz, the PInopela and Salomon; Credo by Ortiz, the Ryan Cayabyab Singers and Salomon; Alleluia, a solo by Ortiz; Sanctus by Ortiz, the Acapellago and Salomon; The Great Amen by Ortiz; The Pater Noster by The CompanY with Paulo Zarate; and The Agnus Dei by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, conducted by Mark Anthony Carpio.

Now, I want to know what inspiration Ortiz found to make music like Mass Pop. I wonder how in the course of toying around with jazz, rock, pop and Latin rhythms he was able to blend everything together to create a sublime religious experience. I want to know how a tentative Kyrie can burst into the urgent Sanctus and end with the exultant Agnus Dei. I had a lot of questions at the start but who cares for answers. I ended listening enveloped in piety, total and beautiful.