Abstract
Frank La Rocca’s Mass of the Americas, for SATB choir, organ, strings, guitar, marimba, and handbells, premiered in its current version in 2019 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, D.C. It was commissioned by the Archbishop of San Francisco, the Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone. This work was written to commemorate the dual feasts of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (patroness of the United States) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (patroness of Mexico and all the Americas.) To honor the nature of these feast days, La Rocca uses Mexican folk hymns as the source material for much of the music within the Mass and includes the first known Ave Maria in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec people. In addition, his influences include aspects of American sacred choral music, as well as significant Catholic composers from music history. This document will serve as a conductor’s guide to the work, and will include a discussion of the various source materials, a musical analysis of the score, and rehearsal strategies and suggestions. Additionally, it will contain suggestions for mounting this work as part of a Mass within the Roman Catholic Liturgy.