I had the great pleasure as a bass singer of learning and singing this hauntingly beautiful Kyrie, part of
Misa Criolla [Creole mass], by
Ariel Ramírez when a member of
Die Zeitlupe in 2006.
Misa Criolla (1964), using Spanish instead of the traditional Latin, was one of the first masses to use a vernacular text after the Second Vatican Council lifted its ban on this practice in the early 1960's. The composition was inspired after meeting nuns who had secretly protected German Jews during the Holocaust and was intended to be a tribute to human dignity, courage, and freedom.
It is a combination of European and indigenous traditions fusing the language of Argentina, its musical rhythms, and its instruments.
The SATB version we sang can be found in
4 Voices published by
Edition Helbling.