Almeida Prado's Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. Mark

This book is based on the analysis and performance considerations of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to Saint Mark by the Brazilian composer Almeida Prado (1943-2010). This passion setting which comprises mixed choir actors organ harpsichord and timpani was composed in 1967. The setting of the passion story strictly follows the gospel account and no other poetic text chorales or arias were added. Among other factors this work is unique in that the choir is used to carry the narrative throughout the work. Also the composer masterfully uses text-painting in the choral and instrumental parts. The use of actors for the direct dialogues suggests that staging and acting are appropriate for the dramatic representation of the work. It is based on non-functional harmony and incorporates chromaticism clusters modality and experiments with both texture and tone color. Many European techniques were being recognized and incorporated into works of Brazilian composers that adhered to the avant-garde movement that took place in Brazil during the 1960s. Almeida Prado was one of the most important of these composers in Brazil with an output of over 400 works.