Missa a 8 vozes e instrumentos was composed in 1785 by André da Silva Gomes, who was born in Lisbon but moved to Brazil when he was only twenty-two years old. Régis Duprat, whose 1966 doctoral thesis was entitled Music at the Mother Church and Cathedral of colonial São Paulo and included a transcription of this work, still enthuses about this composer and about this piece in particular. He comments:

The new chapel master, André da Silva Gomes, changed all previously established patterns of organization and religious musical composition at the cathedral. Music became an integral part in all of the principal religious festivities during the year. The golden period of musical composition in colonial São Paulo coincided with André da Silva Gomes and his activities at the cathedral. His brightness and highly artistic style, which represents the sui-generis qualities of his compositions, were heard at the most important services in the city. In this work we can distinguish a contrapuntal style (a fugue of eight voices in the Kyrie II and in the Cum Sancto Spiritu), a strength in the alternate entry of two choirs, an instrumental treatment not conceived as simple reinforcement, and a general harmonic richness. The bass follows the Baroque style which brings to the work a graceful and cantabile character. The presence of trumpets is of special value and gives to the piece a Baroque brilliance. The melodic quality is exuberant (Laudamus te, Qui tollis, Quoniam tu solus sanctus) and the counterpoint lends to the work a great deal of variety which is second only to the tonal diversity.

from notes by Jeffrey Skidmore © 2015