The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Download the full program book
Read the full text of the score
View a photo gallery from the Thursday night performance
1. The Armed Man (L’Homme armé)
Traditional, c. 1450-1463
2. Call to Prayers - Adhaan
Traditional Arabic
3. Kyrie
Ordinary of the Mass
4. Save Me From Bloody Men
From Psalms 56 and 59
5. Sanctus
Ordinary of the Mass
6. Hymn Before Action
Rudyard Kipling
7. Charge!
John Dryden - Song for Saint Cecilia’s Day and
Jonathan Swift, to the Earl of Oxford, after Horace
8. Angry Flames
Toge Sankichi, translated by Richard Minnear
9. Torches
The Mahábharata (Adi Parva, The Khandava-daha Parva,) begun 6th Century BC
10. Agnus Dei
Ordinary of the Mass
11. Now the Guns have Stopped
Guy Wilson
12. Benedictus
Ordinary of the Mass
13. Better is Peace
From ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’ - Sir Thomas Malory
‘In Memoriam’ - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The Book of Revelations
Download the full program book
Read the full text of the score
View a photo gallery from the Thursday night performance
1. The Armed Man (L’Homme armé)
Traditional, c. 1450-1463
2. Call to Prayers - Adhaan
Traditional Arabic
3. Kyrie
Ordinary of the Mass
4. Save Me From Bloody Men
From Psalms 56 and 59
5. Sanctus
Ordinary of the Mass
6. Hymn Before Action
Rudyard Kipling
7. Charge!
John Dryden - Song for Saint Cecilia’s Day and
Jonathan Swift, to the Earl of Oxford, after Horace
8. Angry Flames
Toge Sankichi, translated by Richard Minnear
9. Torches
The Mahábharata (Adi Parva, The Khandava-daha Parva,) begun 6th Century BC
10. Agnus Dei
Ordinary of the Mass
11. Now the Guns have Stopped
Guy Wilson
12. Benedictus
Ordinary of the Mass
13. Better is Peace
From ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’ - Sir Thomas Malory
‘In Memoriam’ - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The Book of Revelations
In May of 2025 the 95-member Pemigewasset Choral Society and 16-piece chamber orchestra performed The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Welsh Composer Karl Jenkins.
The Armed Man is a 13-movement choral masterpiece that communicates the harrowing menace of the drift into war and the horror of conflict mixed with several peaceful moments of reflection. The performance concludes on a hopeful note with an uplifting a capella hymn affirming that “God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more death."
Jenkins composed The Armed Man in 1999 to commemorate the Kosovo crisis in eastern Europe. The mass features text and musical themes that evoke images of war and peace across many cultures, eras, and religions. Various texts are drawn from the common Latin mass as well as the words of Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and others.
Chorus and orchestra were conducted by William Gunn, director of music at Plymouth Regional High School and 2023 New Hampshire Choral Director of the Year.
Director Gunn describes The Armed Man as a journey through devastation of war and, ultimately, a plea for peace. Throughout the performance you will hear the sounds of battle, the cries of the wounded, and the sorrow of those left behind. There are also moments of transcendence, most notably in the Benedictus, a profound expression of hope and healing.” Read More . . .
The Armed Man is a 13-movement choral masterpiece that communicates the harrowing menace of the drift into war and the horror of conflict mixed with several peaceful moments of reflection. The performance concludes on a hopeful note with an uplifting a capella hymn affirming that “God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more death."
Jenkins composed The Armed Man in 1999 to commemorate the Kosovo crisis in eastern Europe. The mass features text and musical themes that evoke images of war and peace across many cultures, eras, and religions. Various texts are drawn from the common Latin mass as well as the words of Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and others.
Chorus and orchestra were conducted by William Gunn, director of music at Plymouth Regional High School and 2023 New Hampshire Choral Director of the Year.
Director Gunn describes The Armed Man as a journey through devastation of war and, ultimately, a plea for peace. Throughout the performance you will hear the sounds of battle, the cries of the wounded, and the sorrow of those left behind. There are also moments of transcendence, most notably in the Benedictus, a profound expression of hope and healing.” Read More . . .