Prelude in Tempore Belli is a six-minute work for symphony orchestra submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music. The works of composers such as Charles Ives, Benjamin Britten, Krzysztof Penderecki, Gyorgy Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis, Witold Lutoslawski, and John Adams served as the inspiration to inform the writing of Prelude in Tempore Belli. The piece takes its title from Joseph Haydn’s Missa in Tempore Belli (Mass in the Time of War), a work written during the French Revolutionary Wars. It juxtaposes the sense of glory and nationalist pride held by civilians and governments during war with the harsh tragedy experienced by the soldiers sent to fight and their loved ones. The composition seeks to achieve this through the use of popular tunes. “Johnny Get Your Gun (Over There),” a call to arms during WWI by George M. Cohan, and a partial setting of “The Star-Spangled Banner” represent the nationalist fervor for war. A lengthy setting of the solemn ballad “Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier” serves as a lament for the fallen soldier.
The final moments of Prelude in Tempore Belli feature a repetition of the “Et incarnatus est” motive from Haydn’s Missa in Tempore Belli, like a mantra that leads the piece to a tumultuous ending. Whether this Mass, also known as the “Paukenmesse ” for its use of timpani, is an anti-war statement or a literal pounding of the war drums is a point of debate for scholars. Yet, the sudden interruption of the stately Credo by the setting of “Et incarnatus est (and was made flesh)” in a minor key is a striking moment. Bach also employed a minor key for this text in his B Minor Mass, both curious choices given that the birth of Jesus Christ is a cause for celebration in the Christian tradition. The use of this motive in Prelude in Tempore Belli is a lament of shame for mankind’s proclivity for violence and warfare.