Music was a big part of life in the California Missions. It was used to reinforce the teachings of the friars, and to build a sense of community among the neophytes (Indian students). It also brought beauty and joy to the inhabitants of the missions.
Most of the music performed at the missions was plainsong, a type of music in which everyone sings the same melody, in unison and without instrument accompaniment. Gregorian Chants are a type of plainsong. The mission friars sometimes added harmony, and taught polyphonic music.
The songs included church hymns and folk songs, and were sung in Latin or Spanish. Occasionally, songs were written in the native languages of the Indian neophytes. A simplified musical notation was developed for teaching the Indian students. A short musical phrase can be seen, painted on an interior wall, at Mission San Antonio de Padua.
As the missions became more established and wealthier, many ordered musical instruments from Mexico or Spain. Instruments included simple lutes and guitars, as well as violins, cellos, trumpets, and many other types. Missions formed choirs and orchestras, and many of the Indians became skilled musicians.
Music became a regular part of festivals, where friars, soldiers, and neophytes alike would join in dances. Fandangos became very popular.
Several of the mission friars composed original music. Fray Narciso Durán (1776-1846) of Mission San José composed many original works, and had copies made for other missions. Durán even obtained uniforms for his native orchestra from a French trading vessel. In 1833, Durán was transferred to Mission Santa Barbara, where he trained a new orchestra. He served there until his death.
Fray Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta (1780–1842) of Mission San Juan Bautista, who was a skilled linguist, wrote music in the Mutsun indigenous language.
Thanks to Cal Poly music professor Craig Russell, you can hear music as it would have been performed at a California mission.
