Product Description
As a musician, I hold the great masters in high esteem; however, I also have a special place for the great writers of sacred music, such as Palestrina, Allegri, and Tye. And so, when I recently settled upon writing a motet, I immediately thought of them and their work. I decided to write a sacred motet reminiscent of both the Renaissance and more contemporary music traditions. This is most powerfully expressed in the First Part, where a cappella blocked writing sets the piece in motion, followed by a powerful entrance from the orchestra. The music then calms down, and the chorus once again enters amid the orchestra, this time in polyphony.
As far as the word-painting goes, I wrote the piece to parallel the text. The First Part is very hymn-like, reflecting the prayerful quality of the opening petition to the Virgin Mary. For the middle portion of the text, which tells of the Incarnation, a joyful and quicker theme ensues. Finally, a dramatic ritardando leads into the final section of the piece, solemn, yet at the same time joyful, reflecting the portion of the text that tells of the majesty of Mary. After a soaring climax, the music drastically hushes with the final words "peccatorum miserere," "have pity on us poor sinners." The hush shows the Loving Mother's eagerness to stoop down from her high position and help her children on earth. This is the first and most obvious meaning of the piece.
Besides the musical word-painting achieved throughout the piece, there is a second meaning to this work. The through-composed progression in the material is chronological. The First Part, dominated by the chorus and full of the blocked writing and polyphony characteristic of the Renaissance Era is followed by a Second Part, a fugato, a reference to the great contrapuntalists of the Baroque Era. The short tenor solo which serves as a transition between this and the next part is a tribute to Beethoven and his Ninth Symphony, which, in a sense, launched the Romantic Era. Finally, the third Part with its increased use of sevenths and ninths represents movement toward contemporary times. The dissonant yet balanced cadence of the piece, built on a standard IV-I progression, is a reminder that even in our times, the elements of
the past have their value, in this case, it brings the piece to a close on a hopeful and satisfying note. In conjunction with the word-painting, this second sense gives added depth to the piece and gives it its full meaning.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.