In preparation for Ensemble Caldemia’s “maiden voyage” – our concert in the Brussels Cathedral on March 16, 2025 (tickets available here) – I have reworked my previous revisiting of Hildegard’s antiphon O orzchis ecclesia for five voices and two cellos.
Here is my home-recorded version. I can’t wait to play it live!
O orzchis ecclesia armis divinis precincta et iacincto ornata tu es caldemia stigmatum loifolum et urbs scientiarum o tu es etiam crizanta in alto sono et es chorzta gemma
O orzchis [vast] Church, shielded with divine might and adorned with jacinth: you are caldemia [the scent] of the stigmata loifolum [of the people] and a city of knowledge. O, o, you are indeed crizanta [anointed] in the lofty sound; you are a chorzta [shining] jewel.
Other words from the Lingua Ignota used during this piece:
curizan – jewelry settings
naczuon – necklace
naurizin – ring
gragischon – bracelet
oiralbruin – earrings
crizia – church
loiffol – people
scurinz – flame
orschibuz – oak tree
Note about the composition:
For two of the vocal sections, I wrote the music using an improvisation technique based on the idea of neumes and relative pitch. For each word from the Lingua Ignota I decided in advance whether, relative to the first note sung, the pitch would then rise, fall or stay the same for each subsequent syllable. I then respected this relationship between the syllables but was free in the actual pitches and rhythm used. For example, the three syllables of “curizan” were given the shape: “first note, higher, lower”, while “orschibuz” was “first note, same, same”, etc.
