It’s taken me a while, but I have now finished my revisiting of the Scivias responsory O tu suavissima virga. Many thanks to Marianne, as it was our recent conversation that helped me to decide on a choral arrangement for this one. It is scored for solo voice, with a semi-chorus and full choir, accompanied by two cellos and a drum.
Here it is!
O you, the sweetest branch, sprouting from the root of Jesse. O how great is the virtue which the divinity beheld in this most beautiful daughter, like an eagle sets its eye to the su, when the heavenly father directed attention to the bright virgin, in whom he wished his word to be made carnate. V: For in the mystical mystery of God, the virgin’s mind was enlightened and from her came forth the wonderfully bright flower.
Precious Hope contains music from my Hildegard Revisitedproject. Each work is a modern, “classical music” revisiting of one of Hildegard von Bingen’s chants. The chant is sung in its integrity, but surrounded by new music that I have composed inspired by the chant and informed by my own personal musical journey. Medieval music for the 21st century 🙂
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.
