This one has turned into a prayer of thanks. Originally inspired by the idea of a wheel constantly turning (“in medio rote”), I have in fact decided to dedicate it to zoom, and all the other digital forms of communication that have been so important to us over the last nine months, and particularly at Christmas time. The reason is these words: “when you could no longer see him bodily you perfected the signs in fullness in his shadow,” which make (for me) Saint Eucharius the patron saint of digital communication 🙂
o euchari – the wheel
All the chants in this project are recorded totally freely, without any preconceived tempo. What I love about my “revisiting” process is that often one particular tempo will settle best on the freely-recorded chant. It’s true that when I set a chant, I will move some of the phrase beginnings to fall more neatly within that tempo, but the editing is really minimal. And here’s the wonderful thing: new rhythmic figures emerge as I listen to the chant with a metronome beat at my chosen speed, and phrases often fall into a rhythm that I hadn’t at all foreseen when I first recorded the chant – a case in point is the “twos against threes element” in this one, o euchari – the wheel.
o eucharius, the dove gave you his power by way of signs the power of him who cried out in the middle of the wheel when you could no longer see him bodily you perfected the signs in fullness in his shadow and so on his breast you glittered and set your seal upon the cherubim when you could no longer see him bodily you perfected the signs in fullness in his shadow
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