o viriditas digiti dei – growth surrounds him Disibod, the green finger of God. He stands alone, surrounded by the growth that he nurtures. The rhythm in this one bubbled up like young shoots in the spring. Interspersed with three blocks that are like a prayer and surrounding a phrase that symbolises Disibod himself, who […]
o viriditas digiti dei For the 7th century Irish saint Disibod (who died on July 8th). In this responsory, Disibod is described by Hildegard as the greenness of God’s fingers. Interestingly, this is the only chant among the 77 that begins and ends on B. The Gloria Patri is missing from the Dendermonde manuscript, but […]
quia ergo femina – because a woman Written with the vocal ensemble La Noeva in mind, this is a six-part piece for female voices – an appropriate setting for a text that celebrates that “the highest blessing is found in female form” 😉 I hope to have the chance to sing this live with the […]
quia ergo femina Because it was the feast of her immaculate heart on June 20th, here is a short chant in honour of the Virgin Mary. Note that ‘the highest blessing is in female form’ 🙂 Because, therefore, a woman prepared death, an illustrious virgin now subdues it, and thus the highest blessing is found […]
o bonifaci – it runs and it flows This one turned out to have a tempo of about 58 on the metronome. Like a nice restful heartbeat. It seemed to ask for a soft rhythmic approach, so no percussion this time, and lots of accompanying cello. The pizzicato runs and flows to match the text: […]
