Te Lucis Ante Terminum

for tenor solo, SATB a cappella (divisi) (2014)

Score and Parts

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by Jonathan David

$3.50

SKU: JD-CR032 Category: Tags: , ,

Description

Perusal Score

Duration

4 min

Premiere

April 9, 2015, Durham, NC
Duke Vespers Ensemble
Brian Schmidt, music director

Commissioner

Duke Vespers Ensemble

Instrumentation

tenor solo, SATB, a cappella

Text

Program Notes

There are a great many chant tones for the compline hymn, Te lucis ante terminum. I based my work on a lesser-known tone largely because of its emphasis on the raised 6th degree, characteristic of the Dorian mode. The chant permeates every measure of my work, as the basis for ostinati, a melody for harmonization in the slow section, and a random “babbling brook” texture underpinning the tenor solo. A prayer for comfort and security at the end of the day, composers have usually provided the text with a slow and serene atmosphere. I read some more urgency into the lines and thus my work proceeds at a more spirited pace. The frequent presence of 7/8 meter, implicit in the original chant itself, heightens the effect. The work was commissioned by the Duke University Vespers Ensemble, Music Director Brian Schmidt.

–Jonathan David