Warwick: The Great O
Saturday 6 September 2008
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Description
This chant setting of the single syllable "O" was written at Dunblane Cathedral on the First Sunday of Advent 2006. The sense of longing in the original Advent ‘O’ Antiphons is expressed by a four-note melisma E-A-A-G on the ‘O’; in this setting these four notes can be found at the beginning of the third section of the chant. There is also a reference to the Blues in the falling thirds in the final section, helping to reinforce the sense of desolation.
The setting was written to be sung before 'O come, O come, Emmanuel' (melody and words for five verses are included).
The music is presented in modern notation. The use of stem-less notes on a five-line stave shows the pitch and relative rhythmic values without imposing a rigid rhythm. The chant may be sung at any convenient pitch.
The inspiration for this setting comes from the writing of a German Catholic priest, Max Josef Metzger, who, before his execution by the Nazis in 1945, wrote:
"He knows not Advent’s meaning who has never sat
By twilight in a dreary cell..."
The text
The antiphon consists of the syllable "O". Also included is the melody and five verses of the hymn 'O come, O come, Emmanuel'.
Difficulty level: **
This moderately-easy piece is available for purchase as a choral octavo or for a limited time as a free download. Royalties from this publication will go to the Dunblane-Likhubula Partnership in order to help development of the Likhubula village community, high in the Mulanje mountain massif in the tea-growing area of Malawi.
Printed choral leaflets (octavo size)
Free shipping for September (10 copies or more)! |
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Downloadable copies: conditions of the licence
You may make copies of the work for your local use; however, copyright remains with the publisher. Copies may not be made for commercial use, for resale, hire or distribution under any cover other than the original.
Please note that this free download is available only for a limited time.
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