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Angelus (1986) |
for soprano vc. cb. 2 bells/small gongs - 10'
The Angelus is a short devotional Christian exercise in which 3 dynamic statements are each followed by a longer prayer (Hail Mary) to Mary, the female principle, and the whole concludes with a prayer addressed to Jesus, the male principle. This music is in 'Angelus Form', but in no way does it attempt either to be a musical interpretation of the text or to create a Christian devotional atmosphere, although the 18 bells of the Angelus intimate ritual in the repeated phrases. Much of the music is mysterious and nocturnal, yet alert - a midnight forest where hundreds of little creatures, animal and spirit, lie hidden and tense, watching in the dark. There is a 'visitor' to the music, the crow, imitated by the cellist. Music is full of birdsong, but more often than not it is the pretty birds that are celebrated (the nightingale, the lark); perhaps it is time that this ungainly yet magnificent character was also allowed to sing Creation's praises!
First performance: A Man, A Woman and A Double Bass