Commissioned by the Tallis Scholars to commemorate  their 40th anniversary. First performed at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, March 7, 2013, Peter Phillips, conducting. SSATB.

Original Latin poetry by Charles Anthony Silvestri:

(Translation)

An innocent girl
Entered the chapel;
And the angels in the glass
Softly sang,

“Hosanna in the highest!”

The innocent girl
Whispered,
“Holy! Holy! Holy!”

Light filled the chamber,
Many-coloured light;
She heard her voice
Echo,

“Holy! Holy! Holy!”

Softly the angels sang,

“Lord God of Hosts, Heaven and earth are full
Of your glory!

Hosannah in the highest!
Hosannah in the highest!”

Her voice becomes light, And the light sings,

“Holy! Holy! Holy!”

The light sings softly,
“Lord God of Hosts,
Heaven and earth are full
Of your glory!”

Charles Anthony Silvestri

(Original Latin)

Virgo castissima
Advenit in capellam;
Et angeli in vitro
Molliter cantaverunt,

“Hosanna in excelsis!”

Illa castissima
Susurravit,
“Sanctus! Sanctus! Sanctus!”

Lux implevit spatium,
Multiformis colore;
Et audivit vocem suam
Resonare,

“Sanctus! Sanctus! Sanctus!”
Molliter angeli cantaverunt,

“Dominus Deus sabaoth,
Pleni sunt coeli et terra
Gloria tua!
Hosanna in excelsis!
Hosanna in excelsis!”

Vox in lumen se transformat,
Et lumen canit,

“Sanctus! Sanctus! Sanctus!”
Lumen canit molliter,

“Dominus Deus sabaoth,
Pleni sunt coeli et terra
Gloria tua!”

Virgo castissima
Advenit in capellam;
Et angeli in vitro
Molliter cantaverunt.

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The Chelsea Carol was commissioned by the Choirs of Birmingham-Southern College, Lester Seigel, conductor, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the college’s Service of Lessons and Carols.

Original Latin text by my long-time collaborator Charles Anthony Silvestri. Scored for choir and organ, it will be in print December 2012.

The Chelsea Carol (English translation)

Come thou, Wisdom,
Gift of Winter–
Strengthen us to wait
For that which is to come.

Come thou, come thou dream-bearer,
Time-bearer,
Queen of sun and stars.

Come thou, come thou moon-bearer,
Frost-bearer,
Queen and mother of the seasons.

Holy lady, Queen!
Holy lady of silver!
Purest holy lady!

Come thou, come thou flower-bearer,
Sun bearer,
Queen of gleaming white light.

Come thou, come thou sheaf-bearer,
Snow bearer,
Queen, Mistress of Dreams.

Come, Thou, Mother!
Come to us!
Come Lady!

Come thou, Wisdom,
Gift of Winter–
Strengthen us to wait
For that which is to come.

Charles Anthony Silvestri

And the original Latin:

Adveni, sapientia,
Donum invernale–
Confirma nos vigilantes
Ad quod adventurum.

Adveni, adveni somnifera,
Aevifera,
Regina solis siderum.

Adveni, adveni lunifera,
Glacifera,
Regina mater temporum.

Sancta domina regina!
Sancta domina argentea!
Sancta domina purissima!

Adveni, adveni florifera,
Solifera,
Regina lucis candida.

Adveni, adveni messifera,
Nivifera,
Regina Somnis Magistra!

Adveni mater,
Adveni ad nos,
Adveni domina.

Adveni, sapientia,
Donum invernale–
Confirma nos vigilantes
Ad quod adventurum.

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Here is The Stolen Child, which in performance immediately follows Alone:

Alone will be in print Spring of 2012.

Alone

From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring —
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow — I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone —
And all I lov’d — I lov’d alone —
Then — in my childhood — in the dawn
Of a most stormy life — was drawn
From ev’ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still —
From the torrent, or the fountain —
From the red cliff of the mountain —
From the sun that ’round me roll’d
In its autumn tint of gold —
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass’d me flying by —
From the thunder, and the storm —
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view —

Edgar Allan Poe

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Some listeners will notice that the ‘amen’ is a direct quote from the end of my i thank You God for most this amazing day. (The entire Oculi is based on those blossoming cluster chords). ‘Oculi Omnium’ means ‘The eyes of all’, and the final line of i thank You God is, ‘now the eyes of my eyes are opened.’ I thought the text and the sense of wonder and awe matched perfectly, thus the quote.

Oculi Omnium will be in print Spring of 2012. Here’s a video of me conducting the Chapel Choir in the final run-through before the first performance.

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That’s my wife Hila Plitmann singing all the solo stuff, BTW. She also invented the Mermaid language they are singing, a combination of Latin, Hebrew, and as she says, ‘Elvish.’ Geek.

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Alleluia was written for Dr. David Skinner and the Sidney Sussex Chapel Choir; they premiered it in the Sidney Sussex Chapel, Cambridge University, on June 25th, 2011.

Alleluia will be in print Spring 2012.

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Solo cello and string orchestra.

Duration: 11:00

The first three pages of the score:

The River Cam (DRAFT) pgs. 1-3

A very rough recording of the first three pages played here in a reading session by the wonderful Sinfonia Temesa:

In the fall of 2010 I spent a term at Cambridge University as a Visiting Fellow (at the gorgeous Sidney Sussex College). I wrote and conducted and taught and attended classes, and generally had the time of my life.

I also walked a lot. Every day I would stroll through the streets of Cambridge out to Newnham, a 25-30 minute walk each way, following the  idyllic banks along The River Cam. Here are a few pictures of the river I took with my iPhone whilst on my walks:

The Bridge of Sighs at St. John’s College:

Near Trinity College:

The chapel at King’s College:

As I walked alongside the river these little melodies began forming in my mind, informed by the sights, the sounds, the history of the land and of the University. Day after day I would sing these fragments, not really knowing what they were or what they might become. Around this time the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber asked me to write a piece for his 60th birthday concert, and I knew even as he was asking I would use these fragments as the foundation of the new work.

As the piece was beginning to take form I realized that I was writing a ‘pastoral piece’, undeniably British, with serious echoes of Elgar and Vaughan WIlliams. I didn’t care. I just tried to follow the thread of the melodic fragments and capture as best I could the quiet and heartbreaking beauty of The River Cam.

The piece was first performed April 14, 2011 at the Royal Festival Hall, played by the extraordinary Philharmonia Orchestra; Julian Lloyd Webber; cello; I was conducting. The piece will probably be in print fall 2011, available from Chester Music.

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The City and the Sea is a set of five settings on poems by E.E. Cummings. I’m writing two versions: one for SATB chorus and piano; and one for solo baritone and piano. The baritone solo version will be finished Spring 2012.

The entire set is based on white key clusters in the piano. I’ve started calling this the ‘oven-mitt’ technique, because the chords are played as if you are wearing mitts on your hands – the four fingers all bunched together and the thumb on its own. Here is an example from i walked the boulevard, the first piece in the set:

Occasionally I break up the clusters and write the chords as arpeggios, as in this example from maggie and milly and molly and may:

I’ve sort of fallen in love with the style and sound of these pieces, and I might end up writing a couple more to fill out the set even further. In the meantime, here are the five movements that now comprise The City and the Sea:

i walked the boulevard

i walked the boulevard

i saw a dirty child
skating on noisy wheels of joy
pathetic dress fluttering

behind her a mothermonster
with red grumbling face
cluttered in pursuit
pleasantly elephantine

while nearby the father
a thick cheerful man
with majestic bulbous lips
and forlorn piggish hands

joked to a girlish whore
with busy rhythmic mouth
and silly purple eyelids
of how she was with child

E.E.Cummings, 1894-1962

the moon is hiding in her hair

the moon is hiding in
her hair.
The
lily
of heaven
full of all dreams,
draws down.

cover her briefness in singing
close her with intricate faint birds
by daisies and twilights
Deepen her,

Recite
upon her
flesh
the rain’s
pearls singly-whispering.

E.E.Cummings, 1894-1962

maggie and milly and molly and may

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles, and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

for whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea

E.E.Cummings, 1894-1962

as is the sea marvelous

as is the sea marvelous
from god’s
hands which sent her
forth to sleep upon the world

and the earth withers
the moon crumbles
one by one
stars flutter into dust

but the sea
does not change
and she goes forth out of hands and
she returns into hands
and is with sleep…

love,
the breaking
of your
soul
upon
my lips

E.E.Cummings, 1894-1962

little man in a hurry

little man
(in a hurry
full of an
important worry)
halt stop forget relax

wait

(little child
who have tried
who have failed
who have cried)
lie bravely down

sleep

big rain
big snow
big sun
bug moon
(enter us)

E.E.Cummings, 1894-1962

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