Devilishly difficult to sustain and sing, many recordings either drag or rush. I ended up writing a great deal of choral music, and havent stopped. The agnus dei and especially lux aeterna are astonishingly sublime. Introitus in te, domine, speravi o nata lux veni, sancte spiritus agnus dei, lux aeterna madrigali. Morten lauridsens setting of lux aeterna a fivemovement, nonliturgical requiem for a satb choir and chamber orchestraorgan is a rich and intensely moving work. The kings singers, instantly recognisable for their spoton intonation, impeccable vocal blend, flawless. Morten lauridsens lux aeterna is a perfect example of this exquisite encounter. All morten lauridsen lyrics sorted by popularity, with video and meanings. Lauridsens ability to harmonize parts, shape melodic lines.
Morten lauridsen s warm, decidedly tonal compositions have earned for the american composer a secure place in the concert repertory. The music of morten lauridsen occupies a permanent place in the standard vocal repertoire of the. Morten johannes lauridsen born february 27, 1943 is an american composer. Sure on this shining night from nocturnes excerpt composed by morten lauridsen poem by james agee performed by the singers on midwinter songs. Jan 01, 2006 listen to your favorite songs from lauridsen. His eight vocal cycles, instrumental works, art songs and series of motets including o magnum mysterium are performed throughout the world and have been recorded on over two hundred cds, including several.
Morten lauridsen lux aeterna san francisco choral society. The elora festival singers bring this text on light to live with their careful attention to dynamics and phrasing. Sharp, morten lauridsens lux aeterna a conductors considerations, choral journal 43. With over 200 cd recordings containing compositions by morten lauridsen, here are eight alllauridsen cds for a more comprehensive discography, visit the composers wiki page lauridsen. Indeed, lauridsens lux aeterna has been described as having healing powers. Conventional choral wisdom suggests that the american morten lauridsen is a onework wonder.
It was a natural thing for me to blend poetry and the human voice, which is the most wonderful and personal of all musical instruments. Lux aeterna by morten lauridsen 1943 softcover sheet. It would be difficult today to be a choral singer and not be familiar with at least one or two works by american composer morten lauridsen, whose sumptuously mellifluous creations im thinking especially of o magnum mysterium and lux aeterna are beloved by choirs for their eminently singable lines and vibrant harmonic structures that tend to envelop the whole ensemble in soulsatisfying. Lauridsen\s lux aeterna at walt disney concert hall.
Attending the university of southern california for graduate school, he studied composition under ingolf dahl, robert linn, and halsey stevens. His seven major vocal cyclesles chansons des roses rilke, midwinter songs graves, cuatro canciones lorca, a winter come moss, madrigali. Built on liturgical texts that all have to do with light, this 1977 work is absolutely radiant even exalting with a. Composer morten lauridsens epic lux aeterna shook up the world of modern choral music when it debuted 20 years ago. Raised in portland, oregon, lauridsen attended whitman college and worked. It was morten lauridsens lux aeterna that stole the show. A work of uncompromising beauty for the accomplished choir. At once genuinely original and yet reassuringly accessible, the music of morten lauridsen has achieved something of a cult status in his native america o magnum mysterium currently being the topselling choral octavo in the country the number 2 spot is also a lauridsen work, and stephen layton. This special service will combine beautiful music with gods word while emphasizing jesus as the light of the world. Morten lauridsen s compositions are published in the united states and abroad by peermusic classical, based in new york and hamburg. During a recent membership drive, we offered my kusc audience a copy of morten lauridsens lux aeterna as a thankyou gift to those who joined.
He wrote this piece with the primary intent of making connections. In the last two decades, morten lauridsen has become the mostperformed. In his notes to the printed score, whitbourn writes, the text, compiled and. I composed lux aeterna in response to my mothers final illness and found great personal comfort and solace in setting to music these timeless and wondrous words about light, a universal symbol of illumination at all levels spiritual, artistic and intellectual. Despite the wide geographical separation between the musics point of origin and that of the performers morten lauridsen is based in southern california, while polyphony and its conductor stephen layton are as english as they come, with a profound knowledge of the acoustic qualities of londons churches this disc represents an ideal match of music to performing forces. O magnum mysterium lux aeterna madrigali les chansons des roses by nicol matt on amazon music. O magnum mysterium lux aeterna madrigali les chansons des roses by nicol matt now. His latin sacred settings, such as the lux aeterna and motets, often reference.
Choral satb choir, organ from lux aeterna satb and organ. Each of the five connected movements in this choral cycle contains references to light, assembled from various sacred latin texts. Full text of a conductors analysis of morten lauridsens. Midwinter songs choruspiano version, psalm 29, o love be fed by apples while ye may, four madrigals on renaissance texts and. Morten lauridsens compositions are published in the united states and abroad by peermusic classical, based in new york and hamburg. He grew up in portland, oregon, and attended whitman college and the university of southern california, where he studied advanced composition. At just over five minutes, noel edison seems to find a perfect balance. I composed lux aeterna in response to my mothers final illness and found great personal comfort and solace in setting to music these timeless and wondrous words about light, a universal symbol of illumination at all levels. Lux aeterna awards, honorary degrees, and commissions recipient, national medal of arts from the president in a white house ceremony for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power, and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide. Like faures requiem, lux aeterna is suffused by warmth and consolation. Lauridsen unifies lux aeterna in part through a single recurring chord comprising a d major triad with an added note, e that becomes a harmonic symbol of the luminous.
The popular cycles midwinter songs and les chansons des roses the final number of which, diraiton. Morten lauridsen composer 1943 play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and best organized classical. With over 200 cd recordings containing compositions by morten lauridsen, here are eight all lauridsen cds for a more comprehensive discography, visit the composers wiki page lauridsen. Although the texts of lux aeterna are drawn from ancient latin liturgies including that of the requiem mass, lauridsen did not intend it. This new disc from the multiawardwinning choir polyphony is something rather special. The music of american composer morten lauridsen occupies a permanent place in the standard vocal repertoire of the twentyfirst century. Music by morten lauridsen occupies a permanent place in the standard vocal repertoire of the twentiethcentury. The a cappella movement o nata lux is a pristine example of lauridsens compositional style, and the combined effect of lauridsens soaring melodies and clustered harmonic textures is truly ethereal. Choral textures are fully explored, from the sonorous, slow unfolding of the introitus and the intricate counterpoint and paired voices of in te, domine, speravi, to the. Lux aeterna lauridsen from cda67449 hyperion records. The master chorale meets a master composer arts and.
Although the texts of lux aeterna are drawn from ancient latin liturgies including that of the requiem mass, lauridsen did not intend it for liturgical use. Text and translation of lux aeterna morten lauridsen. She was the muse who introduced him to music, playing swing jazz and singing to him as a toddler. Te decet hymnus deus in zion et tibi redetur votum in jerusalem. The popular cycles midwinter songs and les chansons des roses the final number of which, dirait. Apr 20, 2015 morten lauridsens lux aeterna is a perfect example of this exquisite encounter. Celebrating the life and music of national medal of arts recipient morten lauridsen, this website provides access to his words, music, and recordings, along with the awardwinning film about his life, shining night and the companion book, morten. These works are distributed by the hal leonard corporation. The choir and small orchestra will present, lux aeterna eternal light by morten lauridsen which is based on bible passages relating to the light of christ. Born in colfax, wa, in 1943, lauridsen was raised in portland, or, and attended whitman college, in walla walla, wa. It was a natural thing for me to blend poetry and the human voice, which is the. In 1997, morten lauridsens lux aeterna sent ripples throughout the choral world.
Six firesongs on renaissance italian poems, nocturnes rilke, neruda and agee and lux aeternaand his series of sacred a. Here is a clickable table of the available midi files for this work. Walking here with poetry in his mind and music in his heart, lauridsen finds inspiration for his compositions, luminous with inner radiance. In the united kingdom, his compositions are published by faber music. Morten lauridsen born february 27, 1943 in colfax, washington is an american composer with danish roots. A recent performance of his lux aeterna at the kennedy center in washington, d. Lauridsen composed the requiem lux aeterna in 1997, the year his mother died. The chorale premiered lux aeterna on april, 1997, and the oratorio society of virginia is pleased to bring lauridsens work to the charlottesville community on the eve of the pieces 20th anniversary. Morten lauridsen choral composer biography cd recordings. At once genuinely original and yet reassuringly accessible, the music of morten lauridsen has achieved something of a cult status in his native america o magnum mysterium currently being the topselling choral octavo in the country the number 2 spot is also a lauridsen work, and stephen layton draws from his musicians some of the most.
This hypnotically beautiful album from the small but enterprising rcm label might be characterized as contemporary vocal music for people who dont think they like contemporary vocal music, for the first recording of the. While their recording of eric whitacre cda67543 continues its charttopping run on both sides of the atlantic, stephen layton and polyphony have returned to the studio and put down a second disc devoted to the choral music of whitacres compatriot morten lauridsen. Lauridsen composed lux aeterna in response to his mothers final illness. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. O magnum mysterium lux aeterna madrigali les chansons des roses, an album by morten lauridsen, nicol matt on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Lux aeterna, a 2011 work for mixed satb choir by robert paterson lux aeterna, a 1997 fivemovement quasirequiem by morten lauridsen lux aeterna, a 2009 track by christopher tin from calling all dawns. The choral music of morten lauridsen hal leonard online.
As he says in the film, i chose the theme of light to give me strength to cope with this situation. The lux aeterna is represented by its middle a cappella movement, o nata lux. The a cappella movement o nata lux is a pristine example of lauridsen s compositional style, and the combined effect of lauridsen s soaring melodies and clustered harmonic textures is truly ethereal. Just as palestrina and victoria vary the disposition of triads in their motets to ensure variety of colour and texture, so lauridsen constantly reconstitutes this basic.
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