Motetus in Laude Sancti Martini

Program note

This motet for Saint Martin sets the hymn Orbe qui, Praesul, celebraris omni and was written for a competition in Tours — my return to composition after several years focused on singing. The opening measures deploy one of my favorite techniques: double canon by inversion. A hieratic refrain follows, then episodes of a more narrative character that grow quite agitated when the text mentions enemies and monsters. The double canon returns, the refrain returns, and the piece closes on one of my favorite harmonies.

Throughout the piece, the choir is frequently divided into two antiphonal groups — a quiet emblem of Saint Martin's legendary act of splitting his cloak to share with a beggar in the cold.

Details

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