IKE OTHER musicians—even Horowitz—I often view my earlier projects with disgust. The passage of time can reveal flaws in earlier works. But “for every rule there is an exception,” and I recently stumbled upon a 2001 edition I made of an Easter hymn (based on a work by Msgr. Jules Van Nuffel).
I think it holds up pretty well:
* * PDF Download • “O FILII ET FILIAE” (SATB)
Pardon my squeaky Soprano notes, but I wanted to show how it sounds:
REHEARSAL VIDEOS for each individual voice—along with PDF score—await you at #5909. If you like them, please consider donating $5.00 per month.
Sing along with the Tenor Rehearsal video—could anything be more fun?
MY EDITION is similar to the version found in the special “English translation edition” of the Solesmes Liber Usualis, which can be downloaded here. If you examine the setting of words like “Salóme” as printed in that 1957 book, you might almost be forgiven for thinking the accent is on the antepenult. On the other hand, similar techniques were used by Machaut and Dufay—and it certainly helps prevent the tonic accent from becoming heavy and predictable.
O fílii et fíliae, |
O sons and daughters, |
Et María Magdaléne, |
And Mary Magdalene, Salome, |
In álbis sédens, ángelus |
In white robes sitting the Angel |
Discípulis adstántibus, |
The disciples standing by, |
Víde, Thóma, víde látus, |
See, Thomas, see my side, |
Quándo Thómas Chrísti látus, |
When Thomas saw Christ’s side, |
Beáti qui non vidérunt, |
Blessèd they who have not seen, |
In hoc fésto sanctíssimo |
On this feast most holy |
Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel’s school certainly loved pedal tones in middle voices—as you know if you purchased Volume 5 of the NOH hardcopy, which explains their compositional principles—and the Alto is chock-full of them in the above arrangement.
