A composition portfolio from inspiration to transcendence : creating descriptive sacred music

Abstract

The portfolio of compositions and accompanying document in this dissertation present an introspective reflection and critical research on the genesis of my musical idiom and what shapes it. My life is characterised by the importance of faith, Catholic liturgy, and meditational contemplative prayer. Consequently, as a musician, sacred music is my main source of inspiration and the most transcendental of experiences, both as a performer and composer. The works presented in this document have a common goal: communicating my personal transcendental experiences with other performers and audiences through descriptive sacred music. By communicating transcendence my artistic expression offers the possibility to transform the receptive action of the listeners in a personal transcending experience. The portfolio contains three sacred works written between the years 2018 and 2020, as follows: Processional and Recessional, Hodigitria and Passio Regis. The last work was composed along the three years, whilst the first and the second were composed in 2019, in this order. The commonality of spiritual transcendence in these works is produced with a diversity of musical elements which mirror my life and form my musical language. The importance of liturgy as inspiration is reflected in the two organ pieces Processional and Recessional. The first is a contemporary intertwining of symbolism and programmatic representation of a procession which begins a mass or a liturgical service according to the Roman Catholic rites, with melodic material based on Maltese liturgical introits. The second organ piece, a four-voice fugue based on the Gregorian chant Ite Missa Est of the concluding rite of Mass VIII De Angelis, is an homage to the baroque masters who contributed so much to the sacred music tradition. The second work in this portfolio is a meditational journey in the spiritual life of Mary of Nazareth, the Mother of God, composed for SATB choir, soprano saxophone, and warm pad. The three main spiritual events in the life of the Mother of God are narrated via the choral settings of the texts of ‘Tota Pulchra Es Maria’, ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Stabat Mater’, with the interpolations of the saxophone that metaphorically represents the soul transcending in prayer and the meditational soft drones of the warm pad which represent Christ’s omni-presence in the on-going journey. The theological basis of this musical journey is inspired by the icon of the Hodigitria, the Mother of God that shows the way to Christ her Son. The last work is an oratorio that narrates the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John. The work strikes a balance between the meditational and the dramatic levels infusing in the musical setting, with the sole intent of transcending the grief and the tragedy of the Passion narrative. This is in line with St. John’ Christological portrayal and theological message of the majesty of Christ the King. The focus of the author and consequently of the composer points to and repeatedly highlights the courage, self-control and determination of Christ the Redeemer King. The five movements of the oratorio, symbolising the five wounds of Jesus, contain all the musical ingredients that transmit emotional drama and deep meditation, both contributing to the creation of a transcendental state and maximising engagement by the listeners. Apart from the active listening disposition normally expected during a performance, the audience is required to actively participate in spoken or sung salient points related to the Crowd in the narration. The Passio Regis is demarcated with traditional sacred musical genres like stylised Gregorian chant and polyphony, contemporary idioms, vocal and instrumental extended techniques, powerful peaks and introspective lows and the use of silence as a transcendental intensifier within the musical narration. This oratorio is my personal vision and meditation of Christ’s tormented but salvific Passion. The compositions presented in this document are a musical journey in the subject’s own transcendental experiences, reflections, and meditations. Their aim is to communicate transcendence firstly to the performers, and ultimately to the audience, and create a spiritual space where a connection with the Divine presence can be experienced.