Commissioned by: the Yale Norfolk Festival Choral Workshop, Simon Carrington, director

Durata: ca. 3:30

Premiere:  08/18/2018 at the Yale Norfolk Festival Choral Workshop, Okawa Tan Tai Chuan, cond.

Program notes:

The motet Ego sum panis vivus (after Manchicourt) was written in response to a motet composed by the Franco-Flemish Renaissance composer, Pierre de Manchicourt (1510-1564). This motet dialogues with Manchicourt’s motet in a different but related approach to the contrapuntal practices he employed. Rather than simulating the constant motion he so masterfully displays, I sought a less-dense texture that could allow certain ideas in the text to stand out, even if subtly. I chose to use point of imitation always in the order of highest voice to lowest voice in order to depict the image of the Living Bread “descending” from heaven. And gentle rising figures accompany both the mention of heaven and the final Alleluias (as lifting up of praise).

In the middle of this motet, a quotation of the head-motive of Manchicourt’s motet links his setting of the words “Ego sum panis vivus” with my setting of “vivet in aeternam”, in this way connecting “I am the Living Bread” with “he will live forever…” And my setting of the concluding Alleluias gently recalls those of Manchicourt’s motet, fusing my rising figures with his motivic material (heard in my soprano line).