O Virtus Sapientiae
O Virtus Sapientiae
NOTUS: IU Contemporary Vocal Ensemble; Dominick DiOrio, conductor
Martha Eason, Elise Marie Kennedy, and Sandra Period, sopranos
Arianne Abela, Kathryn Aaron, &
Lucy Fitzgibbon, sopranos
Simon Carrington, conductor
(purchase the score)
Recorded by STUDIOTEO / Mateusz Zechowski, recording engineer
G. Schirmer, Craig Hella Johnson Choral Series (click to purchase)
Finalist for the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers Choral Composition Competition - 2010
O Virtus Sapientiae is a bold reimagining of Hildegard's chant, both tune and text. "Actively quoting" the source material, my setting takes Hildegard's music as a launching point from which to imagine new sonic possibilities. Echo effects and metrical relationships are achieved with the use of three soprano soloists, positioned at North, South and West corners of the room, while the larger chorus inhabits the East. The music is meant to be experienced in the round, as the voices surround the audience and attempt to create an enactment of Hildegard's visions.