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O Light from Light (O nata lux)
by Thomas Tallis
SATB with Organ Accompaniment
Christmastide; Candlemas; Epiphany; Transfiguration; Lent Many include O nata lux by Thomas Tallis (c1505–1585) among the finest of Tudor anthems, and I agree. It is haunting, ravishing, numinous. What is its key, we wonder. Is it g minor (B-flats) or G major (B-naturals)? If minor, is its mode Aeolian (E-flats) or Dorian (E-naturals)? And then in measure 6, our ear winces as E-flat and E-natural occur simultaneously! Is the dominant key D-major (C-sharps) or D-minor (C-naturals)? And then in measure 23 C-sharp and C-natural occur simultaneously, and we wince again. The concluding eight measures (then repeated) commence in what seems to be the evocative Phrygian mode—rather like The Third Tune by Tallis, known in many hymnals as the music for "I heard the voice of Jesus say," and made famous in the orchestral Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Then the final two measures bring a straightforward cadence: from the dominant, D-major, to the tonic, G-major (F sharps). All might have been satisfactorily concluded in this way. But in the first of those final two measures Tallis retains a Phrygian F-natural in the tenor that first clashes against the sopranos' simultaneous G and then contradicts the sopranos' simultaneous F-sharp, and he retains a Phrygian E-flat in the tenor that clashes against the basses' simultaneous D. At these points, known as "cross relations," attention to the anthem's text reveals that the harmonic discords accompany the words redemptor (redeemer), perditis (the lost), and corporis (Christ's body). By means of musical dissonance Tallis paints the suffering implied by each of these cardinal words of redemptive theology. The anthem is filled with cross rhythms and cross accents as well as cross relations, giving the music a fluidity uncommon in homophonic chordal structure. I have long been saddened that O nata lux is simply too demanding for parish choirs in which I have sung. Cross rhythms and cross accents are the first difficulty. Clarifying the cross relations are a second. These difficulties are compounded by the anthem's setting for five-part choir, SATTB. Many parish choirs can ill afford to split their tenor section. A cappella tuning of Tallis's rich and close harmonies is a daunting prospect. And then there's the Latin. With this arrangement I have hoped to make this deeply affecting anthem more widely available to worship services. I have adapted the five vocal parts to SATB, and have assigned to an organ accompaniment Tallis's five-part harmonies in their fullness. Tallis took his text for O nata lux from an anonymous hymn of the 10th century. The English translation here is mine. The setting preserves cross relations, cross rhythms, and cross accents of the original, and I hope that they may become a challenge for parish choirs that might earlier have found them an impossibility. Albert Blackwell February 10, 2012
O Light from Light (O nata lux)
O nata lux de lumine, O Light from Light, resplendent birth,
Jesu redemptor saeculi, Jesus redeemer of the earth,
dignare clemens supplicum in mercy grant us this reprieve:
laudes preces que sumere. our prayers and praises to receive.
Qui carne quondam contegi Thou who in flesh didst once appear
dignatus es pro perditis. to set souls free from sin and fear:
Nos membra confer effici, gather us all, O Lord we plea,
tui beati corporis. in thy blest Body, one with thee.
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Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
œ œ œOO
naLight
tafrom
œ œ œOO
naLight
tafrom
œ œ œOO
naLight
tafrom
œ œ œOO
naLight
tafrom
œœ œœ œœœœ œœœ œœœ
.˙luxLight,
.œ jœn œluxLight,
.œ jœ œluxLight,
.˙luxLight,
.˙ .œ Jœn œ
..œœ jœ œœ.˙
œ œ œdere
lusplen
mident
œ œ œdere
lusplen
mident
œ œ œdere
lusplen
mident
œ œ œdere
lusplen
mident
œœ œœ œœœœœ œœœ
œœœ
˙ œnne,
birth, JeJe
.œn jœ œ#ne,birth,
.œ# Jœn œne,birth,
.˙ne,
birth,
˙ œn.œn.œ# jœœn œœa..˙n
œ œ œAsussu
rere
deemdemp
œN œ œJeJe
sussu
rere
œ œ œJeJe
sussu
rereœ œA œ
JeJe
sussu
rereœœN œœœ œœœA
œœN œœA œœ
œ œ œertor
ofsea
œn œ œdeemdemp
ertor˙ œ
deemdemp
ertor˙ œ
deemdemp
ertorœœœnA œœœ œœ
˙ œœ
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7 œ ˙cuthe
˙ œ#ofsea cu
the
.œ Jœ œofsea cu
the
œ ˙ofsea cu
the
7 œ ˙˙ œ#œœ œ œ œœœ ˙
˙ Œli,
earth,
˙ Œli,
earth,
˙n Œli,
earth,
˙ Œli,
earth,
˙ Œ˙ Œ˙n
œ œ œin
digmernar
cye
œ œn œNin
digmernar
cyeœA œ œ
indig
mernar
cye
œA œ œin
digmernar
cye
œœ œœn œœNœœœ œœœ œœœN
.˙grantcle
.˙grantcle
˙ œgrantcle
usmens
˙ œgrantcle
usmens
..˙˙ œœ
œ œ œus
mensthissup
repli
œ œ œus
mensthissup
repliœ œ œ
thissup
repliœ œ œ
thissup
repli
œœ œœ œœœœ œœœ œœœ
.œ jœ œ œprieve:cum
ourlau
.˙prieve:cum.œ jœ œ
prieve:cum.˙
prieve:cum
.œ jœ œ œ.˙
..œœ jœ œœ.˙
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O Light from Light
Thomas Tallis (c1505–1585)arr. Albert Blackwell
Free Anthems for Church Choirs, © 2012 by Albert Blackwell,is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Organ
10th century Latin hymntr. Albert Blackwell
(O nata lux)
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13 œ œ œprayers
desandpre
œ œ œourlau
prayersdes
andpre
œ œ œourlau
prayersdes
andpreœ œ œ
ourlau
prayersdes
andpre
13 œœ œœ œœœœ œœœ œœ
.˙praisces
.œ jœ œpraisces
˙ œpraisces
esqui
.œ jœ œpraisces.˙ .œ Jœ œ
..˙ .œ Jœ œ
œ œ œes
quetosu
reme
œ œ œesqui
tosu
reme˙ œ
tosu
remeœ œ œ
esqui
tosum
reme
œœ œœœ œœœ˙ œœœ œ
˙ Œceive.re.
˙ Œceive.re.˙ Œ
ceive.re.
˙ Œceive.re.
˙ Œ˙ Œ
œ œ œThouQui
whocar
inne
œ œ œThouQui
whocar
inneœ œ œ
ThouQui
whocar
inneœ œ œ
ThouQui
whocar
inneœœ œœ œœ
œœ œœ œœ
.˙fleshquond
.œ jœ œfleshquond
didstdam
˙ œfleshquond
didstdam
˙ œquondflesh didst
dam..˙Jœ œ
.œ
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19 œ œ œdidstdam
oncecon
apte
œ œ œ œoncecon
apteœ œ œ
oncecon
apteœ œ œ
oncecon
apte
19 œœ œœœ œœœ œœ œœ œœ
.˙peargi
.˙peargi.œ jœ œ œ
peargi
todi.˙
peargi
...˙
.œ jœ œ œ.˙
œ œ œntodi
setgna
soulstus
œ œn œ#todi
set souls
œ œn œsetgna
soulstusœ œn œ
todi
setgna
soulstus
œœ œœœnn œœ#œœœ œœn œœ
.˙freees
.œ jœn œ œfreees
frompro
.˙freees.˙
freees
..˙ .œ Jœn œ œ
..˙
œ œ œ#frompro
sinper
anddi
œ œn œsinper
anddi
œ œn œNfrompro
sinper
anddiœ œ œ
frompro
sinper
anddi
œœœ œœœn œœ#Nœœ œœn œœN
˙ Œfear:tis.
˙# Œfear:tis.
˙ Œfear:tis.˙ Œ
fear:tis.
˙# Œ˙
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2
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&?
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bb
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bb....
..
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..
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25 œ œ œgaNos
thermem
usbra
œN œ œgaNos
thermem
usbra
œ œ œgaNos
thermem
usbraœ œ œ
gaNos
thermem
usbra
25 œœœN œœœ œœœœ œœ œœ
.˙all,con
.all,con
.˙all,con.˙all,con
...˙
..˙
œ œ œOfer
Lordef
wefi
œ œ œOfer
Lordef
wefi
œ œ œOfer
Lordef
wefiœ œ œ
Ofer
Lordef
wefi
œœœ œœœ œœœœ œœ œœ
.˙plea,ci,
.˙plea,ci,
.˙plea,ci,.˙
plea,ci,
...˙
..˙
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..
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..
..
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29 œ œ œintu
thyi
blestbe
œ œ œintu
thyi
blestbe
œ œ œintu
thyi
blestbeœ œ œ
intu
thyi
blestbe
29 œœœ œœœ œœœœ œœ œœ
˙ œBoa
dy,ti
.œ jœ œBoa ti
dy,
˙ œBoa ti
dy,
˙ œBoa ti
dy,
˙ œ.œ Jœ œœ˙ œœ
˙ œ#onecor
withpo
œ œ œonecor
withpo
œ .œN jœcorone with
po
œ œ œcorone
powith
˙ œ#œœ œœ œœœœ .œN jœœ œ
.˙thee.ris.
.˙nthee.ris
.˙thee.ris.
.˙thee.ris.
..˙n
...˙
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