Gloria (download)

Description

Voicing: SATB double choir, a cappella

Level: 5

Duration: 6:30

To see perusal score, please contact Jocelyn.

“Gloria” is the fifth movement from Jocelyn Hagen’s oratorio amass. Antiphonally structured, each choir is showcased equally and with rousing effect. This challenging work is extremely effective and well-suited to showing off the most brilliant choral singing.

Text

Gloria in excelsis Deo. Etin terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te. Benedicimus te.
Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis,
Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus sanctus. Tu solus Dominus.
Tu solus altisimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

Translation:

Glory in the highest to God. And on earth peace to men of good will. We praise thee. We bless thee.
We worship thee. We glorify thee. Thanks we give to thee because of thy great glory. Lord God, King of heaven,
God the Father almighty. Lord Son only begotten, Jesus Christ.Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Who takes away the sins of the world, receive our supplication.
Who sits at the right hand of Father, have mercy on us.For thou alone are holy. Thou alone are Lord.
Thou alone are the most high, Jesus Christ. With Holy Spirit in glory of God the Father. Amen.

Composer’s Notes

The music of the “Gloria” is based on the motive of a whole step, moving upward, and I think this is obvious to the listener. It gives the listener a sense of ascension. As comfortable as the first given note is, there is always a need to move higher, greater, than it already is.I think religion brings this quality out in people and I wanted to connect that idea with the music. There are a lot of written out trills for the voices on whole steps as well. The piece is also largely based on the major triad, and two major triads a whole step apart are often juxtaposed next to each other. (See m.51-54.) You can also see the relationship of the major second played off in the extreme pitches of the choir: the highest and lowest notes are often the equivalent of a major second apart. (See the opening chord.)

– Jocelyn Hagen