Sheet Music: ScoreSacred kingfisher psalms : for mixed choir / Ross Edwards.by Ross Edwards (2009)
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I began to compose Sacred Kingfisher Psalms immediately
after completing another a capella choral work, Missa Alchera
(Mass of the Dreaming) for the Brisbane Chamber Choir. I
compiled texts excerpted from the Latin Vulgate versions of
Psalms 1 and 130 as well as the names of birds in the language of
the Aboriginal people who inhabited the district that is now
Sydney long before Europeans arrived in Australia. These ancient
texts have in common a strong sense of the spirit and
significance of place and an awareness and acceptance of implicit
natural laws recognized throughout the ages as being essential
for balance and harmony, renewal - and, ultimately, survival. I
have treated them musically as both chants and praises with a
strong connection to the earth.
The work springs abruptly from the interiority of Psalm 130 into
a vigorous 'bird chant'. In this ritual chanting of bird names,
prominent among them dyaramak, the sacred kingfisher, a
close relation of the kookaburra, there are many resonances of
earlier material as well as a return to the Phrygian mode and its
pentatonic derivatives which underpin the psalm settings. No
attempt has been made to mimic either Aboriginal music or
birdsong: the rhythmic patterns and drones are directly
influenced by my subconscious absorption of the sounds of the
south eastern coastal environment of Australia where I have spent
most of my life. The spontaneous appearance of some universal
characteristics of children's song seemed in keeping with the
theme of renewal.
Published by: Theatre of Voices Edition [TOV020C] — 1 score (46p. -- A4 (portrait))
Duration: 12 mins, 30 sec.
Commissioned by Ars Nova Copenhagen, The Song Company, Edinburgh International Festival Society, Rev. Dr Arthur Bridge.
First performance by The Song Company, Roland Peelman at The Wellspring (Fitters' Workshop) on 22 May 2010
Includes programme notes and song text, with English translation.
Typeset edition.
Related products
This work is also available in the following products:
CD: A bridge of dreams / Ars Nova Copenhagen ; Paul Hillier with Andrew Lawrence King.
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Analysis & Media
- Resonate Article: 2012 Art Music Awards - comments by judging panels
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