Score
When soft voices die : choir and cor anglais / Mary Finsterer.
Library shelf no. 782.5542/FIN 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
This work began as one movement of a larger work- a Mass. My
intention was to compose the first sung prayer in the Order, that
being a Kyrie, but the sudden death of a dear friend, a young,
single mother of two children, turned my attention to the
fragility and transience of life. The passing of someone so vital
in themselves and to the lives of others is one of those
agonising tragedies that music and faith seem inadequate to
console or honour. However, the magnitude of this situation
called for a response.
"When soft voices die" is an elegy that has its roots in music
for a spiritual occasion. Having in recent years spent much time
investigating early music, the language is reminiscent of
Renaissance tonality. Without ornamentation, the style aims for
restraint and reflection. The text has been adapted from three
poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley- Music when Soft Voices Die, A
Fragment: To Music and A Lament.
Work Details
Year: 2014
Instrumentation: Cor anglais, SSAATTB choir.
Duration: 7 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Dedication note: Dedicated to the memory of Tamsin Cowling
Written for: Sydney Chamber Choir
Commission note: Commissioned by Paul Stanhope, Sydney Chamber Choir.
First performance: by Sydney Chamber Choir, Richard Gill at Fauré's Requiem + Finsterer (City Recital Hall) on 12 Apr 2014
Performances of this work
21 Apr 2022: at MSO: Metropolis: The Lost (St Paul's Cathedral (Melbourne)). Featuring Warren Trevelyan-Jones, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Benjamin Northey.
13 Mar 2021: at Paul Stanhope: A New Requiem (City Recital Hall). Featuring Sydney Symphony Fellows, Sydney Chamber Choir.
12 Apr 2014: at Fauré's Requiem + Finsterer (City Recital Hall). Featuring Sydney Chamber Choir, Richard Gill.
User reviews
Be the first to share your thoughts, opinions and insights about this work.
To post a comment please login.