Description
Contemporary setting of Hildegard von Bingen’s O splendidissima gemma for 3 upper voices and clarinet, commissioned by Lucy McMahon for ‘2 Sides of the Moon’, part of the 500th anniversary celebrations for the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge. The commission called for a musical setting of poetry by Hildegard, in a style reminiscent of the Hilliard Ensemble, so this piece was created as an homage to the Hilliard Ensemble and Jan Garbarek’s incredible reimagining of Parce mihi, Domine by Cristóbal de Morales. Following its premiere, the work was released on CD by Blossom Street (dir. Hilary Campbell, This Day, Naxos 2019), and has since received numerous radio broadcasts and performances around the world.
The Crucial Info
Forces: SSA + clarinet
Duration: c. 4’30”
Text: psalm antiphon for the Virgin (D 154r-v, R 466vb, Scivias III.13.1a) by Hildegard von Bingen
Date of composition: 2016
Premiere: 2 Sides of the Moon (by Lucy McMahon), King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, 2016; performed by Ana Beard-Fernandez (sop.), Elspeth Piggott (sop.), Stef Conner (alto) and Aga Serugo-Lugo (clarinet).
Other performances include: Blossom Street (2019), Association Gardoise des Amis de la Clarinette (2020), University of Western Australia (2020), Bel a Cappella (dir. Anthonly Pasquill) (2021)
Recording: This Day: Celebrating a century of British women’s right to vote. Campbell, Hilary (Director); Blossom Street (Performers); Shorter, Tom (Producer); Bull, James (Editor); Lawrance, Hannah (Clarinet); Naxos 2019.
Broadcasts: numerous broadcasts, including BBC Radio 3, RTE 1, Radio France
Reviews
‘gorgeous’ – BBC Music Magazine (read the full review)
‘Judith Weir, Elizabeth Maconchy and Nicola Lefanu, Cecilia McDowall, Rebecca Clarke, Imogen Holst and Roxanna Panufnik are all present and sung beautifully, though the single most attractive piece is Stef Conner’s arrangement of Hildegard von Bingen’s text O splendidissima gemma.’ – Choir and Organ Magazine (read the full review)
Listen
Psalm antiphon for the Virgin (D 154r-v, R 466vb, Scivias III.13.1a) by Hildegard von Bingen,
| O splendidissima gemma et serenum decus solis qui tibi infusus est, fons saliens de corde Patris, quod est unicum Verbum suum, per quod creavit mundi primam materiam, quam Eva turbavit.Hoc Verbum effabricavit tibi Pater hominem, et ob hoc es tu illa lucida materia per quam hoc ipsum Verbum exspiravit omnes virtutes, ut eduxit in prima materia omnes creaturas. |
O jewel resplendent and bright and joyous beauty of the sun that’s flooded into you— the fountain leaping from the Father’s heart. This is his single Word by which he did create the world’s primordial matter, a motherhood into confusion cast by Eve.This Word the Father made for you into a man— and this is why you are that bright and shining matter, through which that Word has breathed forth every virtue, just as he brought forth all creatures in a primal motherhood. |
Latin collated from the transcription of Beverly Lomer and the edition of Barbara Newman; translation by Nathaniel M. Campbell; reproduced here from the International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies:
Please contact Stef for more information and/or a license to perform this piece.