O magnum mysterium (Lauridsen)

O magnum mysterium (O great mystery) is a motet for double choir a cappella by Morten Lauridsen. He set the text of "O magnum mysterium", a Gregorian chant for Christmas, in 1994. The composition, performed and recorded often, made Lauridsen famous. It was described as expressive ethereal sounds in imperturbable calmness.[1]

O magnum mysterium
Motet by Morten Lauridsen
Morten Lauridsen in 2012
OccasionChristmas
TextO magnum mysterium
LanguageLatin
Composed1994 (1994)
DedicationLos Angeles Master Chorale
Performed18 December 1994 (1994-12-18): Los Angeles
Published1995 (1995)
Scoringdouble choir

History

The American composer Morten Lauridsen is professor of composition at the USC Thornton School of Music.[2] He wrote his setting of "O magnum mysterium" in 1994, on a commission from the Los Angeles Master Chorale,[3] by Marshall Rutter for his wife Terry Knowles.[2]

The composition was first performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on 18 December 1994 by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Paul Salamunovich.[2] It was published in 1995 by Southern Music Publishing.[4] The popular setting was often performed and recorded and became one of Lauridsen's signature pieces.[3][5] Sandra Dackow wrote an arrangement for strings.[2]

Text and music

The Latin text "O magnum mysterium" is a Gregorian chant from the fifth responsory of nine for Vigil on Christmas Day.[4] It reflects first oxen and donkey next to the manger as first mentioned in Isaiah 1:3. and traditionally related to the nativity of Jesus as a symbol for the mystery of the self-abasement of God in his Incarnation. In a second theme, the text is based on the greeting of Elizabeth welcoming Mary when she visits.

Latin textEnglish translation

O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
iacentem in praesepio!
Beata Virgo, cujus viscera
meruerunt portare
Dominum Iesum Christum.
Alleluia!

O great mystery,
and wonderful sacrament,
that animals should see the newborn Lord,
lying in a manger!
Blessed is the virgin whose womb
was worthy to bear
the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!

The text was set to music by composers over the centuries, including Palestrina, Tomás Luis de Victoria and Francis Poulenc.[6] Lauridsen set the text as a motet for double choir SATB.[4]

The composer said that he was inspired by a 1633 painting from the Norton Simon Museum, Zurbarán's Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose (1633), which has been interpreted as symbolism for the Virgin Mary. He described his intentions: "I wanted this piece to resonate immediately and deeply into the core of the listener, to illumine through sound."[3][5] Lauridsen remembered that he worked on the composition for six months, and put considerable thinking into a dissonant chord to comment on Mary's sorrow about her son to be killed.[3] Lauridsen said further that the work is meant as "a quiet song of profound inner joy",[6] with music expressing both the mystery of the Incarnation and Mary's tenderness for her child.[6]

Recordings

The first performers recorded the work on a 2002 CD with other choral compositions by Lauridsen, entitled after one of them Lux aeterna. A reviewer noted the freshness of the around 90 singers who appear regularly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He described the tonal music as influenced by Arvo Pärt and John Rutter.[7] Lauridsen founded a choir of 22 international singers to perform his music, the Nordic Chamber Choir, in 1997. He worked with them on a recording of four pieces, including the title piece "O magnum mysterium", conducted with Nicol Matt. A reviewer noted the "higher simplicity" (höhere Einfachheit) achieved by simple melodies, expressive ethereal sounds, and imperturbable calmness.[1]

References
  1. Stähr, Susanne (15 February 2007). "Morten Lauridsen O magnum mysterium". klassik-heute.com (in German). Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  2. Dackow, Sandra. "O magnum mysterium" (PDF). uh.edu. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  3. "Celebrating Morten Lauridsen – "O Magnum Mysterium"". USC Thornton School of Music. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  4. "Morten Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium" (in German). Diocese of Cologne. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  5. "Morten Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium". Classic FM. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  6. Adams, Byron (2005). "O magnum mysterium". Hyperion Records. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  7. Phillips, John (May 2002). "Morten Lauridsen (b.1943 - ) / Lux Aeterna". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
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