Agnus Dei |
for SATB choir, electric guitar, electric bass, and drum set
Duration: ~6'
Premiered May 29, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY by C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective; Emma Daniels, conductor; Oren Fader, electric guitar; Bam Rodriguez, electric bass; Will Hopkins, drum set
Program Note:
In 2024, I joined a project with my C4 colleagues to collaboratively compose a Requiem mass for choir and rock band - hence called the "Rockquiem." Joining this project was an opportunity for me to come out of a long hiatus I took from composing with hopes of writing my first piece in over 4 years. I chose the Agnus Dei movement because it is often one of the most emotionally intense parts of the Requiem, describing the repentance for our sins and plea for mercy.
Brian Mountford composed the opening Introit/Kyrie/Gradual. I accepted his invitation to steal his recurring idée-fixe in the form of the melodic cell D-F-C, but now over the G Mixolydian mode. I leaned heavily into some of my favorite rock artists in the spirit of the Rockquiem. Radiohead's Kid A album was my biggest inspiration, particularly the harmonic progression from “Everything In Its Right Place," which is so impactful using only the same 4 major seventh chords, and the rock ballad groove achieved in the haunting “How to Disappear Completely.” The melodic dissonance of overlapping harmonies draws from many sonorities used by the Nine Inch Nails and that iconic industrial rock sound.
I often struggle to write tuneful melodies, so the absence of melody is a frequent feature of my compositions. Using the aforementioned D-F-C, I use repetition to accentuate the rhythmic idiosyncrasies and occasional deviations from the 4 main chords of this song. All of the components together intend to create a contemplative and atmospheric soundscape.
Duration: ~6'
Premiered May 29, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY by C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective; Emma Daniels, conductor; Oren Fader, electric guitar; Bam Rodriguez, electric bass; Will Hopkins, drum set
Program Note:
In 2024, I joined a project with my C4 colleagues to collaboratively compose a Requiem mass for choir and rock band - hence called the "Rockquiem." Joining this project was an opportunity for me to come out of a long hiatus I took from composing with hopes of writing my first piece in over 4 years. I chose the Agnus Dei movement because it is often one of the most emotionally intense parts of the Requiem, describing the repentance for our sins and plea for mercy.
Brian Mountford composed the opening Introit/Kyrie/Gradual. I accepted his invitation to steal his recurring idée-fixe in the form of the melodic cell D-F-C, but now over the G Mixolydian mode. I leaned heavily into some of my favorite rock artists in the spirit of the Rockquiem. Radiohead's Kid A album was my biggest inspiration, particularly the harmonic progression from “Everything In Its Right Place," which is so impactful using only the same 4 major seventh chords, and the rock ballad groove achieved in the haunting “How to Disappear Completely.” The melodic dissonance of overlapping harmonies draws from many sonorities used by the Nine Inch Nails and that iconic industrial rock sound.
I often struggle to write tuneful melodies, so the absence of melody is a frequent feature of my compositions. Using the aforementioned D-F-C, I use repetition to accentuate the rhythmic idiosyncrasies and occasional deviations from the 4 main chords of this song. All of the components together intend to create a contemplative and atmospheric soundscape.
Text:
Agnus Dei,
qui tollis peccata mundi:
dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei,
qui tollis peccata mundi:
dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei,
qui tollis peccata mundi:
dona eis requiem sempiternam.
English Translation:
Lamb of God,
who takest away the sins of the world,
grant them rest.
Lamb of God,
who takest away the sins of the world,
grant them rest.
Lamb of God,
who takest away the sins of the world,
grant them rest everlasting.
Agnus Dei,
qui tollis peccata mundi:
dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei,
qui tollis peccata mundi:
dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei,
qui tollis peccata mundi:
dona eis requiem sempiternam.
English Translation:
Lamb of God,
who takest away the sins of the world,
grant them rest.
Lamb of God,
who takest away the sins of the world,
grant them rest.
Lamb of God,
who takest away the sins of the world,
grant them rest everlasting.
