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About

the Work:

From

the

Composer: Nox Aurumque (Night and Gold) was written as

a

sort of

'companion piece' to my Lux Aurumque (Light and Gold). I used themes (textual and

musical) taken from both Lrzx Aurumque, and my work for music theater, "Paradise

Lost Shadows and'$Uinss."

By my count this is my seventh collaboration with poet Charles Anthony Silvestri (Sleep,

Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, etc.) and

it

was by far our most challenging.

Here is a summation of our process together, recounted by the poet himselfi

lNotes on the Text

by Charles Anthorry Silcrestri

The task of the _\nicist is to provide for the composer a text which, on the one hand,

gives the composer the material he or she needs to complete the piece, according to

unique specifications; while on the other hand, could stand alone as a poem

in

its

own right. 'Writing the Latin text for Nox Aurumque was a singular challenge.

First, Eric had already composed much of the musical material; several distinct melodic

motifs were already formed and essential to the structure of the piece. Any text I

composed had to

fit

within the parameters of that structure. Eric was very specific

about the number of syllables in this line, the necessary word-painting in that line, etc.

Second, Eric had strong ideas about the meaning of the

text.

He communicated

impressionistic images of an angel, the emotions of that angel, and other evocative

images, darker than usual for

him.

My text had to speak to those images in a mean.

ingful way, consistent with Eric's intentions for the piece. It has a distinctly different

sound than earlier

_-ot!t,

and I wanted my text to be darker, and as different.

Third (and most challenging), the text had to flow effectively

in

Latin.

The Latin

had to communicate accurately the images Eric wished to evoke about this angel, all

within the already-established framework of the piece. Latin affected the English,

and English affected Latin,

in

a tug of war between meaning and grammar.

It

had

to be singable, and employ the kind of vowels and consonants Eric likes to set. (We

joked that not everyword could end in the lovely and mysterious _{-rrm sound Eric} likes

so much-Latin grammar _{just doesn't work that} way, although

I

became intimately familiar with the many uses of the genitive plural!) And the Latin had to be correct-it

had to conform to the rules of Latin grammar-to satisfy my need as a scholar. I had to settle at times for some Latin that strayed from what Cicero might have written, but which stayed certainly within the somewhat looser realm of Medieval usage. From

my perspective as a poet, the Latin language is living, vibrant and malleable; I'm

certainly not the first poet to take liberties with canonical rules. No doubt there will

be quibblers who will question the choices I have made. I humbly ask these critics to

consider the nodus triplexwith which I was presented, and see this poem for what

it

Nox

Aurumque

Aurum, Infuscatum et obscLLrLLm, Canens noctis, Canens mortis, Acquiescens canendo.. .

Et angeLum somnit aurorarum

et bellorum,

* Saeculorum aurorum

_fundit

Lacrimas,

Lacrimas rerum b elLorum.

O

arma!

O

Lamina Aurata!

Gestw graues nimium,

Graues nimium qt _ol,Atu.

Aurum,

Infuscdtum et torpidum Suscita!

DiLabere ex armis

in

aLam!

VoLemus iteru,m,

,\Lte supra murum;

Angeli renascentes et exuLtantes ad al"as

AurorarbLm, Auroruffi, Somno rlum. Aurum, Canens alaruffi, Canens umbTaTL,Lm...

@2009 by Charles Anthony Silvestri

Gold,

Thrnished and dark, Singing of night, Singing of death, Singing itself to sleep...

And

an angel dreams of dawnings, and of war.

She weeps tears of the golden times

Tears of the cost of war.

O Shieldl

O gilded bladel

You are too hear,ry to carry

Too heavy for

flight.

Gold,

tarnished and weary,

Awakenl

Melt

from weapon into wingl Let us soar again,

High above this wall; Angels reborn and rejoicing

With

wings made

Of

dawn,

Of

gold,

Of

dream. Gold, Singing of wings, Singing of shadows...

Nox Aurumquewas commissioned by:

VocalEssence (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Philip Brunelle, Artistic Director, with the

world premiere presented on22 March 2009 at Orchestra Hall with the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and the St. Olaf Choir (conducted by the composer); Coro

Citti

di

Roma, who gave the first performance in Italy conducted by Mauro Marchetti on 20th

Dedicated to Philip Brunelle

NOX

ATJRIJMQIJE

(Night and Gold)

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-About

the Composer,

Born

in

1970, Eric \(/hitacre has become one of the leading voices in contemporary

choral composition. His concert works are regularly performed throughout the world.

Other

choral

worl<s

bv

Eric

Whitacre:

Go, Lovely Rose (SATB)

I

Hide

Myself (SATB)

With

a

Lily

in

Your

Hand

(SATB)

Cloudburst (SATB, piano, percussion)

Water

Night

(SATB)

Leonardo Dreams of His

Flnng

Machine (SSATB)

LuxAurumque

(SATB) Sleep (SATB)

When

David Heard (SSAATTBB)

iwillwade

out

(SAIB)

hope,

faith, life,

love (SATB)

i

thank You God

for

most this amazing dav (SATB)

Little

Birds (SATB, piano)

Five Hebrew Love Songs (SATB or SA, piano,

violin

or string quartet)

She Weeps Over Rahoon (SSA, piano, English horn)

little

tree (SATB, piano)

This Marriage (SATB)

Her

Saced

Spirit

Soars (SSATB/SSAIB Double Chorus, a cappella)

A

Boy and a

Girl

(SATB)

Animal

Crackers,

Vol.I

(SATB)

Animal

Crackers,

Vol.II

(SATB)

NoxAurumque

(SATB)

Sleep

MyChild

(SATB)

The Stolen

Child

(SATB and sextet, a cappella)

Please

visit

Efic

on

the

web

at:

'w _{w'w'. er icwh it acre}

. c o m

'w

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