| Description |
Ave Maris Stella - Hail Star of the Sea. This is a hymn to the Virgin Mary from the catholic liturgy. I was inspired to write it after a combination of teaching species counterpoint and a watching a rather poignant documentary about some of the rituals surrounding the Virgin Mary in several parts of the world, especially in Italy.
The piece has an Incipit in the euphonium at the start, which can be omitted if you aren't using it in church, but it sets the tone of the piece rather well. This incipit is based on a plainchant melody from the 16th century. The music evolves in a polyphonic style, using the rules of counterpoint until the fanfares, which I see as proclaiming the role of the Mother of Jesus, which break with the mediaeval traditions and use modern harmonic structures to bring the work to a rousing finish. |