2011 Music

Christmas Oratorio "Nativitatis Christi" (PART 3: Benedictus, 50 pp.)

Elia, Anthony J.

The Christmas Oratorio “Nativitatis Christi” was written mostly in the Fall of 2011. The first four parts were written in September and October of 2011 (including the Organ Prelude), while the latter parts were begun in the Spring of 2012. As of July 2013, the oratorio is incomplete, with at least three more sections to be written (in Swahili-French, Russian, and German). The Oratorio was written for the diverse community of Union Theological Seminary in New York City. The texts of the Oratorio are biblical, but are in different languages, including Latin, Greek, English, French, Swahili, Russian, and German. The Magnificat is a work, which is meant to convey the high church tradition of Latin liturgy, while the Benedictus is a blessing meant to encompass the divergence and convergence of church traditions (Soprani (“High” Church language)=Latin, Bass (“Low” Common language)=English, Central Voices of Tenor/Alti=Greek, the ancient foundational language used here, anchoring the tradition and the music to a pivot point). The other parts of this work have similar explanations, which will be provided when available in Academic Commons. This third part is for mixed chorus and organ. (NB: the final measure of the organ part may be muted with its dissonance.)