O Magnum Mysterium | Ed Frazier Davis | MusicSpoke

Ed Frazier Davis

O Magnum Mysterium for chorus div. a 8 (SSAATTBB) a cappella

Performance duration: ca. 5 min Commissioned by the William Baker Festival Singers of Overland Park, Kansas.

Copyright Š 2016-2018 Ed Frazier Davis (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

EFD0043 — Distributed digitally through MusicSpoke.

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

Program Notes:

As the words of O Magnum Mysterium have been set by hundreds of composers spanning most of the past millennium, composing my own interpretation of this sacred text was a considerable challenge. What new things might I have to say when countless masters, from Byrd to Lauridsen, have already given these words new life?

Above all, my intention was to capture the profound awe that must have overcome the shepherds who witnessed their lord’s birth in such a humble place. To that end, much of the melodic and rhythmic material I’ve created is relatively straightforward, while the harmonies are awash with rich, colorful chords. The primary key of this piece is E major, but with a raised fourth (A-sharp instead of A-natural) and a lowered seventh (D-natural instead of D-sharp). This arrangement of notes is sometimes known as the “overtone scale,” as the two altered notes are present, albeit not in equal temperament, in the first eleven notes of the harmonic overtone series. I employ it here to emphasize the divine importance of the nativity (the overtone scale always evokes, for me, a sense of unfathomable depth), and it is compounded near the end of the piece by the use of free harmonic singing.

—EFD

Full Text: Latin: O magnum mysterium, et admirabile sacramentum, ut animalia viderent Dominum natum, jacentem in præsepio! Beata Virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Christum. Alleluia!

Translation: 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 Christ the Lord. Alleluia!

—Responsorial chant from the Matins of Christmas

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3

Commissioned by the William Baker Festival Singers of Overland Park, Kansas.

Winner in the Open Choral category of Mizzou New Music Initiative's 2019 Missouri Composers Project.

O Magnum Mysterium for chorus div. a 8 a cappella

Adagietto (q = c. 72), awestruck

Soprano

#### 4 Œ π & ˙.

4

p-̇ p -̇

#### 4 Œ π & 4 ˙.

O

Alto

Tenor

Bass

Piano (rehearsal only)

7 S.

A.

T.

B.

& & V

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&

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∑

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####

œ œ

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F # ˙- .

poco rit.

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num

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˙.

num

n ˙˙˙ ..

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˙

mys

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œ

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ri

ri

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w # www

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.

π œ- œ œ n œ ˙ .

mag - num mys - te

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ED FRAZIER DAVIS Completed November 2016, rev. 2018

n œœ

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a tempo

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num mys - te - ri - um

et

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O

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et

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w ˙

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Copyright © 2016-2018 Ed Frazier Davis (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

œ. nw

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4 13 S.

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Davis | O Magnum Mysterium

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a

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π P Œ n œœ n ˙˙

w

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˙w

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π P Œ œ œ- ˙

mi - ra - bi - le

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poco rit.

Ó Ó

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˙˙. ˙

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π

Do

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5

Davis | O Magnum Mysterium

# # œ. œ & # # œ . Jœ œœ

26 S.

A.

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33

A.

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S.

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Vir - go,

Œ ˙ # œœœ

˙ n ˙˙

n ˙˙˙

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# ˙˙˙ ... ww w

œœ œ

6

Davis | O Magnum Mysterium

# w & #w

Ó

ww

Ó

40 S.

A.

T.

B.

& V

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ra

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> # # ˙˙ &

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B.

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b œœ .. bœ.

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n œœ œ ˙n œ J n œœ ˙˙ œ˙ J

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ww

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# ˙˙ ˙

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mi

-

˙˙ ˙

œ œœ

32 ˙˙ ..

num

runt

-

# ˙˙ ..

-

mi

-

num

-

mi

-

num

œ . n œœ 3 n ˙˙ ..

J 2

-

nœ

mi

32 n ww

-

num

˙˙

˙

ƒ- - - # Œ œ #œ œ # por - ta - re

˙˙ # ˙˙ -

ƒ- - Œ œ œ œ ## por - ta - re

ww

e - runt

por - ta - re

ƒ œ- # œ- œ## Œ

ww

por - ta - re

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# ww w

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˙˙ # ˙˙˙ ˙ ˙

. j3 # œœ œœ œœ . n œ 2 œœ Œ ww ˙

ƒ- - # Œ œ œ œ #

runt

me - ru

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-

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e

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œ

˙˙

œ œ œ œ ru

ru

œœ b œœ œ œ œw œ n œœ b œ œ ww w

œ œ œœ œœ ˙˙ ..

# ww

ww

Œ

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47

Ó

˙˙

# ww

ww

fœ b œœ .. n œ ˙ œ˙ œ J

vis - ce - ra

47

A.

me

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? # Œ ˙˙ ˙

S.

f Œ nœ

P œœ b œœ œ œ n œ b œ # ˙˙ -

me

fœ b œœ .. œœ ˙˙ J

ra

?# Œ ˙ ˙ 40

f Œ n œœ

n ˙ Œ

Chris

Chris

Œ

˙œ . œ Œ n˙ œœ 3 ˙˙ .. œ œ n . œ œ w # œ œ . n œ 2 œœ Œ w Jj ˙ œ . n œœ ˙ .. Œ ˙œ # ˙˙ .. n œ 3 n w˙ œ Œ 2 nw

Œ

##

œ # œœ œœ

-

-

n˙

-

n ˙˙ ..

-̇

œœ Œ

##

œ œ ˙

-

-

Chris

Œ œ # œœ œœ

˙

nb ww-

-

˙˙

n˙

-

Chris

-

-

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n˙

œœ

nœ œ n ˙˙

œ œ ˙ n˙ ˙˙ n ˙˙ ..

˙ nw bw

-

-

œœ

œ˙ œ n˙

7

Davis | O Magnum Mysterium

## œ ˙ &

S.

A.

T.

B.

-

&

##

V

## œ ˙

-

-

# ˙˙ ..

# ˙˙

-

? # # ww ..

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-

˙

-

-

-

œ

nœ ˙

œ

n˙

-

# ˙ œ & # # œ˙˙ ˙ # ˙˙ .. n œ

ca. 8-10" # # # # pU & W (8)

56 S.

A.

T.

B.

&

####

*

U

∑

#### &

U

V

∑

∑

####

U

? ####

U

56

&

####

∑

U

W

? #### U W

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n˙ w w

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-

-

˙

œ ˙

P œ nœ w

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w

œ ˙

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˙

œ w nœ

Ó

####

U

U

P œ nœ U w

####

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####

U

U

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w

w

w

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U

ww

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Ó Ó

tum.

˙˙ # ˙˙ n œœ ˙

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ww w

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a tempo

56 Overtone Singers

-

˙

n wœ

˙

tum.

n˙. w

ww

-

˙

-

-

52

œ ˙ ? # # ww ..

ritard

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P œ n œ ˙w.

w

nœ ˙

52

44 w 44 44

w ∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

p 44 Œ . ˙ p 44 Œ ˙ .

Al

44 w

w

Al

44 œ ˙˙ ..

P ˙ #œ œ P ˙ -

-̇

le - lu

œ œ

-

œ i

œ- œ œ n œ

-

le - lu

w

w

˙˙ w

.

-

i

# œœ œœ ˙œ˙ .. œ ˙ œ nœ

-

-

p w

∑

p w

a!

∑

a!

w

ww

w w

p ˙.

Al p

-

w

P Œ ˙.

Al

p ˙

Al

œ

-

Al

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n˙ -

œ ww˙ . Œ œ ˙ w n˙

* A small group of singers (no more than a quarter of the ensemble) is to engage in sustained, free harmonic singing, i.e. manipulating the resonant cavities in one's mouth to produce overtones while holding a single pitch (in this case, E n in whichever octave feels most comfortable/produces clearest overtones for each individual singer).

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8 63 Overtone Singers

&

Davis | O Magnum Mysterium

####

w

w

#### F & nw (8)

63 S.

#### F & n ww -

A.

# # # # F˙ V -

T.

F # ? ## # n w -

B.

63

&

####

-

-

-

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le

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˙˙ ..

n œœ

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? # # # # n ˙ww

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S.

A.

#### p & ww

Al

Al

T.

## V # # ˙ #˙ p ? # # # # ww 69

&

Al

#### Ó

ww

le

-

˙

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le

le

ww le

˙. ww

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˙

œ

P ˙ -̇ lu

lu

i

˙˙

p ˙ ˙

a!

˙w w

˙ w w

ww

ww

wwww

Al

-

˙

-̇ lu

n œœ

Al

-

-

w ˙˙

˙

˙ œ nœ

Al - le

ẇ ˙

˙˙

-

∑

wwww

Ó

w

˙.

le

P-̇ ˙ ..

-

œ

-

lu

-

ẇ ˙

n ˙˙

# ˙˙ .. ˙.

P

-

˙˙ n ˙˙

#˙.

-

œ. ‰ ˙ œ. ˙

˙˙ ..

-

-

∑

wwww

n www w

œœ .. ‰ ˙˙ ..

#˙

Ó

π ww

a!

p ˙

a!

le

-

∑

π ww

n ww

-

∑

π ww

a!

a!

-

∑

∑

π ww

ww

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i

i

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-

n œœ

∑

-

˙

i - a!

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i

nœ # ˙˙ œ

-

œ

# ˙˙

œ

# ˙˙ œ

p œ ˙˙

˙ #˙ œ n ˙˙˙ ... œ ˙˙

-

˙

-

-

-

˙˙ . ˙

-

lu

i

n ˙˙˙.

-

lu

-

-̇ . lu f ˙ -̇

œ œ

Pn˙.

-

lu

n œœœ

P -̇˙ ..

œ

f

-

˙ #˙

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-̇ . lu f n ˙-˙ # ˙˙

-

-

-

˙.

˙ww

-

œ

˙

ww

-

-

B.

-

˙

-

le

n w˙˙ n œœ

69

œ

n˙

˙˙ .. ˙ .

˙

f

le

˙

n˙.

-

nn www

w

˙.

˙

o

i

-

i

-

œœ

œœ œ

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

˙

-

œ

n œ-œ œœ ˙˙ lu - i - a! p w p ww

a!

a!

˙. n œœ œœ ˙˙ œ ww w

p

i -

9

Davis | O Magnum Mysterium

76 Overtone Singers

&

####

#### π & ww (8)

∑

76 S.

A.

T.

B.

&

####

V

####

a!

∑ ∑

&

####

? ####

w

w

w

ww

ww

ww

ww

n ww

˙˙

π

˙˙ ..

Al π w π ww Al

? #### 76

p w

∑ ww ∑

-

# œœ

-

-

Al

-

w ˙˙w..

# œœ

ww w

-

˙

-

-

˙

le

n n ww le

n wwww ˙ w w nw

-

-

˙

p w-

-

p ˙ ..

-̇ lu

le

lu

ww˙˙ w˙w ˙ ..

π œ œ ˙

-

-

# ˙˙

œœ i

œ œ

-

π ww

U

o

πU

o

ww

˙ ..

-̇ lu

-

o

w

p

# ˙˙

U

-

œœ i

U

o

U

o

a!

w

i - a!

ww

a!

w ˙˙w.. œ œ ww w

-

ww

˙

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œœ

U

w www

U

ww w