O Nata Lux | Julian David Bryson | MusicSpoke

O nata lux Julian David Bryson

SATB Choir, a cappella This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

Text and Translation O nata lux de lumine, Jesu redemptor saeculi, Dignare clemens supplicum Laudes precesque sumere.

O Light born of Light, Jesus, redeemer of the world, with loving-kindness deign to receive suppliant praise and prayer.

Qui carne quondam contegi Thou who once deigned to be clothed in flesh Dignatus es pro perditis, for the sake of the lost, Nos membra confer effici grant us to be members Tui beati corporis. of thy blessed body.

Program Notes On September 12, 2001, members of the University of Tennessee Concert Choir walked into our choir room in a state of shock. Reeling from the previous day’s attacks, none of us really wanted to rehearse, but somehow we knew it was exactly where we needed to be.

After warm-ups, we sang Morten Lauridsen’s setting of this text, which we had just begun to learn. Suddenly, the music took on a new meaning and ushered in a memorable hour of sharing, crying, and healing. Something about the line, “for the sake of the lost ones” stuck with me, and over the next several days, I developed my own musical response to both the tragedy and text that had invaded my life.

I am humbled by so many beautiful settings of this prayer and in some ways feel ill-equipped to offer yet one more. However, I continue to count it among my favorite compositions.

—J.D.B.

Premiered November 21, 2015 by Triad: Boston’s Choral Collective

Cover image: Tabula rasa taken by the composer at Clingman’s Dome, TN, March, 2008

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

O nata lux

q = 80

  Soprano    

mp

O p

O p

Bass

Piano

   

















na - ta

lux

lux



     





p

5

 



 





su

re - demp - tor

sae

lu





    -

   





-

mi

 su.

-

ne.





ne.

Re



    



p



This score is not licensed for



 



 



de



 

lu - mi - ne.













de

-

lu

de

-

-

-

O

na - ta

 mi





O

na - ta

lux

de



















-

li.

Je - su





-



sae - cu











cu





-

-

 

su

 li.





-

-



 

Re -





demp

-

 





 



 



ne

Je

 

lux

-

 -

mi

 



  

 











Copyright © 2001 Julian David Bryson All rights reserved. Licensed through MusicSpoke.com License is non-transferrable. performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance sDirector should have a copy of the license to legally use this music.

-



 -

tor









tor

sae

-







tor

de -

-

sae - cu - li.

-

-

lu





demp



re - demp

re - demp - tor







 

Je



 

-



lu - mi - ne.







Je







p



Re - demp - tor



   

lux

q = 80 mp

   







    

    



na - ta

      O

Tenor



na - ta

    

Alto

In memory of those lost on September 11, 2001

sae



Re -

-







 

 



 



copies.

4

    9

 sae

  

demp

    cu

   

-

 -

cu

-



-

   





dig - na - re











li.













 -





mf

 

  

    









pre - ces

que





pre - ces

que

 

 

   

que

 

 



  

 

   



 

   



   

ces

   

 

 







 



su - me - re.

 



su - me - re.

   

Je

        

su.



 



Qui

su.

-

 

 



Qui

 



    



 

su.

   



car - ne

Qui

su.

 Je

-

-

-

su - me - re. Je

       

Je

 

sup - pli - cum.

 

 

   







Lau - des



 







 



pli - cum.



su - me - re.

     

-



que

mf

-





pre - ces







Lau - des mf

     Lau - des



cum.



  

pre -

 



pli

cle - mens



Lau - des mf

pli - cum.



 

 



-

-

na - re

  mf   







sup



   

sup

cle - mens

   

13



 



 

 

 







sup

cle - mens



Dig





cle - mens

Dig - na - re

 



Dig - na - re

cu - li.





li

tor.

 -









        

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

 

  quon - dam



car

-

 

car - ne

  Qui car

-

 



 



    19

 

con

  

-

te - gi. Qui

 



ne

quon

     quon



car

-

quon

    





   

na

-

-

dam



-

    dig

   



  

 



   

-



tus



  



 

-





 



tus

es

es

-

con

-

te





pro

per



per

 

 

 



tus

   

es

pro

 

 



 





 

 

  Dig f

-

Dig - na

f

 

  

  

  

-

tus,















mf

di - tis.

Nos mem - bra mf

con

-

 

di - tis.

di

-



  

-

tis.

f





Nos

mem

Nos

 

 



 



 

-

bra con -



di - tis.



-



 

-

 

mf

 

 

mem

 

Nos

tus,

na - tus,

   

-

-

per

 

na



-

-

  

  

per

na

tus, dig -

 

es



-

-

f



na - tus



 

na

dig

gi.

 



-

  





  



te - gi.





dig f

 

    pro



gi



  

pro



gi

-

 

 

-

f



te

 

  -

con - te

  

-





  

 

con

tus, dig - na

dig - na

-

quon - dam



           dig

con

car - ne



 

23    



 



ne

ne quon - dam

dam

dam. Qui

    

-



 

-

  

5

mem

mf

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



-

  



6

    

mf

27

-

   

fer

ef



    

 



  -



 



    por



cor

-

is,

     is,

ef - fi mf

-

ef - fi mf

-

-

 

   ci

 





  









   



 -







cor

-





por - is,

cor

 



be - a - ti

cor





-

-

por











 





 



-



be

   



     

is.

  

   

      

a

a

ti

cor

a - ti

cor

 













men.

A







-

  

men.











 

A

A

A - men.



-

-

-



-

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

ti

 ti

-

por -



 





men.



men.



men.



A - men.

    







-

A - men.

-

   

-

-



 

molto rit.

  

-



A

  

-

a

-



A

is.



be

 molto rit.   

  



be



-



i

tu - i

por - is.

-



-

por - is.

-

por



-



  

ci



be

tu - i

  





 tu

ci



mf

tu - i

  

ef - fi



 

ci

fi - ci,

cor



-

  

-

por - is,



   

 





   

 

  

bra

cor



ef - fi mf

ef - fi - ci,

   

31

 

 

ef - fi - ci,

     fer

   



ef - fi - ci,

bra

   

 

   



If you enjoyed Minstrel Boy, please also consider the following works for mixed or TTBB chorus from my catalog, available at or coming soon to MusicSpoke.com:

Commissioned to celebrate the ordination of a deacon, All Things New (SATB Choir and String Quartet or Piano) speaks to the human desire to improve ourselves and our world. Built upon a handful of symbolic musical motives, this piece yearns, grows, and eventually comes to rest transformed and inspired.

Fire and Ice (SSATB, a cappella) along with Quibbles and Quirks for wind quintet and Conflictions for brass quintet, began as exercises in counterpoint. Though I didn’t conceive of them as a set, upon further reflection, I see them as having remarkable similarities. All are for five voices, involve imitation, and represent conversations. Fire and Ice, in particular, takes the well-known poem and weaves it into a dialogue—at times an argument—inviting both choir and audience to take sides. Because the text is so familiar, I didn’t concern myself with clarity in its setting, instead focusing on the similar vowel sounds central to key words. This leaves the conclusion up to the audience’s decision, even as late as the final chord, where both fire and ice sound simultaneously.

Lacrimas (SATB with mezzo-soprano solo, a cappella) weaves the familiar Psalm text, "They that sow in tears will reap in joy" into a poignant moment from St. Augustine's confessions: "And sending out tears, where I was holding them in, so that they should flow so smoothly, they spread out beneath my heart and it rests on them." Musically, the piece develops in waves that emanate from the opening “sobbing” gesture. The University of Alabama in Huntsville Chamber Choir premiered the work under the direction of Dr. Erin Colwitz-Dehning as part of the Huntsville New Music Festival of 2011.

Thomas Moore’s Minstrel Boy (SATB or TTBB with piano) describes an iconic “warrior bard,” committed to defending not only land, but ideals. For him, freedom of thought, speech, and art was more important than his life, and this strong and creative soul preferred death to oppression. While this tune has long been associated with memorials for first responders, I also see it as a call to arms for artists.

Join us on the battlefield of ideas with harp and song and voices.

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

Winner of the 2013 American Choral Directors Association Brock Memorial Student Composition Competition, Redemption Mass (SATB chorus, wind quintet, piano, and percussion) is a tuneful, rhythmic, and inspiring setting of traditional and nontraditional texts. The simple, yet haunting Kyrie evokes ancient chants, while the rhythmically driving Gloria uses overlapping ostinato paints a picture of the Heavenly throne room described in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4. Credo is an exuberant statement of faith filled with text painting, while the most accessible movement, Sanctus, is an uplifting song of praise again referencing the scene in Isaiah 6. Finally, Agnus Dei recalls themes from previous movements of the Mass against a stunning wall of sound, erupting into a passionate plea for peace.

This accessible setting of We Are the Music Makers (SATB and piano) brings O'Shaughnessy's famous text to life through lush harmonies, word painting, and exciting fanfares. Dedicated to the Randolph High School Class of 2011, it was premiered by their Concert Choir during their Commencement ceremonies.

Commissioned and premiered by Louisville's Youth Performing Arts School Gentlemen's Ensemble, under the direction of Jacob Cook, for the Intercollegiate Male Chorus Festival of 2014 hosted by Rutgers University. ‌with music‌ (TTBB, SATB, or SSAA Choir and Piano) combines two previously unpublished songs by Kentucky Composer (and graduate of Louisville's Manual High School) John Jacob Niles. Come Gentle Dark and Epitaph provide a poignant look into the composer's later views on life and death interwoven with beautiful melodies and subtle harmonic surprises.

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