Muhly TWO MOTETS BY WILLIAM BYRD

arr. Nico Muhly

for chamber ensemble

St Rose Music Publishing Co. / Chester Music Ltd.

COMPOSER’S NOTE

William Byrd's music has always fascinated me both as a composer and as an erstwhile choirboy; on the page it looks like so little, but then in its realisation, an enormous emotional landscape unfolds. When Nick Collon asked if I might try to orchestrate a few motets for Aurora, I jumped at the chance. There is a moment in Byrd’s Miserere mei, Deus where the key suddenly shifts into an unexpected major, and the rhythmic footprint slows down. I aimed for an outrageous, but quiet, amplification of this moment that fascinated me as a treble; here, it is punctuated by registral extremes in the piano: gamelan gongs in the left hand and toy piano in the right.

The second piece I arranged is Bow thine ear, O Lord, which is said to be one of Byrd’s most personal expressions of faith and the turmoil surrounding it. It has in it one of the high-water marks of the choral tradition, namely Byrd’s setting of the phrase "Sion is wasted and brought low", which he sets twice in two different octaves, and it is scandalously lush even when performed by the most austere of choirs. Here, it's brass, marimba, and ghostly strings, a texture that expands into the celesta and woodwinds intoning the word "Jerusalem". I should point out that these are very liberal arrangements of the originals; occasionally, I have rendered the effect of one alto holding onto a note too long, a wayward tenor, a day-dreaming treble.

Nico Muhly 2009

Duration: c. 7 minutes

3 for Aurora Orchestra

TWO MOTETS BY WILLIAM BYRD Score in C

I. MISERERE MEI, DEUS = 68 Flute n English Horn

English Horn

Clarinet in B

Bassoon

Horn in F

Trumpet in C

Trombone

Marimba

Piano

= 68 sempre poco vib.

Violin I

sempre poco vib.

Violin II

sempre poco vib.

Viola

sempre poco vib.

Violoncello sempre poco vib.

Contrabass

Š Copyright 2007 St Rose Music Publishing Co. and Chester Music Limited. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.

William Byrd Arr. Nico Muhly (2007)

4 10 Fl.

E.H.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

Mar.

Piano

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

5 19 Fl.

E.H.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

soft yarn

Mar.

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

to the fore

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

6 28 Fl.

E.H.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

soft yarn

Mar. - steady To Cel.

sub.

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla. sub.

Vc.

Cb.

7 36 Fl.

E.H. poco

Cl. n

Bn.

Hn.

straight mute

Tpt.

Tbn.

Mar.

Pno.

poco port.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

8 43 Fl.

E.H.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

Mar.

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc. quasi niente

Cb.

9 48

rit.

Fl.

E.H.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

Mar.

Pno.

rit.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

10

II. BOW THINE EAR, O LORD 1

= 74

Flute dolciss.

English Horn

Clarinet in B dolciss.

Bassoon

Horn in F

Trumpet in C

Trombone

soft yarn

Marimba

Piano

= 74 Violin I dolciss.

Violin II dolciss.

Viola dolciss.

Violoncello dolciss.

Contrabass

11

Fl.

To Oboe E.H.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

Mar.

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

Oboe

12 18 Fl.

To Eng. Hn. Ob.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

Mar.

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb. n

13 27 Fl.

English Horn Ob.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

Mar.

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla. dim.

Vc.

pizz.

Cb.

14

Fl.

To Ob. E.H.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

slow, abstract roll

Mar. - almost invisible Celesta

- dolciss.

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

arco

Cb.

15 45 Fl.

Oboe E.H.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn. - dolciss.

(open)

Tpt. - dolciss.

Tbn. - dolciss.

Mar.

To Pno.

Piano

Cel.

Vln. I - dolciss.

Vln. II - behind trumpet

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

16 54 Fl.

Ob.

Cl. n

Bn. n

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

Mar.

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc.

Cb.

17 62 Fl.

Ob.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn.

Tpt.

Tbn.

Mar.

Pno.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc. sub.

Cb.

18

rit.

71 Fl.

n

sub.

Ob.

Cl.

Bn.

Hn. dim.

Tpt.

Tbn. dim.

Mar. n

Pno.

rit.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Vc. - dolciss.

Cb.