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.