| Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's | 12 movements |
|---|---|
| Composition Year | 1988-89 |
Complete Score [B]
*#993775 - 74.49MB, 111 pp. - N/N/N - MARC DECKERS
PDF typeset by composer
MARC DECKERS (2025/9/30)
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| Work Title | Naturae Veritas |
|---|---|
| Alternative. Title | Cantata for chamber choir SATB, 12 instrumentalists, 3 vocal soloists A+T+Bar and speaking voice. |
| Composer | Deckers, Marc |
| Internal Reference NumberInternal Ref. No. | IMD 3 |
| Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's | 12 movements:
|
| Year/Date of CompositionY/D of Comp. | 1988-89 |
| First Performance. | 1989/11/11 |
| Librettist | Reinhard Budde (b. 1951) |
| Language | Latin (Bible) Dutch, French, German (Eastern Texts) Old Italian (Canticle of the Sun) |
| Dedication | Soli Dei Gloria |
| Average DurationAvg. Duration | 21 minutes |
| Composer Time PeriodComp. Period | Modern |
| Piece Style | Modern |
| Instrumentation | speaker, alto, tenor, baritone, mixed chorus (SATB), wind band |
| InstrDetail | |
| Extra Information | Naturae Veritas was commissioned by the Belgian branch of the European Organization for Nuclear Research for the inauguration of the "LEP" (Large Electron-Positron Storage Ring) at CERN, Geneva. The composer received the commission on August 17, 1988, and it was completed on August 22, 1989. Mr. Reinhard Budde, physicist and secretary of the "LEP Experiments Committee," compiled the complete text. Three components make up the composition: Bible passages, Eastern poetry and wisdom (China and India), and finally excerpts from the Canticle of the Sun by Saint Francis of Assisi. Three languages are combined: Latin (Bible quotations), Dutch (Eastern texts), and Old Italian (Canticle of the Sun). The Eastern texts can also be sung in French or German (the two other official Belgian languages). The composer distinguished twelve sections in the text, which, however, flow into one another without any arbitrary pause. During the orchestral introduction, the speaker invites everyone to reflect, "Levate in excelsum," to which the soloists and choir respond in their own way by offering quotations, reflections, images, dialogues, etc. A search for ever-deeper foundations that culminates in the Baritone's aria, "Quid est homo?". Through nature, humanity senses its limitations, and acceptance of this leads to a magnificent hymn of praise to God, in a seven-part triple fugue, "Laudate si, mi Signore" (Saint Francis). The entire compositional structure rests on the numbers 3, 7, and 12, and for the melodic development, the composer used his own system for translating literary into musical information. The composition was premiered in Geneva (CH), Cern on November 11, 1989 by the mixed choir of Cern, reinforced by members of the choir of the music academy of Turnhout (B) and other professional singers, 12 Belgian instrumentalists (see program), Alto solo: Eline Harbers (NL), tenor solo: Roland Bufkens (B), baritone solo: Werner Van Mechelen (B), voice: Monica Budde (CH), general direction: Gonzalo Martinez (ARG) |
