Te Deum
Ernesto P. Pellegrini
About this work:
The Te Deum also known as Te Deum Laudamus, Ambrosian Hymn or A song of the Church is an early Christian hymn of praise and thanksgiving. The title derives from the opening Latin words of the text (We praise thee, O God). The hymn remains in regular use in the Catholic Church and is performed or included at various religious functions. The authorship is traditionally ascribed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, on the occasion of the latter’s baptism by the former in AD 387. Sources also maintain that Saint Niketas of Remesiana might have been the author. The text has been set to music by many composers, and the original hymn version which was chanted as part of the Gregorian/Ambrosian liturgy should not be excluded. In this version, for mixed choir and piano, the composer attempts to incorporate many styles and approaches from the past and maintaining consinstantly a rich musical texture. The work contains two major musical ideas which are constantly proliferated throughout. The fundamental one, first heard in the piano, is made up of overlapping fifths placed against a descending bass line, while the other is a melodic tonal fragment first heard in the upper voices and set to the initial words of the text. From a tonal standpoint the work tends to be in “C,” the primary tonality in matters of the universe, and it is so manifested from its very beginning to the very end. Due to the nature of the text, the structure of the work is brought about by disconnected interpolations of the verses, thus producing a sense of through-composed musical setting.
Year composed: 2011
Duration: 00:12:00
Ensemble type: Chorus, with or without Solo Voices:Chorus with Keyboard
Instrumentation: