Motet notes - Harbison

Commissioned for Emmanuel Music by Richard Nordlof

Paul’s text exhorts us to replace words with deeds, one of life’s hardest messages.  At one moment, a certain self-satisfaction appears: “And hereby we knew that we are of the truth”, wonderfully questioned – “and if our hearts condemn us.” The various tones of the hidden complexities of this text were among the joys of setting it.

First performance: November 21, 2004
Emmanuel Choir, Craig Smith conducting