motet notes - Pärt

"Da pacem, Domine," composed in 2004 by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b. 1935), is a simple prayer for peace. It is based on three medieval ideas: 1) Gregorian chant as cantus firmus in the alto 2) parallel organum - two part polyphony- between alto and bass;  and 3)  hocket - breaking of a melody into single notes or very short phrases by means of rests - between soprano and tenor. The result of this “musical baggage” is a sonorous soundscape that conductor Paul Hiller describes as “a near harmonic stasis in which each pitch is carefully placed in position like stones in a Zen garden.”

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