SATB (divisi), Sop and Bar soli

IN MONTE OLIVETI

An original Passiontide motet
Premier performance: Benedictine College Discovery Day 2014 -- St. Benedict Church

This composition project was the joint effort of many hands, most importantly Mr. Ted Hanman (special thanks also to Fr. Gabriel Landis and St. Benedict Parish, Dr. Ruth Krusemark, Ms. Alicia Brozovich, and the Discovery Day Committee).

I chose to set this composition based on the text from one of my favorite mysteries of the rosary -- Christ's agony in the garden. This is my small attempt at setting to music a glimpse of the mystery of the suffering of the God-man. The intense mental suffering that was His on the 'Mount of Olives' is something that is characteristic of the human condition. After the piece opens with a musical image of the Garden of Eden, the tone quickly changes as the focus shifts to Christ's prayer and solitude on the Mount of Olives.