Holy Spirit: Living and Life Giving (2023)
for SSA, Violin, and Piano
Duration: 6 minutes
Performed by St. Mary’s College Belles Voix, conducted by Dr. Nancy Menk
Texts:
Holy Spirit: living and life giving,
the life that’s all things moving,
the root in all created being.
from Spiritus sanctus vivificans
by St. Hildegard of Bingen
Trans. Nathaniel M. Campbell
And the earth was without form, and void;
and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:2 (KJV)
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,
as clear as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation 22:1 (NIV)
Program Note:
Holy Spirit: Living and Life-Giving is inspired by a chant of the same name (Spiritus sanctus vivificans) by Hildgard of Bingen, a saint, Benedictine abbess, composer, and medical writer of the 12th century. The opening five notes of the piece come from Hildegard's chant and are used as the primary melodic figure throughout the piece, especially for depicting the persons of the Holy Trinity: "Holy Spirit," "God", and "Lamb of God." I chose three texts that, I believe, hold profound thematic connections. The first idea is God's divine movement through the world. The second is the mysterious nature of water as it is presented in the “deep” of Genesis and in the heavenly river of Revelation. Thank you for listening and I hope you take a moment to contemplate the mystery that is at “the root in all created being."