O Magnum Mysterium

Description

Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass — O Magnum Mysterium is a setting of a Latin sacred text written for Christmas. The text depicts the extraordinary occurring among the ordinary: God coming to earth as a tiny baby, and animals in a lowly stable being the first to witness his arrival. Adding dynamic contrast (crescendo/decrescendo) on every phrase and singing legato (smoothly) with a gentle choral tone will reflect the wonder and awe the original text and this setting attempt to communicate.Original Latin Text: English Translation:O magnum mysterium, O great mystery,Et admirabile sacramentum, And wonderful sacrament,Ut animalia viderunt That animals should seeDominum natum the newborn Lordjacentem in praesepio. Lying in a manger.O magnum mysterium. Amen. O great mystery. Amen.General Latin Pronunciation Guidelines:1. There are only five pure vowel sounds in Latin:A = AH E=EH I = EE O = AW U = OO2. Strive to flip all R’s as if singing in Italian.Latin Pronunciation (accented syllables are UPPER CASE):aw MAH-nyoom mee-STEHR-yoom,*eht ahd-mee-RAH-bee-leh sah-krah-MEHN-toom,oot ah-nee-MAH-lee-ah vee-DEHR-oontDAW-mee-noom NAH-toom,yah-CHEHN-tehm een preh-SEH-pee-aw.aw MAH-nyoom mee-STEHR-yoom. AH-mehn.*The word “mysterium” in this piece is a three-syllable rather than a four-syllable word. This can be accomplished by pronouncing the last syllable “ium” as “yoom” rather than “ee-oom”. Absolutely beautiful for mixed a cappella voices, this rich setting of the beloved Latin text O Magnum Mysterium is not to be overlooked. Simple, elegant, and haunting, it is a lovely addition to any concert or festival program, sure to showcase mixed ensembles in fine style. Also available for SAB Voices (BL1081), TTB Voices (BL919) and SSA Voices (BL1002).

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