"Sanctus" is atmospheric and intense, featuring contrasts of ethereal melody lines supported by stately, rich harmonies. Requiring highly developed musicianship, this work is sure to become a memorable concert highlight. Review: "Unicornis CaptiIvatur" is an exciting, adventurous piece sets an unusual Latin text to music that ranges in style from renaissance dance to shimmering chorales to chant, and in texture from unison to an expansive eight parts. Songlist: Tota Pulchura Es, Northern Lights, The Spheres, Phoenix 8717b | Sheet Music $8.95 | SATB Modern Choral Arrangements
With music inspired by the aurora borealis atmospheric lights, this song will render a most impressive performance "Northern Lights" - Set to the Latin "Pulchra es amica mea" text from Song of Solomon, this easy-to-prepare composition is a great selection for high school, church and community choirs. With its beautiful color, intonation and phrasing, it is a great choice for advanced high school, college and beyond. "Phoenix" - Written for larger, mature choirs, Gjeilo uses the Latin "Agnus Dei" text as support for this symphonic-sounding choral work. "The Spheres" - This movement is the beginning of a Mass called Sunrise, and, according to its composer, it is to "be performed with the sense of floating in space." A fine challenge for accomplished high school choirs and beyond! The setting uses the Latin Kyrie Eleison text. His music has been featured on PBS and radio stations across the US. 1978) has been performed and recorded in more than 30 countries worldwide in venues such as New York's Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles' Disney Hall, Philadelphia's Kimmel Centeri, Washington DC's Kennedy Center and National Gallery, as well as the Copenhagen and Oslo Opera Houses. This survey concludes by reviewing Gjeilo’s notable compositional techniques.įrom “Northern Lights” to “The Ground”: A Stylistic Survey of the Choral Works of Ola GjeiloReview: The music of Manhattan-based Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo (b. In addition to this, Gjeilo’s use of mediant relationships causes a sense of tonal ambiguity through his use of polyfunctional and polytonal harmonic structures. These relationships play a critical role in Gjeilo’s sectional divisions and chordal progressions.
Neo-Riemannian analysis supports this claim through Gjeilo’s incorporation of tertian relationships.
In addition to text, this research demonstrates Gjeilo’s consistent devotion to the number three through tripartite forms and mediant harmonies. This research deconstructs Gjeilo’s approach to text painting, which portrays the broader idea of a text and exploits its coloristic elements. Multi-parametric analyses of Gjeilo’s works reveal the characteristics of his music. Using formal and harmonic analyses of several of Gjeilo’s most notable pieces, this research dissects Gjeilo’s treatment of text, his use of tertian relationships, his consistency in formal designs, and his use of polytonal and polyfunctional relationships. This research provides a stylistic survey of contemporary choral composer Ola Gjeilo’s compositional style.