The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes for mixed choir or soloists and organ, composed in 1990 and revised in 1991, is one of the first works in which the composer uses the English language.

The composition is based on the text from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew – a passage of blessings (5:3–12), from which godly virtues are highlighted line by line.

Due to the language, the length of the words results in a recital style; however, an original way has been found to transfer the meaning of the text. Each clause between punctuation marks is performed in a different harmonic key. At the same time, the chord sequences are subject to a specific rule. In the course of the composition, the central pitch of the recitation constantly rises, increasing the tension. Having reached its …

The Beatitudes for mixed choir or soloists and organ, composed in 1990 and revised in 1991, is one of the first works in which the composer uses the English language.

The composition is based on the text from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew – a passage of blessings (5:3–12), from which godly virtues are highlighted line by line.

Due to the language, the length of the words results in a recital style; however, an original way has been found to transfer the meaning of the text. Each clause between punctuation marks is performed in a different harmonic key. At the same time, the chord sequences are subject to a specific rule. In the course of the composition, the central pitch of the recitation constantly rises, increasing the tension. Having reached its peak, the process reverses after the organ cadenza, and all performed harmonic combinations are repeated, this time in reverse order, moving back to the starting point.

The work was commissioned by the RIAS (Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor) radio station in Berlin and it is dedicated to Hildegard Curth, the long-standing music editor and critic at RIAS. At its premiere on 25 May 1990 in Berlin’s Nathanielkirche, it was performed by the Theatre of Voices vocal ensemble and organist Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, conducted by Paul Hillier.