Hymnus (2021) ~6’

string quintet [2 violins, viola, cello, double bass] and fixed media

Commissioned by the Green Room Ensemble and premiered by Kevin Zhu, Nathan Meltzer, Devin Moore, Sterling Elliott, and Nina Bernat on June 21, 2021 at St. Johns in the Village.

Hymnus draws its inspiration by the chant, “Ut Queant Laxis,” famously employed by Guido de Arezzo to label the initial six solfege syllables: Ut (now commonly called do), re, mi, fa, sol, and la. In this chant, each of these syllables marks the beginning of a new musical phrase, rising one note at a time. This piece interweaves the original chant tune with electronic samples of stringed instruments. Throughout most of the composition, the chant remains hidden, then it emerges out of a chaotic cluster of notes. Ultimately, the full chant appears at the conclusion of the piece, played by soloists in the ensemble.