SATB choir, piano
reduction - Intermediate
SKU: GI.G-8955
Composed by Thomas LaVoy.
Exaltation of the Holy
Cross. Evoking Sound.
Sacred. Octavo. 8 pages.
GIA Publications #8955.
Published by GIA
Publications (GI.G-8955).
UPC: 785147895503.
Latin. Text Source: From
the Liturgy of the Hours
for Exaltation of the
Holy Cross.
My
setting of this
well-known prayer is
largely based on a piece
of 16th-century visual
art of the same
name,Salvator mundi,
attributed to Leonardo da
Vinci. Though many
artists have created
similar paintings
depicting Christ in this
fashion,
Leonardo’s is of
the small minority in
which the orb that Christ
holds in his left hand
lacks any sort of
ornamentation or indeed
any kind of religious
symbol at all. The orb,
as it appears in other
depictions, is referred
to as a globus cruciger
(cross-bearing orb). This
term does not apply in
this instance, as the orb
lacks a cross, existing
purely as an unblemished
globe, calm and serene,
mirroring the expression
that is present on
Christ’s face.
This piece should be sung
in largely the same way
that the painting appears
on the canvas: subdued
and reverent. The dynamic
contrasts in measures
22–28 represent a
very human supplication
to Christ, but they
should not be overstated
or dramatic in any way.
Such is the case with the
entire work, it is a very
introspective take on the
prayer’s text, and
as such it should feel
quietly restrained and
reflective throughout.
The piece ends with four
double-barred repetitions
of the word
“Deus,â€
representing the four
points of the cross.
Listen to The Same Stream
perform Salvator Mundi
from Songs of the
Questioner.
