Work
Ar nAthair
for SSAATB choir
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About
Since 1994 I have had an on-going association with the city of Galway in Ireland. Initially this was through the Cois Cladaigh Chamber Choir which presented a concert of works of mine in that year, and has subsequently performed and recorded other pieces. Another choir in the city that has included my music in their repertoire was the NUIG Choral Society under the direction of Peter Mannion. This university choir had sung my Nunc Dimittis at a competition in 2005 and the conductor was keen to have something new for their next year's repertoire. He asked if I might consider a new setting of the Lord's Prayer ('Our Father who art in heaven...'), but setting the text in Irish.
The opening section, marked 'serenely, with great spaciousness', establishes the tonic key of D major securely. The music unfolds from an initial unison D, through simple tonal chords set against an on-going D in the 1st altos. The remainder of the work is largely chordal, using relatively simple tonal chords centred on the key of D major.
Commissioned note
Commissioned by Peter Mannion for the NUIG Choral Society
Contents note
Single movement
Text note
Text from an Irish translation of the Lord's Prayer