Fantasia on "O Magne Pater"
O Magne Pater is a monophonic antiphon written by St. Hildegard of Bingen, one of the earliest composers known by name in the history of the Church, as a dedication to God The Father. My organ setting was commissioned by the Chicago Catholic Choir for their Fall 2025 concert entitled "Praise Ye, The Father." The organ piece is both an introduction to the entire concert and its opening piece, performed by the treble voices of the Chicago Catholic Choir. To learn more about Hildegard's original chant, please visit The Hildegard's Society's official page on the piece.
In addition to setting the mood for the concert to come, the piece serves a practical purpose: to intone the piece for the singers, who are to sing the piece unaccompanied. The piece begins in a four-part polyphonic texture, where the melody of the original chant moves around the four voices in surprising ways. The piece then changes registration and shifts to a grandiose homophobic texture, cueing the choir to process to the altar stage. The piece ends on a simple drone, with the opening melody intoned clearly for the singers to begin.
The piece was premiered and performed by the composer at the Chicago Catholic Choir's Fall 2025 concerts, taking place on November 8th and 9th, 2025. The performance was unfortunately not recorded, but the score can be viewed here: