Like much of my music (and like many composers), I looked to the past for Three Motets. The motet began in the early 13th century as an application of a new text (French mot: “word”) to existing or old music. Often the text was added to the wordless upper-voice parts of descant 'clausulae'. These were short sections of organum, above which were added one, two, or three simultaneous melodies; in descant 'clausulae', as opposed to other organum, all the voice parts were set in short, repeated rhythmic patterns called rhythmic modes.

Three Motets are reflections on these ‘words’, both old and new. Words that honour scared spaces, celebrate a coming together of people, and the restoration of peace.

This work was commissioned by the Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts.

-njd.

Three Motets

for Rupert

Like much of my music (and like many composers), I looked to the past for Three Motets. The motet began in the early 13th century as an application of a new text (French mot: “word”) to existing or old music. Often the text was added to the wordless upper-voice parts of descant 'clausulae'. These were short sections of organum, above which were added one, two, or three simultaneous melodies; in descant 'clausulae', as opposed to other organum, all the voice parts were set in short, repeated rhythmic patterns called rhythmic modes.

Three Motets are reflections on these ‘words’, both old and new. Words that honour scared spaces, celebrate a coming together of people, and the restoration of peace.

This work was commissioned by the Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts.

-njd.

Virga Jesse floruit

Ecce sacerdos magnus

Locus iste

Nathan James Dearden is an award-winning Welsh music creator, whose work has been described as “hauntingly beautiful” (Media Wales), and performed and featured by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tippett Quartet, National Youth Orchestra of Wales, tenor Nicky Spence, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Fidelio Trio, and Hebrides Ensemble. His music regularly features in concerts across the UK and overseas, including at the Cheltenham Music Festival, Dartington International Festival, CROSSROADS International New Music Festival and Vale of Glamorgan Festival. His music has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, Resonance FM, RTÉ lyric FM, S4C and Soho Radio, whilst also released on NMC Recordings and Delphian.

Nathan is also a sought-after conductor, arts advisor, event curator and educator, holding arts advisory roles with several international organisations, and is currently Lecturer in Music Composition at Royal Holloway University of London.

Three Motets

nathan james dearden