I like it too. Nice work. There seeems to be a page of Ave Maria stuck in the middle of the pdf score ,,, gave me a puzzle for awhile.

I especially like that little phrase [B, G#, c, G, F#, A, B-flat] first heard in measure 23.

Actually, those are the first seven notes of the tone row that is the genesis of this work. In the 8-part version, the seven notes you cite beginning at m. 23 are in the A1 part and the tone row is completed by the five notes beginning at m. 26 in the T1 part. The same tone row, transposed and starting on F, is heard as the first 12 notes of the work, in the layered/overlappping "O magnum mysterium" passed among the voices (in the 12-part version, each voice sings exactly one note of this tone row at the beginning).

The tone row appears, inverted, beginning at m. 13, beginning in the T1 part, then moving to the A1 part, and finally to the S1 & M1 parts. The inversion also appears in the B2 part at m. 26 for seven notes and then moves on to the Bt2 part at m. 29 for the final five notes.

The tone row in inverted retrograde motion appears in Ch. 2 as first 12 notes, begnning at m. 53, and then as non-inverted retrograde in Ch. 1 as the first twelve notes beginning at m. 65.

After the "Ave Maria" section, the most complex polyphony begins at m. 91, with the original tone row in the B2 part, the inverted tone row in octaves in the M1 & T1 parts, and the retrograde tone row in the A1 part. This is answered beginning at m. 97 with the inverted tone row in the S1 part, the original tone row in octaves in the A2 and Bt 2 parts, and the inverted retrograde tone row in the T2 part.

The "Alleluia" section begins, at m. 111, much like the beginning of the piece, but this time with the inverted tone row as the first twelve notes. This then gives way, at m. 132, to the original tone row in the A1 & A2 parts, followed by inverted tone row in the S1 & M1 parts.

Veering away from the tone row material to the "Dominum natum ... in praesepio" (m. 39-52) and "Ave Maria ... Dominus tecum" (m. 78-90) sections: The block harmonic structure is made up of three pairs of chords, one utilizing all 6 notes of a whole tone scale followed by a major chord, whose root is not part of the whole tone scale. The three major chords in each section descend by a whole step at each occurrence, major chords on F-sharp, E, D and then D, C, B-flat (although in the the second group, the top notes of the major chords rise D, E, F). This pattern of three major key chords rising (or falling) by whole steps occurs elsewhere – rising: G-flat, A-flat, B-flat (m. 104-105); B-flat, C, D (m. 106-107); E, F-sharp, G-sharp (m. 129-130) – falling: D, C, B-flat (m. 138-140).

There are a few more devices that occur, such as the generally rising sequence of chords at the end that are prefigured in m. 19-21, and elsewhere the superposition of two major chords each a major third apart at m. 108 (D and B-flat) and at the very end (G-flat and B-flat).

These comments are not intended to do anything but inform the curious singer/listener as to the various bits and pieces out of which this work is composed.

. wrong thread