Refer to pieces from the New Anthology of Music and/or elsewhere, to explain how other pieces of music have influenced you in your composition

The opening section of Cherubic Hymn, marked “Lento misterioso” is meant to conjure up images of the heavenly kingdom, and the Cherubim and Seraphim about the throne; I do this through use of dense 8-part polyphony at a very slow pace (c. 50 bpm), and a low dynamic range, hopefully creating a sense of eternity. This is similar to the effect used in Gyorgy Ligeti’s micropolyphonic anthem Lux Aeterna, which he marked “Sostenuto, molto calmo” This also was marked with tempo of 52 bpm, and moreover, Ligeti wrote the note “from afar” at the top of his score. A similar effect is accomplished by William Harris in Faire Is The Heaven, wherein he also utilised a two-part choir, albeit more antiphonally, but also at 60 bpm. Finally in this section, the soaring 1st Soprano line around bars 17-19, is reminiscent of the Soprano Solo in the verse sections of Allegri’s Miserere (bars 114-115) sitting an octave above the next highest note, on a Bb. The second section, beginning at bar 28, is faster (Presto), and has modulated to Ab major, to illustrate a more overtly joyous feeling. I have used a more martial 2/2, combined with an antiphonal texture, to achieve this. This is again akin to the Harris, particularly bars 48-57, in which he also utilises double choir polyphony to create a joyful, almost fierce mood, a “rage of gladness” (Edward Thomas). This is again shown in renaissance antiphony such as Heinrich Schutz’s piece for double choir, Jauchzet dem Herren, in which the phrases are constantly bounced between the choirs.The “Allegro” section that starts at bar 39 (“triadi”) is inspired by the “Continually do cry” section of George Frideric Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum, where the altos, then the tenors repeatedly sing “continually” in a falling pattern. Instead, however, I have had each choir sing “triadi” three times, so that the however the last utterance of the word is for full choir rather than antiphonal, meaning that the word will only appear 5 times, instead of 6. There then follows a Db major passage that moves into F major for the third section. This third, central, passage delivers what I believe to be the key point of the text: “Passa nin biotikin apothometa merrinan” (Let us now lay aside all mortal cares). This utilises the same melody as the Alleluia at the end of the piece, and the theme is first put forwards by the 2nd Soprano, before it is taken up by the 1st Choir like a Chorale, before blossoming in full Choir, with some double-choir polyphonic moments, before restating the 2nd two bars of the theme at bar 66. The sections then return in reverse order, with the 2/2 section first, lacking the interlude modulating into F major, as it returns straight into the Db major (“Lento Misterioso”). As the piece finishes, the theme of the second idea returns, in unison and Db major, as a triple Alleluia, one to each aspect of the Trinity. This is similar to ending of Anton Bruckner’s motet, Os Justi, which finishes with two unison Alleluias.