A certain everlasting polyphony (Nicholas O'Neill)
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- (Posted 2025-08-29) CPDL #86573:
- Editor: Nicholas O'Neill (submitted 2025-08-29). Score information: A4, 17 pages, 216 kB Copyright: Personal
- Edition notes: Copyright 2019 Nicholas O'Neill. May be freely copied and distributed for non-profit use. All other rights strictly reserved.
General Information
Title: A Certain Everlasting Polyphony
Composer: Nicholas O'Neill
Lyricist: Johannes Keplercreate page
Number of voices: 4vv Voicing: SATB
Genre: Secular, Unknown
Language: English
Instruments: Organ
First published: 2019
Description: For Simon Over and the Parliament Choir.
- Version for orchestra also available.
External websites:
Original text and translations
English text
Nature has finally brought you forth the first true images of the universe. By means of your concords
of various voices she has whispered to the human mind how the movements of the heavens are nothing
except a certain everlasting polyphony.
As the alto is practically supreme in a very narrow range, so the almost innermost planets, the Earth
and Venus, have the narrowest intervals of movements.
And as the tenor is free, but progresses with moderation, so Mars alone can make the greatest
interval, namely a perfect fifth.
And as the bass makes harmonic leaps, so Saturn and Jupiter have intervals which are harmonic.
And as the soprano is the freest, more than all the rest, and likewise the swiftest, so Mercury can
traverse more than an octave in the shortest period.
Hence it is no surprise that man should finally have discovered the art of singing the everlastingness
of all created time by means of artistic concord of many voices in that sweet sense of delight elicited from this music.
Nature has finally brought you forth the first true images of the universe.