O Sweet and Beloved Mother (2023)

Composer note
O Sweet and Beloved Mother, a study for my upcoming opera on Hildegard von Bingen, is inspired by a pair of musical lines from two antiphons by the 12th c. saint/composer/visionary/polymath: ‘O Vis Aeternitatis’ and ‘O Virtus Sapientiae.’  The title of the piece refers to a line in the former: themes of motherhood—whether referring to the Virgin Mary, Mother Zion, or Biblical virtues such as Caritas and Sapientie—were abundant in her prayers to the divine. The music imagines a moment where prayer expands into a vision, encompassing aspects of both. 

The piece was co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and Decoda Ensemble, dear friends with whom I’ve been fortunate to collaborate several times. 

— Sarah Kirkland Snider