Sax Octets

O Magnum Mysterium (octet)

Tomás Victoria, arr. Ben Tordoff

Composed:
1572 Arranged:
2021 Grouping:
sSAATTBb Duration:
03:00

Born in Ávila, Spain, Tomás Luis de Victoria was a cathedral chorister before heading to Rome to train as a singer, organist, and composer. He later returned to Spain as chaplain to the Empress, but it was during his time in Rome that the motet "O Magnum Mysterium" was composed and published.

The motet uses part of the Matins for Christmas describing the nativity scene:

O magnum mysterium, et admirabile sacramentum, ut animalia viderent Dominum natum, iacentem in praesepio.
O beata Virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Iesum Christum. Alleluia.

(O great mystery, and wonderful sacrament, that beasts should see the newborn Lord, lying in a manger.
O Blessed Virgin, in whose unblemished womb was carried the Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!)

Victoria's polyphony is serene but beautiful, building up each phrase in both complexity and power from a quiet and reverential beginning. Two beats of silence serve to highlight the opening of the second verse with a hushed "O Blessed Virgin". The motet concludes with a sequence of Alleluias in first triple and then double time.

Here we have extended Victoria's original 4 part setting across 8 saxes using a mixture of individual and sectional playing of the four parts. A sax quartet version true to the original setting is also available.

If you enjoyed this piece, have comments or corrections, we'd love to hear from you.

This music is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence.