Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Sicut Cervus by Giovanni da Palestrina

Peter Norton
Peter Norton
Musicians from the Concord Band have been finding ways to keep their music going. Here is a story from trombonist Peter Norton:

“During the pandemic, I have partly made up for the loss of playing live music by taking part in recording projects with the Concord Band and other groups. I was introduced to Sicut Cervus a few years ago at an event where I sang it in a group informally. I kept my copy of the music thinking it would make a good 4-part instrumental, and had entered the score into Sibelius [music scoring program], but didn't get a chance to play it with anyone before the pandemic. I was then able to transpose it on the computer to a range where I could play all four parts on trombone.  I made the recording using the [recording studio] program, Audacity. I recorded each part as a separate track, and then went back to re-record parts of it that needed more work. What made it a rewarding experience was that once I had some tracks recorded, playing new ones gave a sense of playing with other people.”

Sicut cervus is a motet for four voices by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. The motet is a setting of Psalm 42:2-3 “My soul thirsts for God,” written for four voices, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.