Symphony no. 1 – Omnes Gentes by Brett...

June 1, 2016  |   Posted In

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By Brett Abigaña

In today's society, there seems to be a lot of discussion about what makes us all different. Whether it be our beliefs, actions, appearance, or any number of other things, I think it too easy to separate us all into groups, thus fostering the possibility of conflict between those groups. It seems nobody wants to concentrate on what makes us similar, and while the work isn't programmatic, that is the focus of this piece. Each movement represents something common to all humanity, no matter where you're from, what you believe, or how you act, and I believe it's those similarities that define humanity: not our differences.

So to that end, the first movement is about birth and love. Everyone experiences those two things at some point in their lives, and while their definitions are open to a myriad of interpretations, we all have them in common.

The second movement is about human folly, or perhaps some type of loss of innocence. In short, we all do things we regret, and at some point in our lives, some aspect of our innocence (which again can be defined in many ways) is destroyed, which is why that particular movement involves the most frustratingly naïve melody I could invent, and ways in which it can be taken apart and destroyed (hence the title).

The third movement is about belief and happiness. We all believe in something, whether that be spiritual, temporal, humanistic, material, idealistic, or any other categorization. The pursuit of that belief is how we spend the time we have here, and much like the movement which never really finds its tonic, it's not necessarily the fulfillment of that belief that makes us who we are: sometimes it's just the continued pursuit of it.

Lastly, the final movement is about the betterment of ourselves, and perhaps of humanity. The fact is, humanity has no definition outside of what we make it. The good and the bad must necessarily be included in the definition. But hopefully at the end of our lives, we can look back on our time here and, having hopefully contributed something to the betterment of humanity, whisper a grateful “Alleluia.”

Omnes gentes, plaudite minibus;
jubilate Deo in voce exsultationes:
Quoniam Dominus excelsus, terribilis,
Rex magnus super omnem terram.
Subiecit populos nobis, et gentes sub
pedibus nostris.
Elegit nobis haereditatem suam: speciem
Jacob quem dilexit.
Ascendit Deus in jubilo, et Dominus in
Voce tubae.
Alleluia

All peoples, clap your hands;

praise God in exultant voice:
For the Lord is high, and to be feared,

The great king over all the earth.
He will subject the nations to us, and

place the people under our feet.
He will choose a heritage for us: the pride

of Jacob, whom he loved.
God is lifted up in praise, and the Lord

with the sound of trumpets.

Alleluia




Duration: 30 minutes
Grade Level: 5.5

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Additional information

Weight .1 lbs
Dimensions 0.004 × 11 × 17 in

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