Adagio

The phrase “Three in One and One in Three” impressed itself upon me as I was composing my Adagio, which is based on the hymn I Bind Unto Myself Today. This theological idea became a guiding structure for the music, which weaves together lyrical counterpoint, harmonic color, and rhythmic subtlety. Taking its form and concept from Duruflé’s Adagio in his Prelude, Adagio, and Chorale Variations, the piece bridges centuries: a 19th-century theme reimagined through a 20th-century model and shaped into a 21st-century composition.

The A section introduces the hymn in G minor with fluid contrapuntal lines and fleeting harmonic shifts. The central B section, set in 7/8, unfolds in three parts, each beginning with solo phrases and building into chorale-like textures, which reduce in texture from five to three voices. This reduction serves as a symbolic representation of the Trinitarian text. The final convergence of the three remaining voices to a single A-flat (doubled an octave below) confirms the piece’s underlying unity.

Following a deceptive arrival in B-flat minor, the piece recapitulates fully in G minor with a renewed sense of momentum and warmth. This is followed by a short coda featuring expanding harmonies and rising melodic gestures, culminating in a resolute final G minor chord, completing a thematic arc that merges analytical structure with expressive clarity.