Celtic Invocation

Alexander Carmichael's "Carmina Gadelica" is a six-volume set of various prayers, songs, poems, invocations, and other lore he collected over a close to 50-year period (1860-1909) in the Gaelic speaking regions of Scotland; it remains one of the most important sources of Gaelic folklore today. Found in Volume I under the Scottish title Solus-iuil na siorruidheachd (The Guiding Light of Eternity), the six lines of text give reference to three types of light which are represented musically in this unencumbered choral setting for a cappella mixed choirs. Composed in a simple, contemporary style, it uses a mix of unison and contrapuntal textures reflective of the English text.