O Fire

O Fire sets the first half of Nathaniel M. Campbell’s translation of Hildegard von Bingen’s evocative work O ignis Spiritus paracliti. The text speaks about the omnipotent and saving power of the Holy Spirit with awe and exuberant reverence. O Fire takes this beautiful, vivid text and gives it a completely new musical setting. In homage to the original melody, O Fire opens with a melodic leap of a perfect 5th, before rushing melismas build and cascade into whispers in the original Latin text meant to personify the Holy Spirit and its Divine, enigmatic presence (drawing inspiration from the “rushing mighty wind” brought on by the presence of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:2 and evoking a crackling fire). After building in excitement as the Holy Spirit is praised, the piece slows down, becoming more placid and reflective, introducing a group of soloists, as the text begins to focus on the breath, taste, and sight of the “mirrored work of God.” In Divine Love (Caritas) in Liber Divinorum Operum III.3, Hildegard writes: “…I have written humanity, who was rooted in me like a shadow, just as an object’s reflection is seen in water.” Here we see her delve into the humanity and heart of this text. The full choir then comes back in, boldly affirming the text. As she pleads for the lost and the estranged, the choir scatters and fragments, slowly finding each other once more before the text presents images of might and power. The music again builds in rhythmic intensity and energy before dramatically ending with a plea for the downtrodden to be freed from their oppression through the mighty will of God.