Jubilate Deo - Juliot

Duration : circa 3'50'' Jubilate Deo, Arnaud Juliot's original composition, is a sacred choral piece composed in March 2017 for the international composition competition "Ablaze Call for Scores" in Cincinnati (Ohio, USA). The work is built on the first verses of Psalm 66, inviting to praise the Lord with joy and exultation. The music is certainly new but the words are old; this means that the text should not be used as a mere pretext for composition, it was imperative to look for the notes hidden for centuries behind the words. It is for this reason that Jubilate Deo strives to converge contemporary expression techniques and the ancient tradition to propose a synthesis. Indeed, while the word "Jubilate" is from the earliest measures cut into four syllables to be restructured into a vertical space that suggests elevation to God, it is immediately followed by a rigorous modal counterpoint that evokes ancient polyphonies while arousing a feeling of jubilant fluidity. In the same way, resolutely modern effects (echoes, enriched harmonies, multiplication and differentiation of sound levels, travel of themes across several ranges, sound layers) coexist with the age-old intonations of Gregorian chant whose legacy is here fully popular. While the listener is carried away by the density of this writing, a majestic tag "barbershop" finally emerges to deliver a vibrant tribute to American choral culture.