Revelation of St John Divine, The

Dominick Argento

General Info

Year: 1966
Duration: c. 36:00
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Boosey and Hawkes Rental
Cost: Unknown

Instrumentation

Full Score
Tenor Solo
Male Chorus
Horn I-II-III
Trumpet I-II
Trombone I-II
Percussion I-II

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The composer gives singers and the audience the pleasure of several strong climaxes, and he further satisfies the reactionary ear by returning to easily recognizable material in John’s concluding solo. The harmonic material is sufficiently pungent to prevent the listener from lapsing into daydreams, but it avoids any offensive disregard for changing moods in the text. Argento has not gone beyond the normal skills of well-trained singers, nor has he put an unusual strain upon the listener. The setting is a most welcome addition to the limited repertory of significant music for male chorus.

The composer selected the instrumentation based on the nature of the text as well as the mention of “seven trumpets” which was interpreted into the brass instruments chosen for the work. On one of his influences in creating the piece, Argento stated “It ought to be added that what I had in mind – but had not sufficient talent to recreate – was the brilliant description given in Thomas Mann’s great novel Doctor Faustus, of the fantastic musical work also based on the Book of Revelation created by his fictional composer, Adrian Leverkühn.”

-Program Note by Elwyn Wienandt

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