Sanctus
Ola Gjeilo (trans. Gjeilo and Wilson)
General Info
Year: 2009 / 2017
Duration: c. 4:35
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Choir
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $85.00 | Score Only (print) - $10.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet/Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II, including:
- Chimes
- Suspended Cymbal
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Following the success of his previous works, the composer has lent his skills in adapting another of his well-known choral works for winds. The densely scored and richly textured material of the original choral work has been masterfully adapted for winds, creating a spellbinding work of glistening tonal colors.
- Program Note from publisher
Regarding this composition, Ola Gjeilo states:
Sanctus was composed on a cheap keyboard, for kids basically, that I had borrowed when I lived in London back in 2004. I was studying at the Royal College of Music at the time, and was writing the piece on the side, following a commission from the Norwegian choir Uranienborg Vokalensemble. Somehow, that atrocious string pad really inspired me, and I’ve used it ever since, even after I got much more advanced equipment. I guess it’s not always about the quality of the gear.
The piece is partly inspired by a well-known Sting song from the ’90s, but you’ll have to guess which one it is. Sanctus is dedicated with gratitude to Uranienborg Vokalensemble and conductor Elisabeth Holte.
This transcription of the 2009 choral work represents the second collaboration between Ola Gjeilo and J. Eric Wilson, Director of Bands at Baylor University. Gjeilo asked Dr. Wilson to consider arranging for band his Sanctus, which the composer considers the “a cappella piece of mine closest to my heart.”
- Program Note from Baylor University Wind Ensemble concert program, 27 October 2016
Sanctus is based on an original work for SATB a cappella chorus composed by Ola Gjeilo. The first version, London, was completed in 2004 during the composer’s studies at the Royal College of Music and was published in 2008. A revised version, Sanctus: London, was released in 2008. The work was commissioned by and dedicated to the Uranienborg Vokalensemble and their conductor, Elisabeth Holte. Some of Gjeilo’s inspiration for the composition came “from a well-known Sting song from the ‘90s” ,and he has referred to it as the “a cappella piece of [his] closest to [his] heart.”
Gjeilo has used text from the Mass liturgy as a framework for some of his choral pieces. Sanctus: London (2009) features text from the Sanctus and Benedictus of the Mass Ordinary.
- Program Note from Henderson State University Wind Ensemble concert program, 16 November 2021
Media
State Ratings
- Louisiana: IV
- Texas: IV. Complete
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Anchorage (Ak.) Community Concert Band (Mark Wolbers, conductor) - 4 December 2022
- Henderson State University (Arkadelphia, Ark.) Wind Ensemble (Shaun Popp, conductor) - 16 November 2021
- University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Symphony Band (Phillip A. Ostrander, conductor) – 23 April 2019
- Indiana University (Bloomington) Concert Band (Alex Baczewski, conductor) – 28 February 2019
- Missouri All-State High School Band (Osage Beach) (J. Eric Wilson, conductor) – 26 January 2019
- Concordia University (Chicago, Ill.) Wind Symphony (Richard Fischer, conductor) - 2 November 2018
- University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) Wind Ensemble (Kenneth Ozzello, conductor) – 3 February 2018
- Texas Christian University (Fort Worth) Symphonic Band (Brian Youngblood, conductor) - 5 October 2017
- Abilene (Tx.) Christian University Wind Ensemble (Steven Ward, conductor) - 9 February 2017 (2017 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
- Ball State University (Muncie, Ind.) Wind Ensemble (J. Eric Wilson, conductor) – 2 December 2016
- Baylor University (Waco, Tex.) Wind Ensemble (J. Eric Wilson, conductor) – 27 October 2016 *Premiere Wind Arrangement Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Ubi Caritas (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kotovsky) (2007/2016/2020)
All Wind Works
- Luminous Night of the Soul (arr. Kotovsky) (2013/2020)
- Meridian (2010)
- Sanctus (arr. Kotovsky) (2008/2019)
- Sanctus (arr. Wilson) (2008/2016)
- Serenity (2014)
- The Spheres (2008)
- The Spheres (arr. Kotovsky) (2008/2020)
- Tundra (arr. Kotovsky) (2011/2020)
- Ubi Caritas (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kotovsky) (2007/2016/2020)
Resources
- Ola Gjeilo website Accessed 4 December 2016
- Popp, Shaun R. "Sanctus." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 12, Compiled and edited by Andrew Trachsel, 444-454. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2021.