cindy mctee

AGNUS DEI
for pipe organ

1998
10 minutes

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program notes

My Agnus Dei gradually exposes a hauntingly beautiful melody from Krzysztof Penderecki's Polish Requiem (Ab, G, F, C, Db, Eb, Db, C). A falling half-step and subsequent whole-step emphasize the interval of the minor third. With occasional references to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, the work's harmonic language reflects my interest in using both atonal and tonal materials within the same piece of music. Composed in the wake of events following the horror of September 11, 2001, the piece was later adapted for strings and given the title Adagio.