Twelfth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

This paper focuses on the texts that Arvo Pärt uses in his compositions. The texts travel from the tradition of the Orthodox Church to the concert hall, the filming theatre and even to aid those in the process of dying. These traveling texts transcend the confinement of the manuscript paper to open up a world where sound and text free the listener. The true meaning of the text is realised in a transcended form because it is heard in combination with music. Through the tintinnabuli technique of composition invented by Pärt the subordinate music strives the clarification of the text. The focus is mainly on the De Profunids, a string of Psalm 130 and The Deer’s Cry, a composition on the Lorica by St Patrick.