Angelus

The composition is governed by the constant chiming of bells and the bell-like sounds of such instruments as tuned gongs, the piano, and the harp. (The title, "Angelus", refers to the bell that is rung as the signal for the angelus--a prayer in the Roman Catholic Church commemorating the Incarnation--but far more important is its allusion to the city and the orchestra which have welcomed me as an adopted musical citizen). Against this tolling backdrop, the music strains upward in three short sections: from the opening enchanted night-music, through a mercurial scherzo, to the high, bright, clangorous conclusion.