Sanctus(SSAA)

Composer: Kentaro Shuto
Words from composer

The composer is not a Christian, yet has frequently set texts drawn from the liturgy of the Mass to music. Among these, the composer has written approximately five works based on the Dies irae, including a set piece composed for the 2nd Tokyo International Choir Competition.
As for the Sanctus, this marks the composer’s first setting of the text. When approached with a commission to write a set piece for the 8th Tokyo International Choral Competition, the composer chose the Sanctus from among the liturgical texts as the one of greatest personal interest.
The work is in three sections. The outer sections — corresponding to the Sanctus — are lively and fast-paced, with frequently shifting meters including 6/8, 5/8, and 2/4, and are treated in a broadly polyphonic manner throughout.
The middle section, corresponding to the Benedictus, is in 3/4 time with a comparatively slow and gentle character, and takes on a largely homophonic texture.
It is the composer’s hope that people will delight in the musical contrasts between these sections — the shifting tone colors arising from differences in text, melodic language, and harmony.