Draco magnus

Description

The text of this piece is taken from Altus prosator, a sequence traditionally attributed to the sixth-century Irish missionary, Saint Columba. This sequence describes the creation of the universe in the Hiberno-Latin used by Irish monks. It is an alphabetical acrostic; it begins with the letter A, and each following verse begins with the next letter of the alphabet. The fourth verse, ‘Draco magnus’,  depicts the fall of Lucifer as a great dragon, dragging stars with him as he is cast into hell.  This is depicted in this musical setting by slithering downwards chromatic motion, fading to nothing as the dragon falls to the darkest depths.