Organist: Rita Padawangi
Composer: Jeanne Demessieux
The 1912 Bevington & Sons organ at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Singapore
Composed in 1947, Jeanne Demessieux’s organ piece O Filii is based on a Gregorian chant O Filii et Filiae (O sons and daughters) that tells the story of Easter through its twelve-stanza chant which is attributed to a fifteenth-century Fransiscan friar, Jean Tisserand.
Demessieux’s post-romantic style composition starts with the chant as a theme, followed by six variations and a closing coda. She applies triple time, similar to what today’s hymnals typically use, bringing out the folk-style texture for this Easter piece.
The opening theme establishes the familiar O Filii et Filiae chant melody in monophonic tenor pitch, calling the “sons and daughters of God” to believe in Jesus’ resurrection.
The first variation is in danse macabre style that is recognised in nineteenth-century composers’ works to symbolise medieval-era myth of death as a dancing fiddler (Cavanagh, 2002), referring to the second and third stanzas of the original chant which tells the story of the disciples encountering an empty tomb and that of Mary Magdalene and Mary of James and Salome at the tomb.
The second variation features rapidly played three-octave descending scales as the traditional representation of angels descending from heaven, in a clear reference to the fourth stanza of the original chant.
The third variation is quiet, with an abrupt change to a slower pace with triplets on the emphasized beats and placing the pedal on the non-emphasised third beat. With its mysterious sound, this variation likely represents the sixth stanza that tells of Christ’s appearance to the disciples in a locked room.
The fourth variation immediately returns to the original allegretto pace. Both hands are in dialogue with each other, but with some tension in-between. Being the most “harmonically unstable” variation in the piece (Johnson, 1994: 73), the fourth variation represents Thomas’s doubt as told in the seventh stanza of the chant.
The fifth variation (m. 83-91), without a clear break from the previous variation, becomes more intense with a change of tonality and key that symbolises Jesus’ appearance to Thomas in the eighth stanza of the chant. This variation increases pedal leaps that represent the essential leap of faith required of Christians to believe in Christ’s resurrection.
The sixth variation (m. 91-107) continues the dotted rhythm pattern with louder registrations and a reconciliation of the dialogue between both the organist's hands that symbolises Thomas’ acceptance and declaration of his faith: “You are my God”.