JORDAN NOBLES

The æther (also spelled aether or ether) was once believed to be the material that fills the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere, where the stars reside. Instead of the vacuum we know is there today previously it was imagined that a vaporous element surrounded the Earth, filled the heavens and was the very breath of the Gods.
* The Lorelei Ensemble of Cambridge, Massachusetts chose æther as the winner of their International Call for Scores (October 2012)

Another trademark “spacialized” marvel from the pen of Jordan Nobles. If possible, the singers should be arranged spatially, in a circle around the audience with each singer in the location of each hour of a clock The music will then spin around the audience.
* Coriolis has been released on CD by the Kammerchor Consono, conducted by Harald Jers Spotify

I have always found voices singing words in a language I do not understand to be haunting and beautiful. Perhaps because I am paying more attention to the sound of the voice itself and not trying to follow the meaning of the poetry. When I compose for voice I usually use only vowels sounds or vocalize but recently have found that limiting. So I went off in search of a text with all of the timbral richness of speech but without an overt meaning. And then I found, in my computer already, the Lorem Ipsum text.

The Lorem Ipsum text is a commonly used series of fragmented Latin words that has been used, possibly since the sixteenth century, to provide a ‘filler text’ during typesetting. Where text is visible in a document, people tend to focus on the textual content rather than upon overall presentation. Because it is ‘nonsense text’ publishers use lorem ipsum when displaying a typeface or design elements and page layout in order to direct the focus to the publication style and not the text itself.

I am using it here for the same reason. Rather than focusing on the meaning of the words I wish to draw your attention to the sound of the words. The sound of the human voice itse

Lux Antiqua is written for the singers to be spatially spread about the performance space, preferably surrounding the audience. Balconies, lofts, etc. can also be utilized as well. The exact layout will vary depending on the venue and is not important as long as they are evenly distributed throughout the space. Also, if possible, the sections (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) should not stand together as would be the norm but instead should be separated so each soprano, etc. is in a different area of the space from the others.
Alternate Option: A performance can start with the singers together on stage and immediately once the piece has begun they can slowly spread throughout the venue. Or alternatively they can come physically together by the end.
* Lux Antiqua has won the International SACRA/PROFANA Composition Competition 2013
* Lux Antiqua has been chosen for performance at the International Society for Contemporary Music’s World Music Days in Wrocław, Poland in October 2014.
* Lux Antiqua was the work commissioned from Jordan after he was named the International Winner of the Polyphonos Composition Competition (Seattle 2011).