The Lamb (Tavener) Motivic Development analysis

[@ghostofyeats]

I'd always loved the sound of this piece, but understanding its construction makes it even more special -- particularly because the retrogrades and inversions make absolutely beautiful sense in the context of Blake's poem. The mirroring motives enact the "mirroring" of child, the lamb, etc.

[@michaelkingsbury4305]

Tavener was brilliant

[@bplonutube]

Thank you for looking deeply into the brilliant simplicity of the piece!

[@prckrevofficialchannel1911]

Very cleverly composed, simple but effective.

[@1610Monteverdi]

Composed 1982. Broadcast 'live' on BBC Radio 3 on Christmas Eve 1983, from King's College Chapel, Cambridge, as part of our Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

[@neilbevi7594]

just a stunning piece especially when viewing the construction thanks so much for this

[@TheRealMutttastic]

Wow, I remember singing this for church choir in 2008! It takes me back

[@SarahJonestoo]

Brilliant. Thank you for your analysis.

[@adlfm]

Whoa! Thanks for introducing me to this music, and for providing such insight. I'd have analyzed the inversions as just colouristic chromaticism/mode mixture, and I'd have never spotted the retrogrades. This way everything makes perfect sense!

[@DavidBennettThomas]

Yeah! There is polytonal thing that happens too as a result of these processes.

[@spencerbean8802]

Never in my life have I heard a Christmas-themed song that I can only describe as ... perfect.

[@peterwimsey1]

personally, when the melody divides into two parts, I don't hear the parts crossing (if you see what I mean)

[@areyounatz]

We can also hear the same style in his Song for Athene. Very beautiful.

[@hatecrewLucas]

Nice balance between monophony, homophony and polyphony

[@composer7325]

Beautiful

[@daaamby]

thank you! one of my most favourite choir pieces. 🩷☺️

[@johnholmes912]

I just love a9 chord on Lamb

[@OdinComposer]

Astounding piece! Not to mention this performance. Can't be easy to sing the freetonal parts. What performance is this?

[@augment3d6ixth97]

Tenebrae Choir, Nigel Short conducting

[@isaacs4512]

i never realised it was inverted & retrograded thus. clever!

[@matthewstokes1608]

It doesn’t come much better than that, now does it?!

[@alainjames9556]

Anybody know when this was composed?

[@DavidBennettThomas]

1982

[@SMmarcus100]

And one more thing! If you were to draw and connect the notes of the theme, it makes an icthus, or a "Jesus fish"!

[@tiffanyruffle8578]

Sometimes sounds creepy

[@mariabrent3351]

Other worldly, mystical, soft, powerful, essence of life, deeply affecting

[@reference2592]

I wish someone would just fix those gross unbearable parts. I don't know what type of avant garde experimentalist garbage he was going for, but it sounds like a child wrote it by banging at a keyboard 🤮

[@glgaws]

So ein Kommentar offenbart einfach nur das totale musikalische Unverständnis des Schreibers. Sehr peinlich, diese Selbstdisqualifikation.