Two Chant Meditations for Organ

Use: Marian, Eucharist
Required Resources: Organ


From his collection, A Gregorian Sampler, Fr. Waters offers two meditations on chant melodies: Ave Maria and Ave verum corpus. The first he suggests as an Offertory for a Marian Feast, the second as a Communion for Ordinary Sundays.

In an organ style reminiscent of Felix Mendelssohn, Fr. Waters treats the the chant melodies freely, organizing his settings as fantasias or rhapsodies. His consonant harmonies and appropriate variations in rhythm give the pieces both comfortability and interest. Although not difficult to play, these meditations are by no means simplistic; the composer has skillfully interwoven melodic fragments into both homophonic and polyphonic textures. Indications are given for a two-manual instrument with pedal. The pedal part is relatively easy.

Kevin Waters has been a member of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) since August 1951. Currently he is Dean Emeritus of the College of Arts and Sciences, Gonzaga University, and is professor of both Philosophy and Music at the university. Fr. Waters has composed two operas, four works for orchestra, a number of pieces for small ensembles, as well as several large choral works. The Seattle Symphony, Kronos Quartet, Emerald City Brass Quintet, and Colorado State University Orchestra have performed some of these works and others have been premiered in San Francisco, Guadalajara and Rome. His opera Dear Ignatius, Dear Isabel, was commissioned by Loyola College of Maryland and produced in Baltimore for the school's 125th anniversary.