Delphica Gaedhlica is a macaronic setting of the third of the Prophetiae Sibyllarum and is inspired in part by the wonderful Lassus motets. The setting is primarily in Irish, using a translation by Iarla Ó Lionáird made for this piece, though parts of the Latin and English versions also find their way in. The opening clause--He shall not come slowly--takes on strikingly different characters in the different languages, lyrical in the Latin, a bit cumbersome in English, and almost violent in Irish; these characters gallivant and occasionally meet, suggesting different meanings as the piece develops.

Originally composed for CTTBarB (Gallicantus), I will be making a new version of Delphica Gaedhlica in 2020 for Variant 6 (SSATTB).

I am deeply grateful to the wonderful people of Gallicantus; what extraordinary voices and musicians!

hear them perform the work: