Fiori Francescani (Franciscan Flowers)
for S, MS, T, B soli, Clarinet, Violin, Violoncello & Piano

Details:

For vocal quartet, piano trio, and clarinet, in five movements, sets the text of the “Cantico delle Creature” (Canticle of Creation) by St. Francis of Assisi (1181/82-1226), one the first extant writings in Italian (Umbrian) dialect rather than the official Latin. Many composers have set it to music, including Franz Liszt, William Walton, and Amy Beach. The first movement praises the Almighty, the second natural elements such as wind, fire, and water, the third ponders death and sickness, the fourth is an ode to earth that sustains life and its flowers that provide beauty, and the last returns to praising the Lord and reiterating the message of humility dear to St. Francis. Throughout the work, passages from the traditional “Prayer of St. Francis/Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace” interject their own commentary, meditating on topics such as forgiveness, consolation, and harmony.

Instrumentation: S, MS, T, B soli, Clarinet, Violin, Violoncello & Piano
Duration: 28’
Composed: 2014
Published by: Michele Caniato Music