A native of Estonia now living in Berlin, Arvo Pärt is one of the foremost contemporary composers. Influenced by a study of early music and chant, since 1976 Pärt has written in a minimalist style he calls "tintinnabuli" (little bells). 

"I have discovered," the composer explains, "that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note…or a moment of silence comforts me. I work with very few elements…with primitive materials, with the triad…The three notes of a triad are like bells and that is why I call it 'tintinnabulation'." 

Written in its present form in 1991, Pärt's stunning setting of The Beatitudes (from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" recorded in the Gospel of Matthew) utilizes a procedure similar to other pieces in this style. One pair of voices (alto and bass) recites simple stepwise melodies to and from a central pitch in contrary motion, while another pair (soprano and tenor) sing basic triadic patterns around it. The harmonic structure shifts very slowly between alternating major and minor chords, punctuated by a series of organ pedal notes and moments of complete silence. Gradually the music builds to a powerful choral climax followed by a dramatic organ cadenza that traces its way back through the harmonic pattern to the original tonality. The result is a rather austere but deeply spiritual and moving rendition of the text.

Return to the 20th Century Research Home