Damijan Močnik - Adventus Spiritus Sancti

The Slovenian composer Damijan Močnik has written a new piece of choral music for the Zbor Svetega Nikolaja in March 2006 – Adventus Spiritus Sancti. The composition was created as a result of cooperation between Damijan Močnik and choirmaster Helena Fojkar Zupančič. The lyrics are taken from the Bible – Acts 2, 2-4, 2, 6, 2, 9-11. It was first performed at the concert in St. Stanislava Institution in Ljubljana Šentvid, 2nd July 2006 and published by publishing house Astrum.

Helena Fojkar Zupančič, conductor:
"It was obvious to me from the start that the piece would incorporate spiritual contents. Damian wanted me to choose the lyrics. For me this was quite a challenge, since I wanted it above all to be melodious and harmonical, but at the same time I knew I won't be putting it into music. After a long study of spiritual literature I've decided to concentrate "solely" on the Bible. I was most impressed by the description of the Whitsunetide event, when, in a room full of gathered disciples, like a violent storm appeared a sudden tumult and filled the entire house… Damian liked this text and soon began to construct melodious and harmonical samples, which he used to show me simultaneously. I was honored that he attended to my wishes and comments.

At first this piece was to be a two-chorus motet (women + men chorus), but during its creation it was soon transformed into a sound-rich 8-voice composition with a clearly audible dialog between the male (earthly) and women (heavenly) chorus. It is bound into a musical wholeness by three polycordal parts in which the entire choir would sound with interesting harmonies.

In the learning phase we had a lot of problems, since the familiar saying "difficult to listen, easy to sing" often associated with Damian's music, didn't apply here. Namely the composition has a rather difficult rhythm and harmony, even the composer himself has denoted it as one of his most demanding pieces. We spent most of the time learning the jazz-like rhythms, constantly modulating main dialogue accords and men "quasi corale" quick-paced coloraturas.

We haven't been very pleased with our first performance of "Adventus". However, since performing music is a natural process and takes time, the composition and its performer have to grow and mature together before they can shine in all their beauty."


Damijan Močnik was born 1967 in Kranj and currently resides in Cerklje na Gorenjskem working as an organist and choir conductor. In 1991 he finished his study of composition at the Music Academy in Ljubljana (class of prof. Dane Škerl), during which he received the Prešeren student award for composition. His current employment as music professor and choir conductor is at the Diocese Classical Gymnasium in Ljubljana. He is intensively engaging in choir conducting and has received many awards at national and international choir competitions as well as at various composer contests. He has received the second prize at the 1. Kompositionswettbewerb des internationalen Chorleiterverbandes in Bochum 1995, won the hymn contest on the occasion of pope visiting Slovenia and won the first and second prize at the composer competition "50 years of choir review Naši Zbori". Močnik's choir compositions are published by Ferrimontana, Frankfurt.

Nova kultura Litija, Valvazorjev trg 1, SI-1270 Litija, Slovenija | e-mail: info@litija.org