Works » By Title » D » Dona Nobis Pacem (4:35 / 1977)

Dona Nobis Pacem means “give us peace” in Latin. Part of the Catholic Mass, translated words are also in Jewish prayers. All of the sounds in this work are Dona Nobis Pacem whispered by the composer into a microphone and manipulated, using standard classical tape techniques of the 1970s era, slowing down and speeding up the tape deck and recording those changes.

The composer was inspired after seeing an unusual piece of sculpture of a nun, Corita, by Kenneth Flynn. The nun seemed to be talking to the composer. The sounds originally were composed to be a continuous loop of sound so that the sounds could be played in a space of contemplation where the nun would be placed. This never happened.

The music has had numerous performances, especially for dance. In later years, the composers incorporated Dona Nobis Pacem into the works Dawn’s Journey, for electronic tape only or piano and tape plus Call For Peace, for flute and tape.