The musical formulas, cadences, rhythms, and modes of Moroccan Samaa and 15th-century Mozarabic chant are the same, reflecting their shared historical development.
Compositional Technique
This program is designed as a prayer vigil, alternating choral chants with improvised solo recitatives, similar to Sufi ceremonies.
Historical Context
The Moroccan Samaa and 15th-century Mozarabic chant, featured on this album, both originated in the same geographical region: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
Album & Artwork
This album, titled "In Memoria Eterna," is presented as a spiritual vigil for the new century, bringing together Christian and Muslim chants.
Recording & Production
This recording, made in October 2019, is the culmination of a project that began in 1997, initially for the "Year of Morocco in France" in 1999.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The recording aims to highlight what emerges when humans use singing to invoke a "greater memory" that transcends their condition, beyond dogmas and religious thought.
Interpretation
The album integrates rhythmic chants from the Samaa tradition, called "prosulas," into Latin chants, a practice similar to medieval Latin poetic and musical glosses.
