J.Healer

Apse (Latin: absis meaning arch / vault). The end point behind the chancel, in the form of a semi-circle which terminates the main building.

This piece contains an upward downward motion in the melody line, creating a form of musical arch. It is peaceful in nature, yet always reaching for something, and perhaps never quite getting to its destination.

When I sat down to compose this piece I considered how an Apse is often in full view of everyone and yet invisible to the immediate conscious. It sits at the back, behind major focal points of a Church like the Sanctuary, Tabernacle and Altar. This led me to think about the virtue of humility; just being who you are and were created to be. I reflected on how St. Thomas Aquinas speaks about not reaching above one’s own place, in his section on humility in the Summa Theologiae (Q. 161). This seemed to coincide with what I was trying achieve with this composition - a sense of reaching, but not getting above oneself and yet, being completely at peace.