In Paradisum is an a cappella SATB setting of the Gregorian antiphon from the Missa pro Defunctis or Requiem Mass. I wrote this piece in 2007 in memory of a friend, Nina Bergeron, who passed away that year.

The piece begins in B-flat major, and the Gergorian chant melody appears across the piece in solo lines as each new section of text is introduced. Solo altos first state the chant tune, which is then answered with harmony in the other voices. At Chorus angelorum (“a chorus of angels”) the music modulates to A-flat as divided basses and sopranos thicken the texture to represent the heavenly choir. The music modulates again as the angels welcome the soul into heaven at te suscipiat. After considerable restraint, the dynamic grows to a climax at quondam paupere (“once a pauper,” like Lazarus), which returns the harmony home to B-flat.

At this point the “Nina” hymn tune enters in the tenor line. I have noted in the score that the tune is to stand out prominently in the texture, despite it carrying only the simple words aeternam habeas requiem (“may you have eternal rest”). The Gregorian melody gradually emerges in voice after voice until the final habeas. Now inside six-part harmony, the B2 line carries the chant while everyone else embellishes around it. The work closes on a pianissimo B-flat major chord, with the alto descending to meet the tenor in unison on the same B-flat.

The audio sample begins at measure 23. Here are the Latin and English texts: