Tormán

Duration | 3.20

Although this is set for traditional Irish instruments, any can successfully play the instrumental segments.

Tongu do dia toinges mo thuath, Tongu na tongat mo thuath.
I swear to the god who swears my tribe. I swear by what my tribe swears by.

The word Tormán is an old Irish word meaning a hum or murmur – a low, constant resonance. I’ve used it here to describe not just sound, but an idea of sound as substance, a sonic landscape the drone that binds but is also the essence of physical reality itself. Anú is a primordial goddess, the essence of the land itself while Ériu is a symbol of nationhood and the land of Ireland. Binding all of us, nature and the gods themselves is the constant hum of Tormán.

Commissioned for Maynooth University Chamber Choir, Conductor Dr Michael T.Dawson

Mixed Voice, Instruments (ideally traditional instruments)