Veni, Veni, Emmanuel ERO CRAS Michael John Trotta Pearland HS Chamber Choir, Derrick Bready

Derrick Bready leads the Pearland HS Chamber Choir in Michael John Trotta&"Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" (to be published by Carl Fischer 2015) The text for the hymn Veni, Veni Emmanuel first appears in the 8th century in the Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum (Cologne 1710). It is based on the much older "O" Antiphons which have their origins in the 9th century. When the antiphons are placed in the reverse chronological order the first letter (after the "O") forms the acrostic ERO CRAS, literally "tomorrow, I will be" translated here as "I will come!" This piece was conceived as a dialogue between the supplicants and the creator, a combination of old and new, juxtaposing a personal longing for something still to come, with the steadfast assurance of something ever-present yet not always seen. While the original theme is associated with the Christmas season, the wider theme of longing for something greater is universal to the human condition and allows this piece to be programed throughout the year. ERO CRAS: "Tomorrow I Will Be" for more information: