Description |
The term, 'Deus ex Machina', meaning "a god from the machine", has its origin in ancient Greek theatre, when gods were let down onto the stage in elaborate machinery. The machine in this work is the organ, whose music is the means through which God descends to Man. The idea of descent and ascent is portrayed in the music by carefully controlled pitch registers, which involve the use of the organ's 16', 8', 4' and 2' stops. The work is composed in the form of a Prelude and Fugue, with a 12-note subject. |