Panis Angelicus (SATB)
Very few composers have composed original music to the text of St. Thomas Aquinas. Initially, my friend Jude Roldan asked me to write a new work for then the Hail Mary the Queen Children's Choir where he and his wife were the trainers, and my response was to set the prayer Panis Angelicus with my own music. Characterised with a hummable melody and supported with interesting chord progressions, it brings an immediate charming appeal to choristers and listeners that lead them to a realm beyond the heavens. The original version was completed on 31 May 2016 in Quezon City, Philippines. A year later, the dedicatee premiered it at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Musica Sacram. The score has been selected and published by the Hong Kong Children's Choir on the occasion of their 50th anniversary. Even before the premiere took place, I did a version for mixed chorus where the same qualities have been retained and further enhanced in the slightly different coda. This version was eventually premiered by the GSIS Chorale with conductor Tristan Ignacio at the 2019 Government Choral Competition sponsored by the Civil Service Commission that was held at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.