Rerum omnium fere nodus (from Organ Symphony No. 6) (1995–96)

Bernard Heyes (b. 1951) — Rerum omnium fere nodus (from Organ Symphony No. 6) (1995–96)

“Organ Symphony No. 6” (1995–96) consists of movements that have connections to ancient Greek and Roman culture. “Rerum omnium fere nodus” means “the knot of almost everything.” It is a quotation from Cicero’s writings on the Pythagorean/Platonic cosmos. Cicero uses the term to mean the key to the universe. The movement takes the form of chords and refrains, using a fragment of the very first melody that the composer ever notated.

English composer Bernard J. D. Heyes (b. 1951) was born in Kent and began his musical studies at age 21. As a composer, he has focused particularly on music for the organ, most especially his extensive cycle of 20 organ symphonies. Heyes’s musical style draws on a variety of influences and diverse sources of inspiration including the natural world (especially gardens and trees), states of transcendence, ancient Greek philosophy, world cultures and places, life, death, and subatomic physics. The result is music of large scale that connects to the organ’s traditional repertoire while also speaking with a profound and individual voice.

Published by Heyes Music (bernardheyes.org.uk)