Felices ter (Thrice Happy They) - View Sample Pages
SATB, Unaccompanied / The work of the Roman poet Horace and "The Dean of American Choral Composers," Randall Thompson, are joined together in this ode to unbroken love.

"Fertile counterpoint and rich harmonies dominate this setting of the text. The work is a welcome addition to the Thompson catalogue and perfect for introducing singers to Italian diction. Medium difficulty." —The Choral Room (Spectrum Music)

Contains the original classical Latin as well as Thompson's own English translation. / 2:30 / 392-03020 BUY

LISTEN: YouTube performance by Harvard University Choir

HISTORY: "Felices ter" (Thrice Happy They) was composed as a tribute to Randall Thompson's old teacher, mentor, and a friend of forty years, Archibald T. "Doc" Davison, upon Davison's retirement from Harvard University. Completed on October 2, 1953, it was premiered on March 30, 1954 with the composer conducting. Thompson had set the same text in 1927 in the form of a canon.