Michael H. J. van der Sloot

Latin for "eternal light", the lux aeterna is usually encountered as a final movement of a liturgical requiem. In this case, it is the ending of a larger work of mine in the making, Missa borealis. The movement is scored for between 6-12 cellists with or without amplification performing from two open-form aleatoric parts where the performers move forwards or backwards in the music at their own individual discretion.

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still life
locked
in a crystal embrace,
sweetest sound
of silence,
suspended peace
of timeless night,
and clarity
of dreamless sleep

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an empty window
to warmth forgotten
without a thought
nor love of dawn

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alone
in this darkest calm
of everlasting light