The music of New York City based composer and pianist Ola Gjeilo has been performed and recorded in more than 25 countries worldwide in venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, Miami’s Knight Concert Hall and Jackie Gleason Theatre, and the National Galleries in London and Washington DC. His publishers include Walton Music, Oxford University Press and Musikk-Huset. Walton Music is the exclusive publisher of Gjeilo’s music for choir.
Ola’s first solo piano CD, Stone Rose, was released in October, 2007 on the Grammy® nominated label 2L, and is available in stores worldwide as well as on amazon.com and iTunes. The album is filled with his own lyrical music in the crossroads between classical and jazz, sometimes also joined by cello, violin and flugelhorn.
Gjeilo has written music for several short films and for television, now channeled through his media music company, Nordic Screen Music, which he co-owns with composer Asmund Skuterud.. Ola’s music has been featured on PBS in America, on the Swedish and Danish Broadcast Corporations and on all the major Norwegian TV channels as well as several radio stations.
He has been commissioned by several ensembles and musicians worldwide, including American soprano Barbara Bonney (New England Songs, 2005), Ensemble Mendelssohn, Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay, Philip Brunelle, Musikk-Huset Publishing House, St. Olaf Manitou Singers, and Voces Nordicae. His choral music has also been performed by other elite choirs such as Kansas City Chorale, Phoenix Bach Choir, World Youth Choir, VocalEssence, Norwegian Soloists’ Choir, and the Swedish Radiokören.
The Ground
Ola Gjeilo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Osanna, Osanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Benedictus qui venit.
Osanna, Osanna in excelsis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Dona nobis pacem.
The lyrics to Ola Gjeilo's song The Ground are heavily inspired by traditional Catholic liturgy. The first line, "Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua," translates to "Heaven and earth are full of your glory." This line is a reference to the hymn of the angels in Isaiah 6:3, where they proclaim the holiness of God. The second line, "Osanna, Osanna in excelsis," is a direct quote from the Bible, specifically from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John, where it is said as a shout of praise from the crowds as Jesus enters Jerusalem. This repeated cry of "hosanna" is an ecstatic, uncontainable expression of adoration to God.
The next two lines, "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini/Benedictus qui venit," translate to "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." This line is similarly a reference to the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, but with the added emphasis on his identity as the Son of God. The final four lines, "Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi/Dona nobis pacem," mean "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world/Give us peace." The imagery of the Lamb of God comes from the Book of Revelation, where it is a symbol of Jesus as the sacrifice that takes away humanity's sins.
Overall, the lyrics to The Ground are a powerful expression of worship and praise to God, rooted in centuries of Christian liturgical tradition. The use of Latin, the ancient language of the Church, adds to the sense of timelessness and transcendence, and the repeated cries of "Osanna" and "Agnus Dei" create a memorable and moving musical experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
The heavens and the earth are full of your glory.
Osanna, Osanna in excelsis.
Praise and adoration to God in the highest.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Benedictus qui venit.
Blessed is he who comes.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Dona nobis pacem.
Grant us peace.
Writer(s): Ola Gjeilo
Contributed by James K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@aliciaevans2012
This was my favorite Latin song that we performed in my high school's choir. Our choir director also really loved this arrangement and hyped up Ola Gjeilo and his sunrise mass before showing us it
@thomascurtin9714
Still one of the prettiest compositions I've ever performed. I was privileged to be among the Festival Choir that sang this in Sept 2008 (the original arrangement) amid the mass events associated with the dedication of Cathedral of Christ the Light, Diocese of Oakland (CA). The key change at the Agnus Dei verse and increased dynamics of the strings still evokes an emotional reaction. It also introduced me to how challenging Gjeillo compositions are for their long-duration vocal phrases (breathing too often corrupts the music)... it's not music for the novice vocalist.
@alanburnham9832
As always, cosmic choral music lifting my spirit on the first of this new year! Ola Gjeilo always brings joy! Happy New YEAR! ( The CWU choir is excellent )
@aartdegoojer6733
Great music! I really like how Ola Gjeilo succeeds in composing religieus choir music with pop music-like melodies and avoiding the religious kitsch of a lot of contemporary evangelical songs.
@jacobhanner8625
We are singing this for our Solo and Ensemble performance next Saturday. Absolutely love this piece!
@renatakrzak887
Piękny utwór.
😊😊😊
@susan5223
I adore this one! Thank you for putting this back up Ola! One of my favorite sing-along videos is back
@nathanqi1998
What a beautiful composition and performance! I remember singing this in high school choir; it was such a magical experience! Thank you for posting this recording; the tempo is just right!
@ElfWithAttitude
What a stunning rendition. This is a luscious piece that is a joy both to perform and to hear.
@user-mq3ch8fn7j
Спасибо. Это божественно!🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀❤❤❤❤❤