Tetragrammaton (‘four-letter word') is the Hellenistic term for the Hebrew name of God. The name itself, YAHWEH, has six letters, but in old Hebrew only the consonants, YHWH, were written down. The text of the piece is a compilation from the Book of Job of the Old Testament, specifically from "God's answer to Job" (verses 38:4-18). The conclusion of the first stanza of the selected text ("when the morning stars sang together, as the wind announced upon the waters the glory of the coming of man") is not a literal translation from the Bible, but is borrowed from Edgar Cayce, the 20th-century American mystic.
Born in Greece, educated in the United States and a Canadian citizen since 1985, composer Christos Hatzis (b.1953) is becoming widely known as a leading figure in contemporary classical music. His works are performed and broadcast throughout the world, and their frequent combination of a powerful spiritual foundation with an immediately accessible appeal has made a deep emotional impact upon audiences and performers alike.
