Lorem ipsum

With Lorem ipsum, Stijn Dierckx won the second edition (2023) of the Vic Nees Composition Competition in the category of music schools. The jury, which was completely different from that of 3 years ago, fell in love with the beautiful harmonies and the humor of the composer who, with Lorem ipsum fake latin - dummy text for graphic design to show the visual form of a document without any meaningful text is - set to music.

Why a work with 7 flats?

The piece begins for each voice on a E flat (in letter designation: Es, or the phonetic pronunciation of the letter S), and ends on a D major chord (D). For example, the beginning and end form the composer's initials. The rather unusual starting key (a flat minor, with seven flats) has therefore been chosen purely in function of that one opening note. In addition, the specific final chord is a kind homage to Vic Nees, who also makes a great come out of the blue at the end of, for example, De profundis clamavi and Haec est praeclarum vas.

Fake Latin

The text may be fake Latin, but the words are based on a passage from De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum (About the Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. (and therefore not random fabrications, as is often thought). The passage section 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 is about denouncing pleasure and praising pain, hence the multiple occurrences of the word dolor in the text used, and hence the character designation con dolore  or 'with sadness' in the composition. More info about the origin of Lorem ipsum as text: https://lipsum.com/.