Spire (Mosaic for Organ) (2019) was written for the 50th anniversary of the Walcker organ in Ulmer Münster (Ulm Cathedral, Germany), celebrated in 2019 during the Schwörmontag Festival in Ulm (which itself dates back to the 14th century).

Ulm Cathedral possesses the world’s highest church spire (161.5 meters; 530 feet) and is the dominant building in the city square. The cathedral was constructed over several centuries, beginning in 1377 and finishing with the completion of the enormous spire in 1890. Just as the spire was constructed part by part over many years, this composition is in a mosaic form, where different sections are placed together to gradually build the whole. The opening music, slowly reaching from the bottom to the top of the organ’s range, represents the spire’s trajectory. After various contrasting sections, the work’s final coda thrusts dramatically to the sky.