Settings of the Psalms (or works inspired by them)

[kyjo]

I listened last night to Alexandre Tansman's Psalms on YT last night, which I found an impressive, often beautiful work from a composer who usually doesn't do much for me. That got me thinking about other settings of the Psalms. The first that comes to mind is Florent Schmitt's Psalm 47, a work of magnificent splendor and over-the-top ecstasy. Equally marvelous are the tragically-short-lived Lili Boulanger's beautiful settings of Psalms 24 and 130. Then, there's Zemlinsky's settings of Psalms 13, 23, and 83, though not as glorious as his Die Seejungfrau, are very fine works in their own right. Bernstein's Chichester Psalms is always invigorating-love those rhythms! Korngold's rather Hollywoodian Passover Psalm is also worthy of mention.

What else?

[CRCulver]

Per Nørgård's Libra sets, among other texts, fragments of four Psalms.

Alexander Knaifel's Psalm 51 for solo cello is an unusual piece in that the words of the Psalm are not sung, but they are written under the notes in the cello score, and the cellist is supposed to play as if expressing them.

Arvo Pärt's Miserere also sets Psalm 51 in a spectacular fashion. There must be a few more Psalm settings among Pärt's works.

[Dax]

Liszt's psalms are an austere and undeservedly underpublicised area of his work. It's interesting to compare the two settings of Psalm 137, both from 1859, by Liszt and Alkan, the latter's being a solo piano piece entitled Super flumina Babylonis. Quite a different kettle of fish from the luxuriant settings by such as Lili Boulanger - thanks for mentioning her.

[kishnevi]

Any composer who was or is involved in liturgical music will almost undoubtedly have some composition derived from the Psalms, from Renaissance times on.  Those who follow the Purchases and SDCB threads will undoubtedly remember the glee and angst associated with Sweelinck's complete setting of the Psalms.

Someone--either John (MI) or Kyjo, I think, mentioned a modern work entitled Tehillim, but I've forgotten the composer's name,  which is obviously based on/inspired by the Psalms going by its title (which is the Hebrew word English translates as "Psalms".

[PaulR]

Any composer who was or is involved in liturgical music will almost undoubtedly have some composition derived from the Psalms, from Renaissance times on.  Those who follow the Purchases and SDCB threads will undoubtedly remember the glee and angst associated with Sweelinck's complete setting of the Psalms.

Someone--either John (MI) or Kyjo, I think, mentioned a modern work entitled Tehillim, but I've forgotten the composer's name,  which is obviously based on/inspired by the Psalms going by its title (which is the Hebrew word English translates as "Psalms".

Unless there's another work of the same title, Tehillim was written by Reich

[kishnevi]

Unless there's another work of the same title, Tehillim was written by Reich

Thanks. 

Immediately after posting in this thread, I dipped for the first time in a long time into the Havergal Brian thread, and noticed the contents of a new release of old material, as listed on the cover:


I knew about it, but had forgotten in the interval.

[North Star]

No mention of Ives?
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[jochanaan]

Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms instantly comes to mind. In a word, profound.

Yes.  One of my favorites.

Part of the John Rutter Requiem is a lovely setting of Psalm 23, for choir, organ and oboe, which I've played several times.

[cjvinthechair]

Colleagues may (possibly) be interested in the Soli Deo Gloria Psalms project, commissioning new settings from current choral composers. Works to date by Peter Bannister, Gavin Bryars, Eriks Esenvalds, Galina Grigorjeva, Daniel Kellogg, Aaron J. Kernis, Roxanna Panufnik, Sven-David Sandstrom, Yehudi Wyner.....with more to follow.
Their website has details (+info on US performances) if you're interested.

[vandermolen]

Interesting to see that Havergal Brian CD back again.

Holst's setting of Psalm 86 and his friend Vaughan Williams's setting of Psalm 23 come to mind. The VW can be found on a great Chandos CD featuring Richard Hickox's splendid version of Symphony No. 5 and some very interesting rarities, including 'The Pilgrim's Pavement'.

[Cato]

A c. 5-minute work, but one of my favorites, ever since I heard it sung by my parish choir 6 decades ago: unfortunately not many recordings to choose from.

Cesar Franck's Psalm 150:

I have this one, which I like in a certain way, although it lacks the "punch" that my parish choir used to give the work: the other works are nicely done.

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Also available here:

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[Karl Henning]

Not Lisztian, nor Ivesian, nor Stravinskyan. But, in a word, profound.

[listener]

Psalm settings are often given their titles from the opening lines.
A few examples: Laudate Dominum (Psalm 116),  Give Unto the Lord (Psalm 29), De Profundis (Psalm 129), Laudate Pueri Dominum (Psalm 112), Jubilate Deo (Psalm 100).... There's a potential 149 and more given the translations.
And an organ fantasia on the 94th Psalm by REUBKE may be of interest.
If you like 'em big and choral, there's the ROUSSEL setting of Psalm 80 and REGER of Psalm 100.  Most of these have also been recorded in Anglican chant settings (by Stanford, Crotch, Stainer, and more), a sample may suffice as they do get to sound similar.

[Sean]

Hi kyjo, thanks for the Tansman tip; the Schmitt Psalm 47 indeed is an amazing work, along the lines of the Martin Mass for double choir.

Psalmus Hungaricus is one of Kodaly's finest efforts, and a mention for Schoenberg's refreshing Modern psalm 1.

[pjme]

This is such a truly magnificent setting of the psalms!

The most amazing is, for me: Danket dem Herren, denn er ist freundlich,
Psalmen Davids, 1619, Ps136, SWV45

http://youtube.com/v/bQUQJqrL8tU


  This ca 1960 recording under  Wilhelm Ehmann was my first encounter with the splendor of Schütz.

The Junghänel version however,  is the one to go for.

[pjme]

Hi kyjo, thanks for the Tansman tip; the Schmitt Psalm 47 indeed is an amazing work, along the lines of the Martin Mass for double choir.

[/i].

Hi Sean, i do not really understand: the Schmitt 47 psalm is a huge choral/orchestral extravaganza, Martin's Mass a  subtle, subdued purely vocal setting. I do not hear any similarities.

Peter

[Karl Henning]

Hi Sean, i do not really understand: the Schmitt 47 psalm is a huge choral/orchestral extravaganza, Martin's Mass a  subtle, subdued purely vocal setting. I do not hear any similarities.

Peter

All he means is, neither is anything like Nixon in China . . . .

[Sean]

Well I guess I don't understand the harmony very well. But the two works seem to move in similar interesting ways; the Schmitt is from 1904, the Martin from 1924.

The harmony in Nixon is even more interesting, yes.

[Cato]

And an organ fantasia on the 94th Psalm by REUBKE may be of interest.

Julius Reubke, similar to Hans Rott, is one of the great might-have-beens in Music History.  The few works we have are marvelous, especially the Sonata on the 94th Psalm.

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This seems to be an interesting performance:

http://www.youtube.com/v/3jUL3C0lolc

[pjme]

Lily Boulanger : psalms and the wonderful Vieille prière bouddhique!

I'd love to hear Jean Rivier's psaume:
Psaume LVI (1937)
pour Soprano solo, grand choeur mixte et orchestre :
3.3.3.3-4.3.3.1, hp, 3ondes Martenot (ad lib), timb, batt, crd

P.