Psalmen Davids (Psalms of David) is a collection of sacred choral music, settings mostly of psalms in German by Heinrich Schütz, who had studied the Venetian polychoral style with Giovanni Gabrieli. Book 1 was printed in Dresden in 1619 as his Opus 2. It comprises 26 individual settings, which were assigned numbers 22 to 47 in the Schütz-Werke-Verzeichnis (SWV). Most of them use the text of a complete psalm in the translation by Martin Luther.

The full title of the publication, "Psalmen Davids / sampt / Etlichen Moteten und Concerten / mit acht und mehr Stimmen / Nebenst andern zweyen Capellen daß dero etliche / auff drey und vier Chor nach beliebung gebraucht / werden können", indicates that some motets and concertos are added to the psalm settings, and the scoring is for eight and more voices and two groups of instrumentalists, so that in some pieces three and even four choirs can participate in polychoral settings.

History

In 1619, Schütz took up his office as Hofkapellmeister at the court of the Elector of Saxony, Johann Georg I., in Dresden, succeeding Rogier Michael. On 1 June, he married Magdalena, the daughter of Christian Wildeck, a court official. Planned well, the Psalmen Davids appeared the same day, dedicated to the Elector.

Schütz mentions in the introduction: "daß er etzliche Teutsche Psalmen auf Italienische Manier komponiert habe, zu welcher [er] von [seinem] lieben und in aller Welt hochberühmten Praeceptore Herrn Johan Gabrieln / ... / mit fleiß angeführet worden ... war" (that he composed several German psalms in Italian manner, to which he was induced intensely by his dear preceptor Giovanni Gabrieli, highly famous in all the world).

Collection

Schütz chose 20 psalms, two of which he set twice, and added movements based on a hymn, the first stanza of Johann Gramann's "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren", and on texts from the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. Most, but not all, psalms end with the doxology (in the table short: dox), "Ehre sei dem Vater" (Glory be to the Father). Translations of SWV 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 33, 36, 37, 39 and 40 are provided by Emmanuel Music

No. SWV Psalm no. Title English Source 1 110 The Lord said unto my Lord Psalm 110 2 SWV 23 2 Why do the heathen rage Psalm 2 3 SWV 24 6 Ah, Lord, do not punish me Psalm 3 + dox 4 SWV 25 130 Out of the depths Psalm 130 + dox 5 SWV 26 122 I was glad when they said unto me Psalm 122 6 SWV 27 8 Lord, our Ruler Psalm 8 + dox 7 SWV 28 1 He is fortunate who does not walk Psalm 1 + dox 8 SWV 29 84 How amiable are thy tabernacles Psalm 84 9 SWV 30 128 He is fortunate who fears the Lord Psalm 128 + dox 10 SWV 31 121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills Psalm 121 11 SWV 32 136 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good Psalm 136 12 SWV 33 23 The Lord is my Shepherd Psalm 23, no dox 13 SWV 34 111 Praise ye the LORD Psalm 111 14 SWV 35 98 O sing unto the LORD a new song Psalm 98 15 SWV 36 100 Exult in the Lord, entire world Psalm 100 16 SWV 37 137 By the rivers of Babylon Psalm 137 + dox 17 SWV 38 150 Praise ye the Lord Psalm 150 18 SWV 39 103 Bless the Lord, my soul , concerto 19 SWV 40 Is not Ephraim my beloved son , motet 20 SWV 41 Now praise, my soul, the Lord hymn, canzona 21 SWV 42 126 They that sow in tears , motet 22 SWV 43 115 Not unto us, O Lord Psalm 115 23 SWV 44 128 Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD Psalm 128 24 SWV 45 136 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good Psalm 136 25 SWV 46 Not unto us, O Lord , concerto 26 SWV 47 100 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands Psalm 98:4-6; Psalm 150:4; Psalm 96:11; Psalm 117, concerto

Reception A reviewer from Gramophone wrote that Psalmen Davids "ranks among [Schütz's] most sumptuous and spectacular achievements". Fabrice Fitch referred to it as the composer's "first monumental publication of sacred music", agreeing with Peter Wollny's comment on "its variety in the treatment of a medium whose potential for cliche is, after all, very great".

Publication and recordings

The Psalmen Davids is part of the complete edition of the composer's works by Carus-Verlag, begun in 1992 as the Stuttgart Schütz Edition and planned to be completed by 2017. The edition uses the of the . They were recorded, as part of the complete recordings of works by Schütz, by the Dresdner Kammerchor and organist Ludger Rémy, conducted by Hans-Christoph Rademann. Soloists are sopranos Dorothee Mields and Marie Luise Werneburg, altos David Erler and Stefan Kunath, tenors Georg Poplutz and Tobias Mäthger, and basses Stephan MacLeod and Felix Schwandtke. A review notes the accent on a contrast, as the composer intended, between the soloists (favoriti) and the choir (ripieno): These soloists, the so-called 'favoriti' are given the responsibility of bringing illustrative power to their sung lines, to sing 'as well and as sweetly' as possible. These solo singers are vested with the conveyance of the texts’ imagery in all its power and immediacy, whilst the ripieno choruses have a different function, which is, in the composer's words, 'for a strong sound and for splendour'.

References

External links

Heinrich Schütz: / Psalms of David / Psalmen Davids Deutsche Grammophon 1997 Heinrich Schütz | Psalmen Davids Cantus Cölln 1998 Kulturradio, 14 November 2013