The 100th Psalm

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The 100th Psalm , Op. 106, is a composition by Max Reger in D major for mixed choir and orchestra, a late romantic setting of at Psalm 100 . Reger began composing in 1908 to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the University of Jena . Part I was performed on July 31 of that year for the occasion. Reger completed the work in 1909. It was published in the same year and performed in full for the first time on February 23, 1910, simultaneously in Chemnitz and Breslau . The complete four-movement work is a choral symphony .

history

Reger began work for the 350th anniversary of the University of Jena . The text is based on the 100th Psalm in Martin Luther's translation . Reger composed the work in Leipzig from April 24, 1908 to the beginning of July. In his dedication he wrote "The high philosophy faculty of the University of Jena on the 350th anniversary of the University of Jena". Part I was performed on July 31, 1908 for the anniversary. Fritz Stein directed the Academic Choir Jena and the St. Pauli Choir , the chapel of the 71st Infantry Regiment Erfurt and members of the Weimar court orchestra, with organist Kurt Gorn. Reger had written to the conductor: “The listeners of the psalm have to stick to the wall as a 'relief' afterwards; I want the psalm to have a crushing effect! So be so good and do it! ”After the performance, Reger received an honorary doctorate from the university.

Reger completed the composition from May to August 1909. It was published by Peters in Leipzig , first in September 1909 the choral score that Reger had made himself. The score and parts appeared in December of that year. The complete work was performed for the first time on February 23, 1910, simultaneously in Chemnitz and Breslau . In Chemnitz, Reger conducted the St. Lukas church choir and the municipal chapel, with Georg Stolz on the organ. In Breslau, Georg Dohrn led the Sing-Akademie and the Orchestra Association, with the organist Max Ansorge. A reviewer of the Neue Musikzeitung wrote afterwards: “Still under the impression of what I have heard and experienced, it is incredibly difficult for me to express all the deeply felt, the sublime and the divine of that hour. One was deeply shocked when the huge double fugue had faded away, had experienced something unforgettable. "

In 2016 the work was performed to celebrate the Reger year in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig on the day of Reger's death, May 11th. The Leipzig University Choir and the MDR Symphony Orchestra were directed by David Timm .

Structure and occupation

The text of the psalm is divided into four movements as a choral symphony . The following table is based on the vocal score and shows the beginning of the text, psalm verse (s), parts of the SATB chorus, performance designation (ref.), Key and tempo .

Structure of Reger's The 100th Psalm
No. text verse be right Bez. key tempo
1 Shout 1.2 SATB Maestoso (animato) D major 4/4
2 Recognize 3 SSAATTBB Andante sostenuto 4/4
3 Enter its gates 4th SSAATTBB Allegretto con grazia 3/4
4th Because the Lord is kind 5 SATB Maestoso D major 4/4

The work consists of a four-part choir, which is sometimes further divided, an organ and a symphony orchestra of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, three timpani and additional percussion and strings . In the last movement an additional wind choir consisting of four trumpets and four trombones plays the melody of Luther's chorale as cantus firmus . A strong castle is our god . All four movements are notated in D major, but Reger frequently modulates. The sentences flow into one another without interruption. Between the 3rd and 4th movements there is a short instrumental transition called Andante sostenuto .

Shout

The use of the choir is prepared by a drum roll of two bars, increased by pp . In the third bar, the orchestra begins ff with a D major chord , the choir enters syncopated and unison and initially only sings the word "Jauchzet" repeatedly, with different expressions. Only in bar 16 does the text continue, with the voices increasing fast coloratura in imitation to the exclamation “all the world”, which is repeated in unison after a pause.

In great contrast, the following psalm verse is calm and restrained, labeled sostenuto and pp. The thought “Serve” is built up in imitation from the deep voices, whereby all four choir voices are divided. "Serve the Lord" is recited by the old, the other voices join in. "Serve the Lord with joy" appears first in the lower parts, the soprano takes over the theme one bar later in an expressive increase, denoting espressivo and crescendo. More and more joyful groups of sixteenth notes appear, first in individual voices, then condensed, and the initial thought “Jauchzet” is taken up again. In bar 111 the third thought “Come” appears for the first time. This word is also repeated several times until “before his face” is heard, finally “with rejoicing”. In bar 130 a recapitulation of the first section begins , which ends with another unison “all the world”, each syllable being provided with a fermata .

Recognize

The second movement begins with a quiet instrumental introduction of thirteen bars. Horns and trombones initially play three identical notes B in unison, to which the word “recognize” could be underlaid. This rhythm runs through the introduction. The choir voices pick it up when they sing the word, ppp, in unison on C. After several repetitions of the word, “that the Lord is God” is continued in bar 26, with a rapid increase from Lord to God. In a middle section the singing is predominantly homophonic : "He made us and not we ourselves ..." Then a recapitulation of the opening thought appears, this time ending pp.

Enter its gates

Instrumentally, the key of F sharp major is briefly introduced in three time. In this movement, the divided female voices of the choir bring the entire psalm verse, homophonic and “dolcissimo”, “go to his gates”, whereby the three quarters of the measure usually appear as halves and quarters. The male voices, also split, respond with "Go", the women repeat their text in a new version. Then the sequence is repeated with reversed roles. The further text is increasingly condensed and intensified, also through constant modulation . Shortly before a climax, eighth notes appear for the first time in this movement, in the bass of the choir and orchestra. You determine the character of the accompaniment, while the choir sings “Danket him” in unison, still in quarters and halves. The choir takes over the eighth notes for the end, “Praise his name”, in four-part imitation.

Because the Lord is kind

After a short instrumental introduction, the soprano and tenor sing the simultaneous themes of a double fugue, both of which are lively, but bring the fastest movements at different times. After an interlude that begins in bar 77, from bar 91 to the fugue themes in bass and soprano the chorale melody from Luther's A firm castle is our god sounds as cantus firmus . The work ends with a slow increase to the text “and its truth for and for”.

Frames

Hindemith

Paul Hindemith wrote a revised version with the intention of giving the music more clarity. Stephen Luttmann noticed that Hindemith tried Reger uncontrolled inventiveness (uncontrolled Invention) curb.

Organ version

François Callebout created an organ version that was published in 2004 by the music publisher Dr. J. Butz appeared. As Gabriel Dessauer explains in the preface, the work was conceived for oratorio choirs at the beginning of the 20th century, in which up to 500 singers took part. The organ version was created to give smaller choirs access to the work. It was premiered in 2003 by the Reger Choir in St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden , in the community to which Reger belonged during his student years in Wiesbaden.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b CV . Max Reger Institute. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g The 100th Psalm Op. 106 . Max Reger Institute. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Max Reger / 1873–1916 / The 100th Psalm . Music publisher Dr. J. Butz, Bonn 2004.
  4. ^ Max Reger in Leipzig . leipzig-lese.de. 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  5. ^ Festival concert on the 100th anniversary of Max Reger's death . reger-in-leipzig.de. 2016. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 4, 2016.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.reger-in-leipzig.de
  6. ↑ Leipzig University Choir commemorates Max Reger with a gala concert . Leipzig. May 4, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  7. ↑ a b Fred Kirshnit: Max Reger, Psalm 100, Op. 106 ( English ) American Symphony Orchestra. 2006. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  8. ↑ Stephen Luttmann: Paul Hindemith: A Research and Information Guide ( English ) In: Routledge Music Bibliographies . Routledge. 2013.
  9. ↑ "Shattering" / A Reger premiere in St. Bonifatius . In: Wiesbadener Kurier , September 8, 2003. Retrieved August 10, 2016.