Psalm setting

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The psalms of the Bible have been set to music many times and by numerous composers. Most of the psalms can be found in the Book of Psalms , but there are corresponding texts in other parts of the Tanakh and the New Testament . Often, individual verses also serve the composer as the basis for an entire work.

Psalm settings arranged according to musical epochs

Psalms in Gregorian chant

Psalms in Renaissance Music

Psalms in Baroque Music

Psalms in the music of romanticism

  • Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904): Biblical songs op. 99 for voice and piano (1894), Biblical songs op. 99 for voice and orchestra (1895)
  • Among the few German-language texts that Louis Lewandowski (the "Mendelssohn of the Synagogue") set to music, the 18 liturgical psalms (23, 25, 36, 37, 39, 42 and 43, 46, 51, 62, 65, 67, 84 , 85, 90, 100, 103, 121, 134) are of outstanding importance. Dedicated to His Majesty the King of Bavaria Ludwig II in deep reverence, they emphasize the connection between Christianity and Judaism, which corresponds to the ideas of the composer who tried to combine synagogue music with general musical culture. With the German-language text, they are not directly linked to the traditional use of psalms in the synagogue.
  • Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy set a large number of psalms to music, some of them several times, for details see the list of works by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
  • Otto Nicolai set six psalms for double choir a cappella (Ps. 13, 31, 84, 97, 100) and Psalmus 54 for ten-part double choir a cappella .

Psalms in 20th Century Music

  • In 1910 Alexander Zemlinsky set Psalms 13, 23 and 83 to music for mixed choir and orchestra.
  • In 1923 Zoltán Kodály set the 55th Psalm to music in his work Psalmus Hungaricus for tenor, mixed choir, boys' choir and orchestra
  • Psalm symphony by Igor Stravinsky (Pss. 38, 39 and 150), composed 1930, rev. 1948
  • The great evening and morning praise, op.37 by Sergei Wassiljewitsch Rachmaninow contains passages with Psalms 103 and the six Psalms or Hexapsalm , Russian Shesopsalmiyeg , these are Psalms 3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142 that appear in this Order to be considered as a unit
  • Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein , three-part suite, comp. 1965
  • Latin psalm compositions by Jules Van Nuffel , including In convertendo Dominus (1926)
  • Psalm verses repeatedly flow into the polyphonic chants of the Taizé community . Some (older) of these psalm chants from Taizé ( Laudate omnes gentes , Ubi caritas ) were taken over in hymn and prayer books of the Catholic Church and Protestant churches
  • Steve Reich used texts from Psalms 19, 34, 18 and 150 for his composition Tehillim (= "Psalms") from 1981
  • In 1997 David Chesky published the Three Psalms for String Orchestra ( I - Death , II - Reflection , III - Resurrection ) and Psalms 4, 5 & 6 - Remembrance For The Victims Of The Modern Holocausts ( IV - Sorrow , V - Aftermath , VI - Rage and Despair )

Psalms in popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries

  • The text of the Evergreens By the Rivers of Babylon by Boney M. consists of the first four verses of Psalm 137, which deals with the Babylonian exile of the Jews
  • The pop song By the Waters of Babylon from Don McLean's album American Pie is also based on the text of Psalm 137. This song is an adaptation of a canon by Philip Hayes (1738–1797)
  • The Irish band U2 processed in their hit 40 from 1983 Psalm 40
  • The industrial metal group Ministry released a song called Psalm 69 in 1992
  • The Hamburg crossover band 4Lyn released a track called Shadow Valley on their 5th album Hello (2008) , the refrain of which begins with the words “As I walk through the valley of the shadows of death”
  • E Nomine set Psalm 23 to music
  • In 2000 Christoph Zehendner published the CD Relationships - Windows into the World of Psalms , on which he translated some psalms into the language and music of our time

Psalm settings arranged according to individual psalms

Counting method

The psalms are numbered differently in the Masoretic text and in the Septuagint or Vulgate, and the translations also differ accordingly. Evangelical translations follow the Masoretic text, older Catholic ones follow the Septuagint or Vulgate. For example, both numbers are sometimes found in positions, with the Septuagint count being placed in brackets.

Table of psalm counts
Masoretic text Septuagint annotation
Ps 1-8 Ps 1-8 Count the same
Ps 9-10 Ps 9 LXX counts Pss. 9 and 10 as a psalm
Ps 11-113 Ps 10-112 Hebrew count precedes 1
Ps 114-115 Ps 113 LXX counts 114 and 115 as one psalm
Ps 116 Ps 114-115 Greek counted as two psalms. Ps 115 begins with verse 10
Ps 117-146 Ps 116-145 Hebrew count precedes 1
Ps 147 Ps 146-147 Greek counted as two psalms. Ps 147 begins with verse 12
Ps 148-150 Ps 148-150 Count the same

Settings of Psalm 1

Settings of Psalm 2

Settings of Psalm 19

Settings of Psalm 22

Settings of Psalm 23

Settings of Psalm 24

Settings of Psalm 25

Settings of Psalm 32

  • Orlando di Lasso from "The Seven Psalms of Penance ", No. 2 Beati quorum remissae for choir (SSATTB)
  • Gregor Wagener , Motet Well-to-the-Whom Who Has Been Forgiven (1565) for choir (SATB)

Settings of Psalm 36

  • Louis Lewandowski from "18 liturgical psalms" for solos, choir and organ (1879), Eternal, your grace reaches to heaven (Ps 36, 6-11)

Settings of Psalm 37

  • Louis Lewandowski from "18 liturgical psalms" for solos, choir and organ (1879), Command the Eternal your way (Ps 37,5-6)

Settings of Psalm 39

  • Louis Lewandowski from "18 liturgical psalms" for solos, choir and organ (1879), Mache mich kund (Ps 39,5)

Settings of Psalm 42

Settings of Psalm 46

Settings of Psalm 47

  • Willi Vogl (* 1961) everyone, clap your hands! Composition 2009 for 3-part female or girl's choir and organ
  • Florent Schmitt (1870–1958) Psaume XLVII op. 38 for soprano solo, mixed choir, orchestra and organ

Settings of Psalm 51

Settings of Psalm 62

  • Jakob Gruchmann (* 1991) My rock and my help , motet for six-part choir
  • Louis Lewandowski from "18 liturgical psalms" for solos, choir and organ (1879), My soul is completely devoted to God (Ps 562,2.3.6-9)

Settings of Psalm 65

Settings of Psalm 66

Settings of Psalm 67

  • Louis Lewandowski from "18 liturgical psalms" for solos, choir and organ (1879), God be gracious to us and bless us

Settings of Psalm 80

Settings of Psalm 84

Settings of Psalm 85

Settings of Psalm 90

  • Johann Sebastian Bach : Movement 2b (tenor - arioso ) of the cantata God's time is the very best time (BWV 106) contains verse 12: "Oh, Lord, teach us to remember that we must die so that we can become wise"
  • Louis Lewandowski from "18 liturgical psalms" for solos, choir and organ (1879), Our days teach us then! (Ps 90: 12-17)
  • Willi Vogl (* 1961) So that we can be smart - cantata for soprano solo, three-part female choir and orchestra. Corresponding composition for the slogan of the same name for the Evangelical Church Congress in Stuttgart 2015

Settings of Psalm 91

Settings of Psalm 94

Settings of Psalm 98

Settings of Psalm 100

Settings of Psalm 103

  • Louis Lewandowski from "18 liturgical psalms" for solos, choir and organ (1879), prizes, my soul, the eternal
  • John Rutter Praise ye the Lord , Anthem for choir and organ / orchestra

Settings of Psalm 111

  • Pergolesi Confitebor tibi Domine , cantata for soloists, choir and orchestra

Settings of Psalm 113

Psalm 113 belongs to the classic series of Sunday Vesper psalms and thus one of the most frequently set biblical texts.

Settings of Psalm 121

Psalm 121 was often set to music. The most important settings are:

Setting of Psalm 122

Setting of Psalm 125

Setting of Psalm 126

Setting of Psalm 128

  • Paul Siefert (1586–1666) Blessed is he who is praised for two four-part choirs

Settings of Psalm 130 ( De profundis )

Settings of Psalm 134

Settings of Psalm 137

  • Ludwig Keller, we sat by the waters of Babel

Settings of Psalm 138

Settings of Psalm 139

  • Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): opening chorus of the cantata Explore me, God, and experience my heart (Psalm 139, verse 23)
  • Paul Blumenthal (1843–1930): Psalm 139 (verses 23 and 24)
  • Johann Nepomuk David (1895–1977): Psalm 139 (Lord, you research me) for mixed choir
  • Franz Koglmann (* 1947): 139th Psalm for mezzo-soprano, trumpet, trombone and tuba
  • Hartmut Naumann Music, text Ute Passarge, Until the End of Time, based on Psalm 139 in “My life is in your hands”, Strube Verlag
  • Ernst Pepping (1901–1981): The 139th Psalm (Lord, you research me) for alto solo, 4-part mixed choir and orchestra
  • Joseph Scrivener (?): Psalm 139 for medium voice and piano (?)
  • Rudi Spring (* 1962): Psalm 139 (op.68c; 1997) for alto, mixed unison choir and organ. Text: German by Martin Buber
  • David Evan Thomas (* 1958): The Wings of the Morning (O Lord, you searched me) ; 2003 for medium voice and piano. Text: English in the King James Bible

Settings of Psalm 145

  • Heinrich Schütz : The 10th song of the twelve spiritual chants (SWV 420-431) contains verses 15-16: "All eyes are waiting for you, gentlemen."

Settings of Psalm 150

Other classifications

Psalms in Ottoman music

  • Translation of the first 14 psalms from the Geneva Psalter into Turkish by Wojciech Bobobwski alias Ali Ufki

Psalms in Praise of God and in the Evangelical Hymnbook

  • Numerous psalm chants can also be found in the Catholic praise of God and in the Evangelical hymnal
  • The Freiburg Cantor Book contains the answer psalms for all Sundays and festive days of the three reading years in the Catholic word service for solo cantor singing (cantor's verse), community (sweeping verse) and organ. The music in baroque to late romantic tonal language draws on the wealth of English liturgical music, in particular the recitation models used there. The basis of the text is the Münsterschwarzacher Psalter created and tested by Benedictines as a well-singable psalm transmission in German-speaking countries

Vespers

Numerous musical Vespers were composed in the Catholic area from the Renaissance to the 18th century , including the Marian Vespers by Claudio Monteverdi . As with Monteverdi's Marian Vespers, these musical Vespers contain many psalm settings.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ TWV 7 names the Psalms with the numbers 6, 8, 23, 34, 69, 71, 72, 92, 93, 96, 100, 104, 111, 113, 115, 117, 118, 121, 125, 145, 147 and 149
  2. ↑ EC No. 1
  3. ↑ First published on the album Jesus commands us to go

literature

  • Helen Geyer and Birgit Johanna Wertenson (eds.): Psalms. Church music between tradition, drama and experiment . Cologne, Weimar, Vienna: Böhlau 2014. (Series of publications by the Liszt School of Music. 9.) ISBN 978-3-412-21620-7

Web links

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