There are many examples of composers over the centuries who through composed harmonized Psalm settings using but one or two verses of the Psalm in a more expanded, melismatic and polyphonic work for service use. My focus has been to find or compose Psalm settings that cover the entire Psalm. The Psalm settings of Peter R. Hallock (1924-2014) are actually what brought me to the Compline table. After hearing the Compline Choir in Seattle chant his setting of Psalm 104, I was forever hooked on how accurate and how closely the music portrayed and followed the text. Over his long life he cranked out about 55 settings of the Psalms, all of them through composed and all of them for his all male, Compline Choir. A few were single line chant, but most had at least some harmonic passages and virtually no polyphony. As an Anglican/Episcopal organist, choir director, and composer he was not so fond of harmonized Anglican Chant. So, he went his own way developing a four part (AATB) harmonized chant style which served him, and us well. His harmonic underpinnings usually covered two verses of a Psalm, one time through, but there were many forays away from single line and chords with up to 5 or 6 notes. He did this on a treble/bass system, great staff, which was easy without polyphony. Plainly, the guy was a genius. I was lucky enough to engrave many of his Psalm settings for publication, but you won't see any of the publishable tunes below.
Now, what about this genesis (small g)? I was browsing one of the free old music sites while trying to assemble a folio of music by Jacob Handl/Gallus for Compline and came upon his setting of the complete Psalm 51, a fine old standby for the beginning of Lent. So, I transcribed it into the same two-line system that has worked so well for our groups. Not being conversant in Latin (to my ever lasting chagrin; and two years of Spanish doesn't cut it either) I found the BCP English translation and followed along connecting the text translation to Handl's music surrounding it. It goes on and on, but a very nice tune; and very through composed. The music and rhythm follow the text very well. This is the earliest harmonized, through composed, whole Psalm setting I have found to date. Now, if any of you early sacred music wizards out there have earlier examples, I'm all ears.
Earlier in my life I was a Moravian (Unitas Fratrum) and conducted the Moravian Church choir for some decades. I collected many Czech Moravian Hymnals and began to see a pattern with the close rhythmic relationship with the tune and the text, with the text always dictating the rhythm of the hymn, some even getting to syncopated dance form style. So I can see where Handl/Gallus, being from that area was effected by the then current rhythm of the text, hymn style. For him, it was a short hop to a through composed Psalm setting, which you will see below. Below is a little comparo between Handl and Hallock, both in the throes of tackling Psalm 51, complete. The Hallock is an arrangement I made for Voces angelorum, who will sing it during Compline this Sunday, but originally for AATB men. Yes, we have 5 'tenors' in Voces angelorum, so I write for them.
jefe