The genesis of harmonized, through composed, whole Psalm settings.
  • jefe
    Posts: 200
    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
    Psalm 51 setting by Gallus SATB - Full Score.pdf
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    10Psalm 51 PRH arr. JR for SSAA - Full Score.pdf
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  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    The only example of complete choral psalm settings that come quickly to mind are those of Schutz' Psalmen Davids, of which psalm CL, couched in poly-choral splendour, would be an exmplar. I think that all of these are of the complete psalm. There are, I'm sure, more. For instance, Handel's Chandos anthems, and Purcell's 'They that go down to the sea in ships', and other such works, some of which are and some of which are not the complete psalm, though.

    Of course, examples of anthems a cappella or with organ, both verse and full, which quote entire psalms are without number. Two that come immediately to mind are Weelkes' Psalm XXIII (a verse anthem), and the gorgeously festive 'Behold now, praise the Lord' (Psalm CXXXIV: Ecce nunc), by Everett Titcomb. Many here may have Titcomb's concise-but-glorious anthem in their choirs' repertories. Those who don't may want to 'look into it'. A list of such psalm-anthems would be limitless.

    I think, though, that your question is primarily about choir-orchestra works?
    It would be very interesting to know the very earliest example.

    An interesting query!
  • Chaswjd
    Posts: 269
    For through composed psalm settings(outside chant) I would probably guess that among the earliest would be the vesper or penetential psalms by Lassus. I would guess that the Gabrielis would be the earliest with separate instrumental parts. Those are just quick guesses but probably wrong.
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  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Good guesses.
    I can't imagine any pre-late renaissance or early baroque examples.
    Thanked by 1jefe
  • jefe
    Posts: 200
    Osborn,
    Good resources here. We do sing everything a cappella. No instruments save some occasional hand bells. The other thing is that Ps. 134 has only two verses, so it's fairly easy to throw something together and use both verses. I have at least 16 versions of Ps. 134 as it is kind of like a vocal fanfare that we use as an Orison during Festal times. What about something with 20 verses, like Ps. 51? Or the monumental, Ps. 119 with it's endless 176 verses? It's an entire collection of Psalms by itself. In most examples I've run across, composers 'cherry pick' Psalms that they like, and use only a few selected verses to display their wares. It's these, 'smart, whiz-bang' Psalm settings I'm trying to avoid. I guess you could call the six verse, polyphonic, anthem-like Josquin Psalm 93 below an early example. It still misses the through composed, non polyphonic, chanted, harmonized setting mark of both Handl and Hallock.
    Psalm 93 Desprez ATBarB orig. key - Full Score.pdf
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  • Chaswjd
    Posts: 269
    There are some Psalms by Victoria in alternatum. There are also some faux bourdon which could be adapted.
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  • monscarmelimonscarmeli
    Posts: 31
    Don't know if anyone is still following this post, but as far as through-composed settings of entire Psalms are concerned, the mighty Josquin did several, notably the Miserere - of course they're not simple and they go on for 10 minutes or more, but it's Josquin, and therefore, beautiful...!
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  • monscarmelimonscarmeli
    Posts: 31
    To quote Wikipedia: "...In writing polyphonic settings of psalms, Josquin was a pioneer, and psalm settings form a large proportion of the motets of his later years. Few composers prior to Josquin had written polyphonic psalm settings. Some of Josquin's settings include the famous Miserere, written in Ferrara in 1503 or 1504 and most likely inspired by the recent execution of the reformist monk Girolamo Savonarola; Memor esto verbi tui, based on Psalm 119, and two settings of De profundis (Psalm 130), both of which are often considered to be among his most significant accomplishments..."

    https://www.amazon.com/Josquin-Desprez-Profundis-Settings-Motets/dp/B008U0FHC8
    Thanked by 3jefe CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn
  • jefe
    Posts: 200
    Tom,
    I appreciate your contribution to my quest for homophonic/chanted whole Psalm settings. I have the Josquin 5-part Miserere edited by Damrosch around 1900, and it is fine counterpoint. That's the clue: it's contrapuntal much of the way. It's a fine line between harmonized, homophonic/chant settings of the Psalms, of which I'm looking for the genesis, and the polyphonic versions so used and abused by composers of the era. I feel that many composers used the Psalms as a platform for motet or anthem-like set pieces, with lots of textual repetition, not as a worship tool to underscore and support the textual flow of the story. Yes, I am a Josquin fan. Below find his contrapuntal setting of Ps. 130 I edited for our men's Compline Choir. Notice it's in B, not a key found much in Musica Sacra, but sounds better than C for our men. Why? I'm not sure. It's just a finding. It may be the Nave has it's own better and worse pitch center. I pulled out my Damrosch copy of Miserere mei Deus and found out why I have not done an edition of same. It's the ranginess. Unlike most of Josquin's tunes written principally for men, with it's rather compact total range, this one has a real soprano part and at the bottom a real bass part. Ne'er the twain shall meet; at least not easily without an SATB choir. Our SATB combined Compline only meets once a year: on or near August 15 for the Assumption or the Adoration of Saint Mary the Virgin. Miserere is not appropriate for that date; We usually sing an Ave Maria by one of the big composers, like Morten Lauridsen's haunting Ave Dulcissima Maria that I reset up minor 3rd to take better advantage of our counter tenors; or Franz Beibl's legendary, 7-part, double choir setting, of which I have now in 4 versions: orig. in C for men; up a min. 3rd in Eb; a published version for mixed SATB; and my own version por tout femmes. edit: the Ps. 130 would not attach.
    regards, as always, jefe
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn
  • monscarmelimonscarmeli
    Posts: 31
    Excellent, thank you for the engaging reply, you certainly didn't need any instruction from me! And my apologies, I completely missed the point of looking for more homophonic settings...

    And God bless you for what you're doing for sacred music!
  • jefe
    Posts: 200
    I'm always running into interesting Harmonized Anglican Chant Psalm Chords. Whilst writing to Tom i came across a set penned by Christopher Maxim. The text for Ps. 115 was particularly tightly connected to the floating music he produced. With a range set for SATB, I put it down a whole step for my men and did some minor editing adding a fore and aft antiphon.
    Psalm 115 Maxim for men - Full Score.pdf
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  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Many thanks for the above, jefe.
    There is no dirth of fascinating modern Anglican chants to compliment our endless trove of old ones. Some may be found in John Scott's The Anglican Psalter.
    Thanked by 1jefe
  • jefe
    Posts: 200
    Osborn,
    I'll look for the Scott. Is it in BCP 1928 or BCP 1979? This is important for me. I use Alec Wyton's Anglican Chant Psalter, Litton's Plainsong Psalter, and George Guest's The Psalms of David for pointing and harmonic ideas. It always amazes me how disparate these authors are about the same Psalm.
    Voces angelorum chanted Compline tonight on the last of our Lenten Complines and did a fine job. The highlight piece was Tomas Luis de Victoria's "O vos omnes", the one less heard. Here's the score: yes, the tenors have a good sounding low D.
    O vos omnes II SSAA Victoria - Full Score.pdf
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  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    jefe,
    As are most (all?) chant psalters, the Scott is Coverdale. You will find that the pointing of many of the psalms in the Scott is quite bold - far more interesting than the pablum pointing in The Hymnal 1940 or many other sources. It is chock full of both historic and very modern chants.

    The Anglican Psalter, by John Scott - pub. in 2009 by The Canterbury Press, Norwich (an imprint of Hymns Ancient and Modern) - began life in 1997 as The New St Paul's Cathedral Psalter. It may be had from Lois Fyfe Music in Nashville, for one.
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