Wednesday, 3/8Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Psalm 130 is among the most poignant and frequently quoted penitential Psalms. Numerous composers of music have set this text, ranging from Des Prez and Palestrina of the Renaissance, to Mozart and Mendelssohn from the common era, to, in more modern times, Arvo Pärt and Leonard Bernstein. This coming Sunday, March 12, will see this text, albeit as translated in the1662 Prayer Book, as the Offertory anthem sung by our Girls Choir at 9:15! The music they will sing is by one of the most important composers of English church music, Charles Stanford (1852-1924), whose influence as a teacher of composition included the likes of Vaughan Williams, Holst, and Howells. Stanford’s setting of Psalm 130 beautifully captures the three parts of this text with three distinct sections in the music, each marked by a separating brief silence. First, the realization of the Psalmist’s own distraught state is depicted with a slow tempo (speed), multiple pauses at the outset, a range of many low notes for the choir, and frequent use of a musical sigh motive. Second, the struggle of forgiveness at “If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done…” is shown with a murky, dissonance-filled texture whose modulating key center continually raises the music to new heights of supplication. The musical breath of fresh air is unmistakable at the beginning of the third section at “I look for the Lord: my soul doth wait for him…” The music climaxes with “for with the Lord there is mercy” before its peace-filled ending. I hope you’ll be able to hear our Girls bring this text to life musically this Sunday at the 9:15 Holy Eucharist. Today's |