Part I

Psalm 108, verse 2

Psalm 100, entire

Part II

Psalm 23, entire

Psalm 2, verses 1-4

Part III

Psalm 131, entire

Psalm 133, verse 1

Psalm 22- The Lord is my shepherd

by Gelineau and Phelps

One of the more interesting ways of singing the psalms was developed by Joseph Gelineau of France. Of all the methods of singing the psalms, Gelineau's chant best              preserves the Hebrew poetic style - his psalm tones were designed to express the asymmetrical three-line/four-line design of the psalm texts - retaining both the parallelism and the metrical structure of the original. Ancient Hebrew meter is somewhat like early English meter (e.g., nursery rhymes) in that it focuses on the number of stresses within a line rather than on the number of syllables. Gelineau psalmody is often sung to the Grail translation, which was produced specifically for this purpose.

Gelineau psalms are usually sung responsively. The soloist or choir begins by singing the refrain; then the congregation repeats it. The psalm then proceeds responsively with a soloist or choir chanting the verses and the congregation responding with the refrain. An antiphon (refrain) is much easier to learn than the whole psalm. Rather than simply reading the psalm directly from the Bible or singing a paraphrased version of it metrically, the congregation can sing the actual words from Scripture.

Other ways of singing the psalms include the Anglican chant, which involves a choir (though not necessarily) singing in harmony to speech rhythms, and the Gregorian chant, which is the more ancient method of psalm-chanting, simple enough to be used by either cantor or congregation.

This version has been arranged by Christopher Phelps, Musical  Director and Conductor of the Hadleigh Choral Society.

Like as the Hart Desireth the Waterbrooks - Howells

While in Chetenham, Herbert Howells composed  during the first two weeks of 1941. Though he titled the resulting choral works simply Four Anthems, it is clear from his writings that he originally conceived of the set as anthems "in time of war." Though the set (which also includes O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, We Have Heard With Our Ears, and Let God Arise) has been welcomed as a whole into the canon of the Anglican anthem, it has been the third in the set, Like as the Hart Desireth the Waterbrooks, which has become the most enduring. It is a simple but at times mysteriously foreboding setting of the first three verses of Psalm 42.

After a placid introduction played by the organ, the bass voices enter with a remarkably lyrical melodic line. Though the piece is consistently tonal, the composer occasionally colors both harmony and melody with pointed chromaticism. The full chorus then enters, with great effect, on the plea "When shall I come to appear before the presence of God," slowly dying away from a loud peak to a quiet conclusion in E minor. The middle section of the piece follows, with the alto voices taking the solo for "My tears have been my meat"; again the full chorus dramatically joins in with a louder section. The tenors then take the melody, in counterpoint with the sopranos; gradually the basses and altos are added, and the section ebbs to a close. An organ interlude serves to swell the music into the final section, in which the original bass melody returns, this time against a soprano countermelody. The interplay of the lines is prolonged, accentuating the already-extended nature of the melodic lines. Again the chorus joins together for an impassioned peak, as several parts of the text are recapitulated; then as the organ drops out, the chorus is left to conclude with a protracted cadence, which, in E major, surprisingly gives a hopeful twist to the work. The final chord is sustained for a long time, after which the organ recapitulates the cadence, further prolonging the mood.

 

He, Watching Over Israel - Mendelssohn

He, Watching Over Israel is taken from Mendelssohn's Elijah – a work originally intended for German consumption but in the end performed initially in English after he was commissioned to write an oratorio for the Birmingham Festival.

Elijah was a political work. Mendelssohn drew parallels between the biblical story of a strong leader emerging to reunite a fractured Israel with his belief that Germany needed a similar strong leader to reunite the ethnic divisions in the country and stop persecuting the Jews.

The piece being performed tonight is a single chorus from Elijah called He, Watching Over Israel. This item has no political overtones and we can admire the beauty and grace of the angels’ comforting words while simultaneously reflecting the tragic sorrow of Elijah.

The piece is composed in three sections:  section one using the lyrics, “He, watching over Israel, slumbers not, nor sleeps”; section two stating “Shouldst thou, walking in grief, languish, He will quicken thee” : and section three where both sets of text overlap.  By the conclusion of the piece, Mendelssohn has allowed angels to appear before Elijah and reassure him of the Lord’s goodness in section one, remind him of his previous pain and fear in section two, and then again re-establish Elijah’s faith and understanding that the Lord is always watching and protecting His people in section three.

             The first complete section lasts for only eighteen measures, during which the Angel’s first phrase, “He watching over Israel, slumbers not, nor sleeps” is heard three times in several different fashions.  A soli by the soprano section opens and establishes the lyrics, melody line, and consistency of sound while symbolizing the voice of the first angel appearing to comfort Elijah.  Before the sopranos can quite finish holding their last note in their phrase, the tenor section enters with the same melody, maintaining the constant vocal sound.  Other sections of the choir begin to enter as scores of angels arrive to comfort Elijah. 

             Only one section of the choir is singing the melody at a given moment throughout the piece.  In section one, the three remaining voices are musically harmonizing in major chords, which because of their structure generally please the ear. By slowly adding different voice sections, the dynamics naturally increase to signify the arrival of more angels.  Once the entire choir has entered, it remains important for them to keep the sound sweet and reserved, reflecting the “slumbers” and “sleeps” portions of the lyrics. 

In complete contrast to section one’s tranquil feeling, section two is a reminder to Elijah of how turbulent his life was before the angels appeared bearing God’s message. A tenor section soli establishes these lyrics in a more unsettling, minor chord progression, and a louder, more disturbing volume creating an element of fear.  The second section comes to a climax on a very high and dissonant chord with the word “languish,” reflective of how fearful Elijah had been

Then, Mendelssohn begins to bring the dynamics to a quieter level, and reminds Elijah that the Lord will “quicken,” or protect him.

 The melodies and lyrics of the first two sections, intricately weave a web of sound throughout the start of section three, and as Elijah grows continually inspired by the comforting words, the text referring to “grief” and “languish” dies away, leaving only God and His eternal love.

In the concluding measures of the song, Mendelssohn finishes his composition but maintains the feeling of God’s constant gaze even after the song concludes.  The vocalists and piano alternate solos, the accompaniment stopping while the choir sings a capella, and then the choir stopping to allow the piano alone to conclude the song with the exact same measure with which it began. 

At the beginning of the song, the piano lightly begins the piece, gently introducing the notes to the audience in rhythmic but fluid triplets.  Now, at the conclusion, the exact same measure with which the song began concludes the composition, leaving the audience straining in their seats to hear the last note.  It feels as though the music is still playing even though it can’t be heard. 

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