How lovely is thy dwelling place
On March 31, 2020, I sent out the first of a series of Pandemic Repertoire Projects. These were designed to help our musical community get through the pandemic, each one providing a beautiful piece of music to listen to and (if desired) to study and sing. Each project would include a commentary, a score, a text-translation sheet where applicable, and a recording (or a link to same). The first series--each Wednesday--focused upon chorales. Our first chorale was 'Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier', in Bach's touching setting from the sixth cantata of his 'Christmas Oratorio'.
In the last week of May, 2020, I expanded the project to include Madrigal Mondays (these eventually encompassed secular music in general), and Motet Fridays (eventually including all kinds of non-chorale-based sacred music).
At the end of 2021, by which time we were deeply engaged in rehearsals and performances for our 2021-22 season, it seemed to me that we were more or less 'back' (though surely with various pandemic-related conditions and surprises lying ahead); so I decided to reduce the Repertoire Projects to one-per-week, more or less alternating between the various categories.
Leading into this summer, I looked at the projects as a whole as well as at the need for them out in our community. It seemed to me that the time was right to start winding down, just as we're gearing up for our 2022-2023 season, Bach's World. So I chose a convenient, approaching round number, and have been aiming for that ever since.
Herewith I am happy to offer the final episode in the series, Pandemic Repertoire Project 300: 'How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling-Place'. I want to emphasize that this is by no means a commitment to never again bend your ears with music which I think is beautiful and powerful and potentially even life-changing! But in future these ear-bendings will surely be more intermittent, probably prompted by some exciting discovery which I just can't resist sharing.
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Most of you no doubt associate the title of this project (mentioned above) with the fourth movement of Brahms' 'Ein deutsches Requiem'. That setting of the opening verses of Psalm 84--'Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen'--is deservedly iconic, for it somehow expresses in musical terms a most vivid and touching image of heaven--lyrical, welcoming, celebratory, eternal. It's hard to imagine a more perfect musical evocation of all these features. (The score is attached to this message; here is a very fine live recording.)
And yet quite a few composers--both before and after Brahms--have attempted the feat, and today I'd like to acquaint you with several of these alternate takes on the beautiful and reassuring text. In more or less chronological order, here are five settings in three languages of the opening verses of Psalm 84. Scores are attached (except for the Nørgård), and recordings are accessible via links:
A beautiful motet for five voices by Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623): Oh, how amiable are thy dwellings;
A magnificent setting for eight voices and continuo of the entire Psalm 84 by Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), for eight voices and basso continuo;
A stunning motet for two sopranos with continuo in Latin by Henri Dumont (1610-1684), a composer hitherto unknown to me;
A five-voice setting by Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611-1675), which the Sonoma Bach Choir performed in the spring of 2019;
And finally, an unexpected find: An exquisite a cappella setting for three voices by Per Nørgård (b1932): Quam dilecta tabernacula tua.
What an array of takes, throughout the centuries, on these most evocative verses! These pieces, each in its own way, demonstrate vividly the power of words to generate great music, and the power of music to convey the message of words directly into our hearts.
On March 31, 2020, I sent out the first of a series of Pandemic Repertoire Projects. These were designed to help our musical community get through the pandemic, each one providing a beautiful piece of music to listen to and (if desired) to study and sing. Each project would include a commentary, a score, a text-translation sheet where applicable, and a recording (or a link to same). The first series--each Wednesday--focused upon chorales. Our first chorale was 'Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier', in Bach's touching setting from the sixth cantata of his 'Christmas Oratorio'.
In the last week of May, 2020, I expanded the project to include Madrigal Mondays (these eventually encompassed secular music in general), and Motet Fridays (eventually including all kinds of non-chorale-based sacred music).
At the end of 2021, by which time we were deeply engaged in rehearsals and performances for our 2021-22 season, it seemed to me that we were more or less 'back' (though surely with various pandemic-related conditions and surprises lying ahead); so I decided to reduce the Repertoire Projects to one-per-week, more or less alternating between the various categories.
Leading into this summer, I looked at the projects as a whole as well as at the need for them out in our community. It seemed to me that the time was right to start winding down, just as we're gearing up for our 2022-2023 season, Bach's World. So I chose a convenient, approaching round number, and have been aiming for that ever since.
Herewith I am happy to offer the final episode in the series, Pandemic Repertoire Project 300: 'How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling-Place'. I want to emphasize that this is by no means a commitment to never again bend your ears with music which I think is beautiful and powerful and potentially even life-changing! But in future these ear-bendings will surely be more intermittent, probably prompted by some exciting discovery which I just can't resist sharing.
-----
Most of you no doubt associate the title of this project (mentioned above) with the fourth movement of Brahms' 'Ein deutsches Requiem'. That setting of the opening verses of Psalm 84--'Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen'--is deservedly iconic, for it somehow expresses in musical terms a most vivid and touching image of heaven--lyrical, welcoming, celebratory, eternal. It's hard to imagine a more perfect musical evocation of all these features. (The score is attached to this message; here is a very fine live recording.)
And yet quite a few composers--both before and after Brahms--have attempted the feat, and today I'd like to acquaint you with several of these alternate takes on the beautiful and reassuring text. In more or less chronological order, here are five settings in three languages of the opening verses of Psalm 84. Scores are attached (except for the Nørgård), and recordings are accessible via links:
A beautiful motet for five voices by Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623): Oh, how amiable are thy dwellings;
A magnificent setting for eight voices and continuo of the entire Psalm 84 by Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), for eight voices and basso continuo;
A stunning motet for two sopranos with continuo in Latin by Henri Dumont (1610-1684), a composer hitherto unknown to me;
A five-voice setting by Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611-1675), which the Sonoma Bach Choir performed in the spring of 2019;
And finally, an unexpected find: An exquisite a cappella setting for three voices by Per Nørgård (b1932): Quam dilecta tabernacula tua.
What an array of takes, throughout the centuries, on these most evocative verses! These pieces, each in its own way, demonstrate vividly the power of words to generate great music, and the power of music to convey the message of words directly into our hearts.