Psalms for Corpus Christi Patricia Ruggles, mezzo Robert Long, keyboard Dedicated to Sister Margaret PSALMS FOR CORPUS CHRISTI Livestreamed from Corpus Christi ò May 23, 2021 PSALM Canticle of Praise (Venite Exultemus) 95, 96 William Boyce Nisi Dominus (RV 608) 127 Antonio Vivaldi Biblical Songs (op. 99) Antonin Dvorâk God is my shepherd 23 Sing ye a joyful song 96, 98 Many and Great, O God 104 Native American melody Simple Song from Mass 121 Leonard Bernstein On the Willows from Godspell 137 Stephen Schwartz Lisbon Psalms, Set II Charles Ore Turn Thee unto me 25 The Wellesley Hills Psalm Book Daniel Pinkham O Lord, rebuke me not 6 Sing ye unto the Lord our God 149 Four Psalms (op. 5) Howard Hanson O clap your hands, all ye people 47 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty 103 Lobe den Herren Be With Me, Lord 91 Marty Haugen From All that Dwell Below the Skies 117 Lasst uns Erfreuen THE PSALMS The Psalms are beautiful poetic songs of prayer. The Book of Psalms is the third section of the Hebrew Bible and a book of the Christian Old Testament. It is an anthology of individual psalms in the Bible with 150 poems divided into five sections, written by many different poets spanning at least five centuries. According to Jewish tradition, the Book of Psalms was composed by ten elders, along with David, King of Israel, who was one of its principal contributors. They are poems that are meant to be sung. The word “psalm” is derived from the Greek and translates to “instrumental music” and by extension, “the words accompanying the music.” Some psalms call on the worshipper to sing, and some denote the musical instruments on which the psalm should be played. Evidence of Cantillation signs, which were used to record the melody chanted to the readings, can be found in the manuscripts of the oldest extant copies of psalms in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Individual psalms were original hymns to be used on various occasions and at various sacred sites. In later Christian tradition, the Psalms have come to be used as prayers, as traditional expressions of religious feelings. The Psalms convey important themes of the Hebrew Scripture, including the necessity of praising God through prayer and that the beginning of wisdom is to trust in God and fear the Lord. They envision a world in which everyone will praise God, and God in turn will hear their prayers and respond. Ranging in mood and expression of faith from joyous celebration to solemn hymn and bitter protest, the Psalms are generally of three major types: laments, hymns of praise, and songs of thanksgiving. These include addresses to God, descriptions of sufferings, petitions for divine assistance, admission of guilt, wisdom, literature, and royal psalms featuring the king. The leading genre is the hymn. It is a poem of praise celebrating the majesty and greatness of God. In today’s concert there are several examples of this type: Psalm 149, Sing ye unto the Lord our God; Psalm 104, Many and Great; and the final hymn, Psalm 117, From All that Dwell Below the Skies. Several psalms extol God’s royal role in the universe: Psalm 47, O clap your hands; Psalm 96, Canticle of Praise; Psalm 98, Sing ye a joyful song. About one third of the Psalter is given over to laments: Psalm 6, O Lord, rebuke me not; and Psalm 25, Turn Thee unto me are also included in our concert today. A distinctive feature of many of the laments is the expression by the worshipper of the absolute certainty that their prayers will be heard. The Psalms had a profound effect on the development of Christian worship. Obeying Paul’s call to “sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” the early Church sang psalms as part of the liturgy. The Psalms have remained an important part of worship in most churches. They have always made systematic use of the Psalms, with a cycle for the recitation of most of them. The singing of psalms was the chief medium of devotion during the formative period of Christianity and has retained an important position in its liturgy ever since. The performance of the Psalms in the Christian liturgies shows many forms of responsorial and antiphonal divisions and various relationships and means of musical linkage with the hymns and prayers of the service. We have included Psalm 91, Be with Me, Lord, from our Ritual Songbook as an example of a Responsorial Psalm. From the early Middle Ages, the Book of Psalms has had a great influence on literature, art, and music. During the 13th-15th centuries many versions of the Psalter appeared in lands throughout Europe and translations of the Psalms were among the first books printed in some countries. In the Middle Ages, the Book of Psalms was the most popular section of the Hebrew Bible and was frequently illustrated in illuminated manuscripts such as Psalters, Bibles, and Books of Hours. Psalms have always appealed to composers not only as the “essence of sacred music” but also through their balance of the individual and communal expression of joys and sorrows. Psalm settings are found in the works of almost all major composers from the 16th century onward. New translations and settings of the Psalms continue to be produced and often serve as the inspiration for much of modern Christian worship music in a variety of styles. We hope that you enjoy our many and varied examples of psalms in our concert for Corpus Christi. Text from the Internet, The Encyclopedia Britannica, and “Reflections on the Psalms” by C.S. Lewis Boyce, William Venite Exultemus Canticle of Praise to God Psalm 95, 96 O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and show ourselves glad in him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are all the corners of the earth; and the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it; and his hands prepared the dry land. O come let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is the Lord our God; and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth stand in awe of him. For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; and with righteousness to judge the world, and the peoples with his truth. Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Vivaldi, Antonio Nisi Dominus (RV 608) 1. Nisi Dominus Psalm 127 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. Dvorák, Antonin Biblical Songs (op. 99) God is my shepherd, No. 4 Psalm 23 God is my shepherd, I want for nothing. My rest is in the pleasant meadows. He leadeth me where quiet waters flow. My fainting soul doth He restore and guideth me in the ways of peace, To glorify His name. And though in death’s dark valley my steps must wander, My spirit shall not fear, for Thou art by me still. Thy rod and staff are with me, and they shall comfort me. Sing ye a joyful song, No. 10 Psalm 96, 98 Sing ye a joyful song unto the Lord, Who hath done marvelous things. Praise the Lord all the earth! Sing praises, shout and be joyful. Let the sea roar and all that is therein, The round world and all that dwell there. Lift your voices, floods and tempests. Mountains, clap your hands for joy. Let the fields laugh and sing with waving corn, And let all the trees of the forest be joyful. Many and Great, O God Many and great, O God, are thy things, maker of earth and sky. Psalm 104 Thy hands have set the heavens with stars; Thy fingers spread the mountains and plains, Lo, at thy word the waters were formed, deep seas obey thy voice. Grant unto us communion with thee, thou star abiding one; Come unto us and dwell with us, With thee are found the gifts of life. Bless us with life that has no end, eternal life with thee. Text: Joseph R. Renville, ca. 1846; para. By Philip Frazier, 1929 Music: Native American melody; harm. By Richard Proulx, 1986 Bernstein, Leonard A Simple Song from Mass Sing God a simple song: Lauda, Laudē… Psalm 121 Make it up as you go along: Lauda, Laudē… Sing like you like to sing. God loves all simple things, For God is the simplest of all. I will sing the Lord a new song To praise Him, to bless Him, to bless the Lord. I will sing His praises while I live all of my days. Blessed is the man who loves the Lord, Blessed is the man who praises Him and walks in His ways. I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help. I will lift up my voice to the Lord, singing Lauda, Laudē. For the Lord is my shade, is the shade upon my right hand. And the sun shall not smite me by day nor the moon by night.