Bruckner
Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germa ...
's Psalm 22,
WAB 34, is a
setting of a German version of
Psalm 23
Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The Lord is my shepherd". In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a boo ...
, which was psalm 22 in the
Vulgata.
History
Amongst the five psalm settings composed by Bruckner, Psalm 22 is the only one with piano accompaniment. The work was composed in ''circa'' 1852 in
St. Florian, but it is unknown when it was performed at that time.
The manuscript is stored in the archive of the St. Florian monastery. The first known performance occurred on 11 October 1921 in St. Florian by Franz Xaver Müller.
[C. van Zwol, p. 696] It was first published in Band II/2, pp. 119–130 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It was edited by Paul Hawkshaw in 1997 in Band XX/2 of the '.
[U. Harten, p. 343]
Text
(The Lord is shepherd and caregiver)
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Setting
The 131-
bar work in
E-flat major
E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically ...
is scored for
choir and soloists, and piano.
The setting of the first part is in general
homophone
A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...
, with a few
imitations on "''So will ich nichts Übles fürchten''", "''Du has bereitet einen Tisch''", "''wie herrlich ist er!''" and "''Und deine Barmherzigkeit''".
As in Bruckner's contemporaneous
Magnificat
The Magnificat (Latin for " y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical servic ...
the verses are sung as an
Arioso
In classical music, arioso (also aria parlante ) is a category of solo vocal piece, usually occurring in an opera or oratorio, falling somewhere between recitative and aria in style. Literally, arioso means ''airy''. The term arose in the 16th ...
alternatingly by the choir and the soloists. From bar 43 onwards, the last verse is sung by the choir as a
fugue, which evolves, on bar 115, in an ending ''
a cappella''
Chorale
Chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale:
* Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one of the th ...
.
[J. Williamson, p. 47]
Discography
There are two recordings of this work:
* Franz Farnberger, ''Anton Bruckner in St. Florian – Requiem & Motetten'',
St. Florianer Sängerknaben, Studio SM D2639 SM 44, 1997.
This performance, which was recorded in the St. Florian Abbey, provides the listener with a whiff of authenticity.
* Thomas Kerbl, ''Anton Bruckner – Chöre & Klaviermusik'', Chorvereinigung Bruckner 09 and Kammerchor der
Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz, CD Bruckner Haus LIVA 034, 2009
References
Sources
*
August Göllerich
August Göllerich (2 July 185916 March 1923) was an Austrian pianist, conductor, music educator and music writer. He studied the piano with Franz Liszt, who made him also his secretary and companion on concert tours. Göllerich is known for study ...
, ''Anton Bruckner. Ein Lebens- und Schaffens-Bild'', – posthumous edited by Max Auer by G. Bosse, Regensburg, 1932
* Cornelis van Zwol, ''Anton Bruckner - Leven en Werken'', Thot, Bussum (Netherlands), 2012.
* John Williamson, ''
The Cambridge Companion to Bruckner'', Cambridge University Press, 2004.
*
Uwe Harten
Uwe Harten (born 16 August 1944) is a German musicologist, who works in Austria.
Life
Born in , Harten grew up in Hamburg, where he was a boy soprano at the Staatsoper. He took over the roles of a child. In Hamburg he also began his studies of ...
, ''Anton Bruckner. Ein Handbuch''. , Salzburg, 1996. .
* ''Anton Bruckner – Sämtliche Werke, Band XX/2: Psalm 22 (1852)'', Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag der Internationalen Bruckner-Gesellschaft, Paul Hawkshaw (Editor), Vienna, 1997
External links
*
''Psalm 22 (23)'' Es-Dur, WAB 34Critical discography by Hans Roelofs
*
{{Authority control
Psalms by Anton Bruckner
Choral compositions
Compositions in E-flat major