Nisi Dominus is a setting of the
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
text of
Psalm 127 (Vulgate 126) by
George Friederic Handel. The name of the piece comes from the first two words (the ''
incipit
The incipit ( ) of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of Musical note, notes, having the same purpose. The word ''incipit'' comes from Latin an ...
'') of the psalm, and it is catalogued in the composer's complete works as
HWV 238. It was completed by 13 July 1707, and is one of a number of works he composed in Italy. It is most likely that'' Nisi Dominus'' was first performed on 16 July 1707 in the church of
Santa Maria in Montesanto, Rome, under the patronage of the
Colonna family
The House of Colonna is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It played a pivotal role in Middle Ages, medieval and Roman Renaissance, Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Pope Martin V, Martin V), 23 cardinals and many ot ...
.
In the concluding
doxology
A doxology (Ancient Greek: ''doxologia'', from , ''doxa'' 'glory' and -, -''logia'' 'saying') is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derives ...
, Handel writes for eight voices in a double chorus and (uniquely in his output) a double string orchestra.
A typical performance lasts almost 12 minutes.
Movements
The work has the following
movements
Movement may refer to:
Generic uses
* Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece
* Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing
* Motion, commonly referred to as movement
* Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...
:
See also
*
List of Latin church music by George Frideric Handel
External links
Psalm 127 at ChoralWiki
Compositions by George Frideric Handel
Psalm settings
1707 compositions
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