Psalm 19

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm, offertory or communion song.

Refrains:       Three versions of Psalm 19, each with a different refrain, are found in the Lectionary.  Settings for each of the 3 versions are available.

1) "The precepts of the Lord are joy to the heart."            

© 2009 Rachel J. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved.

                               

2) "Your words, Lord, are spirit and life."

© 2009, 2010 Rachel J. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved.

                                             

3) "Lord, you have the words of everlasting life."

© 2009, 2010 Rachel J. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved.

Verses:                            
The verses vary for each of the three versions.  

Arrangement:

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  SATB choir
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:                
Acoustic guitar, piano, bass with flute, violin, cello & synth      

Availability:

Sheet Music:                
Lead sheets for each of the 3 refrains.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:

Videos:       New Dawn Concert, May 20, 2011     [link to be added]
                  On YouTube
CD:            Praise for the New Dawn, Vol. 1   

Order from Wood Harbor Music
Digital download at CD Baby.
Listen on YouTube or at  Spotify!

Left to right:  Giancarlo Geltrin, lead vocals; Ellen Angelica, guitars; Petr
Specek, cello; Dave Buerger, bass; Levin Valayil, flute; Sue Buzzard, violin

Composer's Notes:

Verses 8 through 12 of Psalm 19 speak of God revealed through God’s laws.  God’s decrees are seen as perfect, enlightening, pure, enduring, and just.  The setting presents the text is a melody that is very measured in the pitches employed, requiring the cantor to present the text with reserved awe.

The introduction, employing the 2nd inversion of a d minor 9th chord leads to an equally simple refrain built on a narrow range of 6 scale tones and only two chords.  The arrangement includes the wonderful noodling of Petr Spacek, an incredibly talent cellist and New England Conservatory grad, plus two Berklee alums, Sue Buzzard, violin, and Levin Valayil, flute. 

Giancarlo Geltrin, also a Berklee grad, is the cantor.

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Psalm 34

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:         Responsorial psalm, communion song.


Refrain:                          
"Taste and see the goodness of the Lord."

Verses:                          

1) I will bless the Lord at all times
God's praise shall e'er be in my mouth.
Let my sould glory in the Lord;
the lowly will hear and be glad.

2) Glorify the Lord with me;
Let us together priase God's holy name.
I sought the Lord who answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.

3) Look to God that you may be radient with joy,
And you face not blush with shame.
When the aflicted called to God,
God heard and saved them from all distress.

Arrangement:

Vocal:                       
Refrain:  Unison congregation and choir with descant
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:             
Harpsichord (or piano) with 2 recorders & oboe     

Availability:

Sheet Music:             
Full score; full score (through-composed)  
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:

Video:       New Dawn Concert, May 20, 2011    Taste & See on YouTube 

CD:           Praise for the New Dawn, Vol. 1

• Order from Wood Harbor Music
• Digital download at CD Baby.
• Listen at YouTube or on Spotify!

             

Composer's Notes:

The inspiration for this setting of Psalm 34 is a song from a 16th century sacred Christmas carol titled Gaudetee.  This setting and the instrumentation are influenced by the renaissance style of Gaudete.  But then I inject this piece with modern pop reharmonizations in an unstable rhythm of ever-changing meter.  Witness the melody for Verse 1:

© 2006 R. J. F. Burckardt

Yet, despite the unsettled rhythm, the melody aligns well with the text and is surprisingly easier to sing than it looks!  (Well, at least for me and John Paul Casiello, who was undaunted and nailed it when we first used it for the responsorial psalm at St. Cecilia’s.)

John Paul Casiello singing Psalm 34 
at St. Cecilia Church, in the New Dawn
Concert, May 20, 2011.  Rachel 
J. Burckardt on keys (harpsichord).

In this recorded version, I chose further temporal bashing by using the midi files from the score to drive the renaissance instruments (harpsichord, recorders, oboe).  But, the tambourine is real!

But, if you’re saying “Ah, you used midi because no one can play that,” I must say “Not true.”  We have used it as the responsorial psalm at St. Cecilia’s, with our music director, Richard Clark playing the accompaniment on piano. That was the debut. A few years later, I played the harpsichord part live on a synth for the pre-release concert. [video to be added]  It is easier than it looks!

Why does the shifting meter seem normal to me.  I can’t dance! (And I’m proud of it!)  Shifting meter is simply normal to me.

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