Psalm 113

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm; themes of God’s care for the poor.

Refrain:
“Praise, oh praise the Lord, who lifts up the poor.”        

                           

Verses:                       
1) Praise, you servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed by the name of the Lord both now and forever.

2) High above the nations is the Lord;
Above the heavens is God's glory.
Who is like the Lord, enthroned on high,
Who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?

3) God raises up the lowly from the dust; from the ash-heap
God lifts up the poor to seat them with princes, with princes of his people.

Arrangement:

Vocal:                         
Refrain:  SATB choir
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:           
Piano, guitar, bass with recorders (or flutes or other reeds)   

Availability:

Sheet Music:           
Lead sheets.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:

Video:       New Dawn Concert, May 20, 2011     [link to be added]

CD:            Praise for the New Dawn, Vol. 1   
Order from Wood Harbor Music.
Digital download available at CD Baby.
Listen on YouTube or at Spotify!

Composer's Notes:

This is a favorite psalm, describing God’s concern for the poor and marginalized.  In the 3^rd verse the psalmist wrote of God who lifts up the poor from the dust and ashes to seat them with the princes of his people. 

The text is timeless as even in today’s world, the text could be updated to tell of God who raises up the poor from the slums of the 3^rd world, from the poverty of Appalachia, from the depressed urban neighborhoods, and seating them at a banquet table with the fabulously rich.  Time passes, but the word of God is eternal!

The arrangement is inspired by setting of Psalm 103 (Praise the Lord, O My Soul!) composed many years ago by a friend and Berklee grad, George Guenther.

  

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Psalm 98

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm; psalm for the Christmas season; themes of salvation.

Refrain and Verses:
Four versions of Psalm 98 are available as found in the Lectionary.

Versions 1 and 2 share same verses:

Refrains:
Refrain 1) “Sing to the Lord a new song for God has done marvelous deeds.”  (repeat)

Refrain 2) “All the ends of the earth have seen the saving pow’r of God.”  (repeat)

Verses:
1) Sing to the Lord a new song, for God has done such wond'rous deeds!
His right hand as won the vic'try for him, his holy arm.

2) The Lord has made his salvation known
To the nations revealed his justice.
God has remembered his kindness and faithfulness to Israel.

3) All the ends of the earth have seen salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands;
Break into song; sing praise!

4) Sing Praise to the Lord with the harp and song;
With trumpet and horn give praise.
Sing joyfully to the king, the Lord; break forth in praise.

Version 3:
Refrain:
“The Lord has come to rule the earth with justice.”  (repeat)

Verses:
1) Sing Praise to the Lord with the harp and song;
With trumpet and horn give praise.
Sing joyfully to the king, the Lord; break forth in praise.

2) Let the sea and what fills it resound,
The world and those who dwell in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
The mountains shout with them for joy.

3) Before the Lords, for he comes, for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity.

Version 4:
Refrain:
“The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.”  (repeat)



Verses:
1) Sing to the Lord a new song, for God has done such wond'rous deeds!
His right hand as won the vic'try for him, his holy arm.

2) The Lord has made his salvation known
To the nations revealed his justice.
God has remembered his kindness and faithfulness to Israel.

3) All the ends of the earth have seen salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands;
Break into song; sing praise!

Arrangement:

Vocal:                         
Refrain:  SATB choir
Verses:   Cantor(s) - (I often use 2 cantors, alternating verses)    

Instruments:           
Piano, guitar, bass

Availability:

Sheet Music:           
Lead sheets for each of the 4 refrains.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions of Version 2 ("All the Ends of the Earth"):

Video:       New Dawn Concert, May 20, 2011     [link to be added]

CD:            Praise for the New Dawn, Vol. 1   
Order from Wood Harbor Music.
Digital download available at CD Baby.
Listen on YouTube at Spotify!

Composer's Notes:

For years, the Haugen/Haas setting from Psalms for the Church Year Vol. 1 has been the workhorse when Ps. 98 comes around in the Lectionary, which is a fairly frequent occurrence.  Thus, the inspiration for a new setting was born.  

The inspiration for the refrain melody came to me on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in 2010, while sitting at another church and hearing the pianist recite the psalm (yes, recite in spoken voice, with no music).  I went home that evening and had the two refrains.  (The alternative refrain is “Sing to the Lord a new song, for God had done marvelous deeds.”)  The verses were written, appropriately, on New Year’s Day 2011.

Like the Gloria from the Mass of St. Anne, the melody is kept fairly easy for the cantor, while the keyboardist and bass player navigate the mildly challenging changes and the ever-descending bass line of the verses.  The cadence from the verse back to the refrain consists a potentially unprecedented four consecutive ascending major chords (Gb, Ab, Bb, C7), the last being the dominant.

  

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Psalm 137

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm

Refrain:      
“Let my tongue be silenced, if ever I forget you.”  

Verses:                            
1) By the streams of Babylon
We set down and wept,
as we remembered Zion.
By the aspens of that land, we hung up our harps.

2) There our captors asked us the lyrics of our songs,
And they urged us to be joyous!
Sing for us the songs of Zion.

3) How could we sing to the Lord in a foreign land?
If ever I forget you, Jerusalem,
Let my right hand be forgotten.

4) Let my tongue be silenced if ever I forget you,
If ever I remember not Jerusalem is my greatest joy!

Arrangement:

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  SATB
Verses:   One or two cantors    

Instrumental Options:                
1)  "Unplugged":  Acoustic guitar and bass
2)  Keyboard:      Piano with guitar and bass (also adaptable to organ)
3)  Layered synthesizers
4)  Chamber orchestra

Availability:

Sheet Music:                
Lead sheets.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:
CD:           Praise for the New Dawn, Vol. 1
Order from Wood Harbor Music
Digital download at CD Baby.
Listen on Spotify!

Unplugged version:

Synth version:

Composer's Notes:

Psalm 137 recalls the Babylonian captivity.  The mood is somber: “How could we sing to the Lord in a foreign land?”  This is a tale best uninterrupted, and so, my arrangement bookends the refrain, leaving the cantor to present a continuous story.  

This recording presents two distinct arrangements of Psalm 137.  First is is this “unplugged version,” where the cantor sings in contemplative tone, accompanied by simple acoustic guitar supported by bass. 

The second version on the CD is is my original arrangement, inspired by Philip Glass’ use of layered arpeggios to create a dream-like texture.  Lacking my own chamber orchestra, I used 13 synth tracks blended with background vocals.  The verse melody in C Dorian mode is set against chord substitutions, such as Ab maj7 substituting for the Cm, resulting in a wonderful  Lydian tonal stretch where the A natural of the C Dorian melody sits perfectly against Ab in the bass.  I love it!

Credit must be given to Jaclyn Snell for suggesting a judicious movement of one note in Verse 4:  a small change that made a big improvement!   

Contrast the two settings:  simple acoustic vs. layered.  I think both work.

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Psalm 131

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm

Refrain:      
"In you, O Lord, I have found my peace." 
               

©2011 R. J. F. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved.

Verses:     
1) O Lord, my heart is not proud,
Nor my eyes haughty in your sight;
I busy not myself with great things,
Nor with things too sublime for me.

2) Nay rather I have stilled and quieted my soul
Like a weaned child, like a weaned child on its mother's lap.

3) Benediction:
O Israel, hope in the Lord, both now and forever.

Arrangement:

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  SAT Choir
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:                
Piano with guitar and bass

Availability:

Sheet Music:                
Lead sheet.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:
In the works, but not yet available


Composer's Notes:

My inspiration for the verses is Ralph McTell's poignant yet  melancholy composition From Claire to Here.   Here the verses are a simplification of his descending melody, but reach a different destination.  The refrain remains relatively simple, yet the repeated text is first proclaimed more boldly with the rising melody, and more simply in the second phrase.

In a complicated, over-stimulated world we live in, this psalm keeps it simple and peaceful.  I love the imagery of the second verse, particularly that of the satisfied and quiet child on a mother's lap.   Most recently, I've had the pleasure of babysitting the one-year old daughter of my friend Mary (who is a featured singer on Praise for the New Dawn).  The first few times, she would fall asleep in my lap.  At those times, I completely understood the second verse!

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Psalm 32

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm; themes of forgiveness; Lent

Refrain:      
“Lord, forgive me the wrong I have done.  O Lord, forgive me.”

©2013 Rachel J. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved.

Verses:                            
1) Blessed is the one whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the one to whom the Lord holds not guilty,
In whose spirit there is no deceit.

2) I acknowledge my sin to you; my guilt I have not covered.
I said:  "I confess my faults to the Lord,"
And you take away the guilt of my sin.

3) You are my shelter from distress you preserve me;
With glad cries of deliverance you will surround me.

4)  Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you just;
Exult, all you upright of heart.

Arrangement:

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  Unison
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:                
Piano with guitar and bass; optional synth, clarinet, bassoon

Availability:

Sheet Music:                
Lead sheets with piano part, through-composed.   Clarient and bassoon parts separately available.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:
CD:  You Are My Inheritance
Video on YouTube


Composer's Notes:
The setting of the psalm is simple and plaintive, with the refrains in a penitent e minor key, while the verses are set a bit more hopeful in the relative major. Having an excellent bassoonist married to the recording engineer, gave me a chance to bring the instruments somber texture into the recorded arrangement. 

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Psalm 31

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm for Good Friday

Refrain:      
“Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.”

©2012  R. J. F. Burckardt & J. V. Frias.  All rights reserved.

Verses:                            
1) In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
Let me never be put to shame.
Into your hand I commend my spirit;
You will redeem me, O Lord, O faithful God.

2) For all my foes I am an object of reproach,
A laughing stock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends.
They who see me a broad flee from me.
I am forgotten like the unremembered dead.
I am like a dish, which is broken.

3) But my trust is in you, O Lord;
I say, "You are my God.
into your hands is my destiny;
Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors."

4) Let your face shine upon your servant;
Save me in your kindness.
Take courage and be stouthearted,
All you who trust in the Lord.

Arrangement:
Composers:  Rachel J. Burckardt  & Jason Villarreal Frias

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  SATB choir, a capella
Verses:   Bass cantor, a capella or with cello

Instruments:                
A capella or with solo cello

Availability:

Sheet Music:                
Download:  A-capella setting for bass cantor and SATB choir on refrain
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:
CD:  You Are My Inheritance

Video:


Featuring:
Cello:  Petr Spacek
Cantor:  Jason Villarreal
Schola:  Mary Casiello, Megan Lewis, Rosie Delacruz, Sean Trainer, Josh Daniels, John Paul Casiello, Peter Rozman
Composed by:  Rachel J. Burckardt & Jason Villarreal
Arranged by:  Rachel J. Burckardt
Recorded by:  Evan Landry
Produced by:  Rachel J. Burckardt
©2013 Rachel J. Burckardt & Jason Villarreal.    All Rights Reserved.

Composer's Notes:
My friend, Jason Villarreal Frias, a bass in the choir at St. Cecilia Parish, Boston, MA, approached me about writing a pieces specifically for the lower voices, and Psalm 31 was one suggestion.  I originally wrote this as a pure a capella piece.  On Good Friday, the church is bare and this is the first sung piece, after the suffering servant reading from Isaiah.  The starkness of the piece fits the mood of the service.

When I had the opportunity to record with and incredibly talented cellist, Petr Spacek, who played with us for the last 4 years while attending New England Conservatory, I injected a cello line.  Initially, the cello states the melody before the cantor sings it, followed by the congregation and choir.  Each verse is set up by a short cello introduction.  The cello then enters and leaves, accompanying the bass cantor.

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Psalm 30

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm

Refrain:      
“I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.”    

Verses:                            
1) I will extol you, O Lord, for you drew me clear
And did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, .you brought me up from below;
You preserved me from those going down.

2) Sing praise to the Lord, you his faithful ones,
And give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime his good will.
At nightfall weeping enters, but with the dawn, rejoicing.

3) Here, O Lord, and have pity on me;
O Lord, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

Arrangement:

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  Unison
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:                
Piano with guitar and bass; optional synth and/or flute, clarinet, oboe, basson

Availability:

Sheet Music:                
Lead sheets.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:
Not yet available


Composer's Notes:
To be added.

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Psalm 27

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:         Responsorial psalm.

Refrain:                          
“The Lord I my light and my salvation.
Whom should I fear? Whom should I fear?

© 1998 R. J. F. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved.

Verses:                          
1) The Lord is my light and my help
Whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
Of whom should I be afraid?

2) There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I seek.
To live in the house of my God, all the days of my life.

3) I believe that the Lord will shoe me the path for my life.
I believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of living.

Arrangement:

Vocal:                       
Refrain:  Unison congregation and choir
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:             
Piano, guitar, bass

Availability:

Sheet Music:             
Lead sheet.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:

Video:       Not available

CD:           Praise for the New Dawn, Vol. 1

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

Composer's Notes:

I feel this psalm should be sung with entitlement.  God is our light and salvation, so we need not fear!  The liturgical “workhorse” setting of the by David Haas is nice and almost pretty.  I wanted a setting with a different feel.  

Angie, singing at
Ryles in Cambridge,
 in Oct. 2010.

The refrain begins in what I’d say is a bit of moodiness with “the Lord is my light and my salvation” sung on 3 notes over somewhat vague chords over an E pedal, and then soars into D major with a sense of entitlement (“whom should I fear, whom should I fear!”).  If you believe these words, I think you have to say them with conviction.  No, not just conviction, but a sense of entitlement.  Our faith entitles us to be unafraid.

This song calls for a young, confident voice.  I asked Angie, at the time a senior at Berklee and member of the choir, to be cantor, as she has a wonderful faith and a voice to match it. 

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Psalm 25

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm, psalm for Advent season, offertory or communion song.

Refrains:       Three versions of Psalm 25, each with a different refrain, are found in the Lectionary.  Settings for each of the 3 versions are available.
                  
1)  “To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.”

©2006 Rachel J. Burckardt. All Rights Reserved.

                                

2)  “Your way, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.” 

©2006, 2009 Rachel J. Burckardt. All Rights Reserved.

3)  “Teach me your ways, O Lord, my God.”

©2006, 2009 Rachel J. Burckardt. All Rights Reserved.

Verses:                            
The verses are the same for each of the three refrains:

1) Your ways, 0 Lord, make known to me;
Teach me your paths
Guide me, teach me, for you are my Savior.

2) Remember your compassion, Lord, and your kindness of old.
Remember this, and not my sins,in your goodness, 0 Lord.

3) The-Lord is good and just; the sinners know the way.
God guides the meek to justice, and teaches the humble.  

Arrangement:

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  unison
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:                
Piano with guitar and bass 

Availability:

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

Recorded Versions:

Video:       Click here        
CD:          You Are My Inheritance 


Composer's Notes:
The setting is intentionally simple and peaceful.  The cantor can simply sing the lyrics and it provides the intended result.

The end of each verse has a descending line, suspended over a C pedal, with half notes in the piano part that begins in unison with the cantor, and descends to the 3rd of the dominant which sets up the tonic on the first beat of the refrain.

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Psalm 23

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm, communion, themes of Jesus, the Shepherd

Refrain:      
“The Lord is my shepherd; nothing shall I want.  Fresh and green are the meadows where God leads me”            

© 1992 Rachel J. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved.

Verses:     
1) By restful streams, God lead me refreshing my soul.
In fresh green meadows I wander, where I find rest.

2) Though I walk through the shadows of darkness, I need not fear.
God will lead me in safety through danger, safely to home.

3) God will prepare a table where I will feast.
Only goodness and kindness will follow, throughout my days.

Arrangement:

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  SAT choir
Verses:   Cantor  with Alto and Tenor harmonies  

Instruments:                
Piano with guitar and bass, plus synth and flute

Availability:

Sheet Music:                
Lead sheet with choral harmonies.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:
Listen at YouTube
CD:  How Long, O God

Order from Wood Harbor Music

Composer's Notes:

My approach to composing a setting for perhaps the most well-known of the psalms was to set the refrain simply, with confidence, and a touch of entitlement.  If we truly believe in God and God's care for us, we can feel confident that "God will lead me in safety through danger" and entitlement "Though I walk through the shadows of darkness, I need not fear."

The first verse sets up the peacefulness of the text by a slow melody supported by sustained A minor 9th chord.  The melody arpeggiates up, from the 5th to the 7th to the 9th.  The second half of the verse switches from the minor 9th to the A major 9th, with the raised 3rd reinforcing the sense of confidence.

The second verse starts on the same chord, but the melody is sped up, as one's heartbeat and pace naturally speeds up when in a place of danger.  Again, the first half is in minor, while the second half shifts to major, with the confidence that "God will lead me in safety."

The 3rd verse mixes the two settings, starting with the slower melody in minor, and ending with the faster melody in major.

The second verse adds an alto harmony, while the 3rd voice includes both alto and tenor harmonies.

While the liturgical score includes a SAT refrain (with the alto at times singing above the melody), the recording  for How Long, O God included a double choir with 2 sets of harmonies.

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Psalm 18

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm

Refrain:      
"I love you, Lord, my strength"                  

© 2011 Rachel J. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved.

Verses:     
1) I love you, Lord, my strength,
O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God.

2) My God, my rock of refuge,
The horn of my salvation, my strength.
Praised be the Lord, I exclaim,
And I am safe from my enemies.

3) The Lord lives and blessed by my rock!
Extolled by God, my savior.
You who give great victories to your king
And showed your kindness to your anointed.                       

Arrangement:

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  Unison
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:                
Piano with guitar and bass

Availability:

Sheet Music:                
Lead sheet.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Versions:


CD:  You Are My Inheritance

See video on YouTube:

    Megan Lewis:  Lead vocals
    Mary Casiello, Rosie Delacruz:  Background vocals
    Rachel Burckardt:  Piano, electric guitar, synth
    Recorded by Evan Landry
     Wood Harbor Music     www.woodharbormusic.net 

     ©2011 Rachel J. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved

"The complex time signatures actually sound smooth and natural in this composition, not unlike Gregorian Chant, "  (Richard Clark, Director of Music and Organist, St. Cecilia Parish, Boston, MA)

Composer's Notes:
To be added.

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Psalm 16

General Information:

Liturgical Uses:  Responsorial psalm, offertory or communion song.

Refrain:      
"You are my inheritance, O Lord"       

© 2012 Rachel J. Burckardt.  All Rights Reserved.

Verses:                            
1) O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, it is you who holds fast my lot.
I set the Lord ever before me;
With God at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

2) Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices;
My body abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul;
Nor will you suffer your faithful one.

3) You will show me the path of life,
And the fullness of joys in your presence,
The delights at your right had forever, forever.

Arrangement:

Vocal:                             
Refrain:  Unison
Verses:   Cantor    

Instruments:                
Piano with guitar and bass

Availability:

Sheet Music:                
Lead sheet.
Order from Wood Harbor Music

Recorded Version:
See the video on YouTube!
CD:  You Are My Inheritance

Composer's Notes:
To be added.

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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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