Os justi, WAB 30, is a sacred motet composed by Anton Bruckner in 1879. Os Justi is a Gregorian chant used as gradual of the Commune Doctorum, and as introit I and gradual II of the Commune Confessoris non Pontificis.
History
Bruckner composed this gradual on 18 July 1879. Bruckner dedicated it to Ignaz Traumihler, choirmaster of St. Florian Abbey. When Traumihler saw the manuscript, he asked: "Ist's der ganze Text?" Therefore, Bruckner added on 28 July 1879 a verseInveni David in Gregorian mode followed by a repeat of the Alleluja. The first performance occurred not as foreseen on Traumihler's name-day, but four weeks later, on 28 August 1879 on the feast of Saint Augustinus under Traumihler's baton, with Bruckner at the organ. The work was first edited by Theodor Rättig, Vienna in 1886, together with three other graduals: Locus iste, Christus factus est and Virga Jesse. In this first edition, something went wrong: the motet and the first Alleluja were issued, but not the extra verse and the repeat of the Alleluja. The extra verse and the repeat of the Alleluja were — wrongly — classified by Grasberger as a separate work. The full original setting, the manuscripts of which are archived at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, is put in Band XXI/28 of the Gesamtausgabe.
Text and music
The text of the motet is two verses of Psalm 37, which is Psalm 36 in the Vulgata. The text of the added verse is taken from Psalm 89. The original work of 18 July 1879, a 69-bar gradual, is scored in Lydian mode for choir a cappella. On two occasions the choir is divided into eight voices. The second part on "Et lingua ejus" is a fugato without any alteration. The last sentence, on "et non supplantabuntur", is sung pianissimo by the soprano, on a sustained tonic chord by the five other voices. It is followed by a two-bar unisonAlleluja in Gregorian mode. On 28 July 1879, Bruckner added an extra verse Inveni David scored for unison male voices with organ accompaniment, and a repeat of the 2-bar Alleluja. According to Elisabeth Maier the melody of the Alleluja is a quote of the Alleluja of the introit In medio ecclesiae of the Missa de Doctoribus. The extra verse is apparently Bruckner's own composition. Traumihler was a fervent supporter of the Cecilian Movement; the reason why Bruckner composed this motet in Lydian mode, without any alteration in the key and in the whole score, and with large use of unaltered chords.
Selected discography
The first recording of Os justi occurred in 1931:
Ludwig Berberich, Münchner Domchor – 78 rpm: Christschall 141
The large majority of the recordings follows the first edition, sometimes without Alleluja. A selection among the about 120 recordings:
George Guest, St. John's College Choir Cambridge, The World of St. John's 1958–1977 – LP: Argo ZRG 760, 1973
Philippe Herreweghe, la Chapelle Royale/Collegium Vocale, Ensemble Musique Oblique, Bruckner: Messe en mi mineur; Motets – CD: Harmonia Mundi France HMC 901322, 1989
Joseph Pancik, Prager Kammerchor, Anton Bruckner: Motetten / Choral-Messe – CD: Orfeo C 327 951 A, 1993
