Psalmen Davids
Psalmen Davids is a collection of sacred choral music, settings mostly of psalms in German by Heinrich Schütz, who had studied the Venetian polychoral style with Giovanni Gabrieli. Book 1 was printed in Dresden in 1619 as his Opus 2. It comprises 26 individual settings, which were assigned numbers 22 to 47 in the Schütz-Werke-Verzeichnis. Most of them use the text of a complete psalm in the translation by Martin Luther.
The full title of the publication, "Psalmen Davids / sampt / Etlichen Moteten und Concerten / mit acht und mehr Stimmen / Nebenst andern zweyen Capellen daß dero etliche / auff drey und vier Chor nach beliebung gebraucht / werden können", indicates that some motets and concertos are added to the psalm settings, and the scoring is for eight and more voices and two groups of instrumentalists, so that in some pieces three and even four choirs can participate in polychoral settings.
History
In 1619, Schütz took up his office as Hofkapellmeister at the court of the Elector of Saxony, Johann Georg I., in Dresden, succeeding Rogier Michael. On 1 June, he married Magdalena, the daughter of Christian Wildeck, a court official. Planned well, the Psalmen Davids appeared the same day, dedicated to the Elector.Schütz mentions in the introduction: "daß er etzliche Teutsche Psalmen auf Italienische Manier komponiert habe, zu welcher von lieben und in aller Welt hochberühmten Praeceptore Herrn Johan Gabrieln /... / mit fleiß angeführet worden... war".
Collection
Schütz chose 20 psalms, two of which he set twice, and added movements based on a hymn, the first stanza of Johann Gramann's "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren", and on texts from the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. Most, but not all psalms are ended by the doxology, "Ehre sei dem Vater". Translations of SWV 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 33, 36, 37, 39 and 40 are provided by Emmanuel Music| No. | SWV | Psalm no. | Title | English | Source |
| 1 | 110 | Der Herr sprach zu meinem Herren | The Lord said unto my Lord | ||
| 2 | SWV 23 | 2 | Warum toben die Heiden | Why do the heathen rage | |
| 3 | SWV 24 | 6 | Ach, Herr, straf mich nicht | Ah, Lord, do not punish me | + dox |
| 4 | SWV 25 | 130 | Aus der Tiefe | Out of the depths | + dox |
| 5 | SWV 26 | 122 | Ich freu mich des Herrn | I was glad when they said unto me | |
| 6 | SWV 27 | 8 | Herr, unser Herrscher | Lord, our Ruler | + dox |
| 7 | SWV 28 | 1 | Wohl dem, der nicht wandelt | He is fortunate who does not walk | + dox |
| 8 | SWV 29 | 84 | Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen | How amiable are thy tabernacles | |
| 9 | SWV 30 | 128 | Wohl dem, der den Herren fürchtet | He is fortunate who fears the Lord | + dox |
| 10 | SWV 31 | 121 | Ich hebe meine Augen auf | I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills | |
| 11 | SWV 32 | 136 | Danket dem Herren, denn er ist freundlich | O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good | |
| 12 | SWV 33 | 23 | Der Herr ist mein Hirt | The Lord is my Shepherd | , no dox |
| 13 | SWV 34 | 111 | Ich danke dem Herrn | Praise ye the LORD | |
| 14 | SWV 35 | 98 | Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied | O sing unto the LORD a new song | |
| 15 | SWV 36 | 100 | Jauchzet dem Herren, alle Welt | Exult in the Lord, entire world | + dox |
| 16 | SWV 37 | 137 | An den Wassern zu Babel | By the rivers of Babylon | + dox |
| 17 | SWV 38 | 150 | Alleluja! Lobet den Herrenl | Praise ye the Lord | |
| 18 | SWV 39 | 103 | Lobe den Herren, meine Seele | Bless the Lord, my soul | , concerto |
| 19 | SWV 40 | Ist nicht Ephraim mein teurer Sohn | Is not Ephraim my beloved son | , motet | |
| 20 | SWV 41 | Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren | Now praise, my soul, the Lord | hymn, canzona | |
| 21 | SWV 42 | 126 | Die mit Tränen säen | They that sow in tears | , motet |
| 22 | SWV 43 | 115 | Nicht uns, Herr | Not unto us, O Lord | |
| 23 | SWV 44 | 128 | Wohl dem, der den Herren fürchtet | Not unto us, O Lord | |
| 24 | SWV 45 | 136 | Danket dem Herren, denn er ist freundlich | O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good | |
| 25 | SWV 46 | Zion spricht, der Herr hat mich verlassen | Not unto us, O Lord | , concerto | |
| 26 | SWV 47 | 100 | Jauchzet dem Herren, alle Welt | Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands | , concerto |
Publication and recordings
The Psalmen Davids are part of the complete edition of the composer's works by Carus-Verlag, begun in 1992 as the Stuttgart Schütz Edition and planned to be completed by 2017. The edition uses the Heinrich-Schütz-Archiv of the Hochschule für Musik Dresden. They were recorded, as part of the complete recordings of works by Schütz, by the Dresdner Kammerchor and organist Ludger Rémy, conducted by Hans-Christoph Rademann. Soloists are sopranos Dorothee Mields and Marie Luise Werneburg, altos David Erler and Stefan Kunath, tenors Georg Poplutz and Tobias Mäthger, and basses Stephan MacLeod and Felix Schwandtke. A review notes the accent on a contrast, as the composer intended, between the soloists and the choir :These soloists, the so-called 'favoriti' are given the responsibility of bringing illustrative power to their sung lines, to sing 'as well and as sweetly' as possible. These solo singers are vested with the conveyance of the texts’ imagery in all its power and immediacy, whilst the ripieno choruses have a different function, which is, in the composer's words, 'for a strong sound and for splendour'.