Der 100. Psalm
106, is a composition in four movements by Max Reger in D major for mixed choir and orchestra, a late Romantic setting of Psalm 100.He requested additional brass players for the climax in the last movement when four trumpets and four trombones play the melody of Luther's chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott".Reger used both late-Romantic features of harmony and dynamics, and polyphony in the Baroque tradition, culminating in the final movement, a double fugue with the added instrumental cantus firmus.In 1898, after he completed his studies, he returned to his parental home and focused on works for organ, continuing the tradition of Johann Sebastian Bach.Though raised as a Catholic, he was inspired by Lutheran hymns, writing chorale fantasias such as Zwei Choralphantasien, Op.[2] Edition Peters in Leipzig published the work, beginning in September 1909 with the vocal score, for which Reger prepared the piano reduction.[2][6] A reviewer wrote in the trade paper Neue Musik-Zeitung: "Noch unter dem Eindruck des Gehörten, des Miterlebten stehend, ist es mir unsagbar schwer, all das Tiefempfundene, das Erhabene und Göttliche jener Stunde hier zum Ausdruck zu bringen.The psalm has been set to music many times, mostly for liturgical use, for example by Palestrina (1575)[9] and Lully, who composed a motet, LWV77/16, in honor of the marriage of Louis XIV and peace with Spain in 1660.[11] A pasticcio motet Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt includes music by Georg Philipp Telemann and J. S. Bach.[12][13] The themes of the first psalm verses are paraphrased in the opening movement of Bach's 1734 Christmas Oratorio, Jauchzet, frohlocket!,[14][15] with a later contrasting section Dienet dem Höchsten mit herrlichen Chören (Serve the Highest with splendid choirs).[4] The work is scored for a four-part choir, with often divided voices, and an orchestra of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, three timpani and more percussion, organ, and strings.In the final movement, an additional brass ensemble of four trumpets and four trombones plays the cantus firmus of Luther's chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott".Fred Kirshnit, who introduced the piece for a performance of the American Symphony Orchestra, regarded the treatment as an "orchestral explosion"."Dienet dem Herrn mit Freuden" appears first in the lower voices while the sopranos expand the theme one measure later, marked espressivo and crescendo.This word is repeated many times before the phrase is continued, "vor sein Angesicht" (before his face), later also "mit Frohlocken" (with shouts of joy).[4] The Swiss musicologist Michael Eidenbenz, writing for the Zürcher Bach Chor, describes the section as mystical and reflective ("mystisch-reflektierend").[8] In a middle section the divided voices express, mostly in homophony, and gradually more intensely: "Er hat uns gemacht und nicht wir selbst zu seinem Volk" (He has made us, and not we ourselves, his people).[8] Simultaneously, soprano and tenor sing the two themes of a double fugue on the text "Denn der Herr ist freundlich" (For the Lord is friendly).The melody of the soprano begins with the turn-motiv from the first movement, while the tenors sing mostly a rising broken D major chord, with fast motion in the second measure.[4] The biographer Eugen Segnitz wrote in 1922 that the work was not only unique in the composer's work, but in the sacred music of its period, with a rare intense power of expression ("intensive Ausdruckskraft") and a convincing musical exegesis of the biblical text, as well as its turns and manifold shades of emotion ("überzeugende musikalische Auslegung des biblischen Textes, wie auch seiner Wendungen und mannigfaltigen Gefühlsschattierungen").[21] A reviewer of a recording noted the work's "quasi-symphonic sequence" and its "balanced overall shape which brings musical satisfaction even though the choral-orchestral presentation is at times somewhat unrelenting".[26] Gabriel Dessauer explains in the preface that Reger's work was conceived for oratorio choirs of up to 500 singers at the beginning of the 20th century.
Max RegerD majorJena UniversityPsalm 100LeipzigChemnitzBreslauPetersFritz SteinGeorg Dohrnchoral symphonyfour-part choirsymphony orchestrachoraleEin feste Burg ist unser Gottlate-RomanticharmonydynamicspolyphonyBaroque traditiondouble fuguecantus firmusPaul HindemithWiesbadencentenaryHis workJohann Sebastian BachCatholicLutheran hymnsZwei Choralphantasien, Op. 40Elsa von BerckenRoyal Conservatory in LeipzigMartin Lutherhonorary doctorateEdition Peterspiano reductionOld HundredthPalestrinaLouis XIVTe DeumHenry PurcellUtrecht Te Deum and JubilateMagnificatSwan songpasticcioJauchzet dem Herrn alle WeltGeorg Philipp TelemannChristmas OratorioJauchzet, frohlocket!Ralph Vaughan WilliamsOld 100thElizabeth IIsymphonysonata formincipitF-sharp majorC majorchorale fantasiaEin' feste Burg ist unser Gott, Op. 27polyphonandante sostenutothemesdevelopmentrecapitulationfortissimosyncopatedunisonfourthsequencesscalestripletsdotted rhythmAmerican Symphony OrchestrapianissimoimitationcrescendoreprisefermatarhythmZürcher Bach ChorhomophonytriadsA majorB majorF-sharp minorexegesisWolfgang RathertDr. J. ButzGabriel DessauerReger-ChorSt. Bonifatius, WiesbadenIgnace MichielsSt. Salvator CathedralWeidenThomaskircheThomanerchorLeipziger UniversitätschorMDR SinfonieorchesterDavid TimmKatholikentagKreuzkircheDresdner KreuzchorRundfunkchor BerlinMichael-Christfried WinklerDresdner PhilharmonieMartin FlämigWolfram RöhrigRolf BeckNürnberger SymphonikerWerner JacobDie Weihe der NachtHorst SteinBamberger SymphonikerKoch SchwannKlaus Uwe LudwigBachchor WiesbadenLutherkirche, WiesbadenValeri PolyanskyState Symphony Capella of RussiaState Symphony Orchestra of RussiaChandosGeorg Christoph BillerGewandhausorchesterInternational Music Score Library ProjectDessauer, GabrielMax-Reger-Institute