In convertendo Dominus
Encyclopedia
In convertendo Dominus op.
32, is the musical setting of a Latin
psalm, written in 1926 by Jules Van Nuffel
for a mixed choir and organ
.
and also concert at the Sint Rombouts Kathedraal in Mechelen
, where he served as cantor
, while Flor Peeters
was organist. In the Latin Psalters
the psalms are numbered differently. Psalm 125 there is Psalm 126 in the King James Bible. Van Nuffel set the psalm in 1926 for a mixed choir of four to eight parts and organ
.
The psalm was published in 1950 by the Schwann Verlag (now part of Edition Peters
), which published also seven other psalms of the composer. Two psalm compositions remained unfinished.
is in one movement, but Van Nuffel divided the psalm in sections of different mood and treatment and repeated the first verse in a magnified way.
The words of C and D had also been composed by Brahms in A German Requiem: "Die mit Tränen säen, werden mit Freuden ernten". The psalm was written as a motet by composers such as Jean-Philippe Rameau
and Lorenzo Perosi.
In Van Nuffel's setting the organ plays an important independent role. It introduces the first theme, which is picked up by the voices on "In convertendo Dominus", reappearing slightly changed in B on "Converte, Domine" and again in unison of all voices, marked fff, at the beginning of A'. A solo section of the organ leads from a climax reached at the end of B to the tranquil beginning of C. In parts A and C the tenors begin singing, whereas the altos begin part B. The "carrying of the sheaves" is expressed by a divided choir, alternating in singing the same pattern higher and higher, choir 1 a four-part female choir, choir 2 the altos and a four-part men's choir, ending the section in eight parts.
A reviewer of a recording summarized in 1967:
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
32, is the musical setting of a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
psalm, written in 1926 by Jules Van Nuffel
Jules Van Nuffel
Jules Van Nuffel , was a musicologist, composer, and a renowned expert on religious music.-Biography:...
for a mixed choir and organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
.
History
Van Nuffel set many Latin texts to music, including 10 psalms, for the liturgyLiturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
and also concert at the Sint Rombouts Kathedraal in Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
, where he served as cantor
Cantor (church)
A cantor is the chief singer employed in a church with responsibilities for the ecclesiastical choir; also called the precentor....
, while Flor Peeters
Flor Peeters
Flor Peeters was a Flemish composer, organist and teacher.-Biography:Born and raised in the village of Tielen , he was the youngest child in a family of eleven...
was organist. In the Latin Psalters
Latin Psalters
The Latin Psalters are the translations of the Book of Psalms into the Latin language. They are the premier liturgical resource used in the Liturgy of the Hours of the Latin Rites of the Roman Catholic Church...
the psalms are numbered differently. Psalm 125 there is Psalm 126 in the King James Bible. Van Nuffel set the psalm in 1926 for a mixed choir of four to eight parts and organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
.
The psalm was published in 1950 by the Schwann Verlag (now part of Edition Peters
Edition Peters
Edition Peters, also known as C.F.Peters Musikverlag, is a German music publishing house, founded in Leipzig in 1800.From the 1860s it was largely run by members the Hinrichsen family, who were Jewish. The company was confiscated by the Nazis and administered by the "Trustee of Jewish Property"....
), which published also seven other psalms of the composer. Two psalm compositions remained unfinished.
Words and music
The composition of about 9 minutes in C sharp minorC sharp minor
C-sharp minor or C minor is a minor scale based on C, with the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of four sharps .Its relative major is E major, and its parallel major is C-sharp major....
is in one movement, but Van Nuffel divided the psalm in sections of different mood and treatment and repeated the first verse in a magnified way.
- A In convertendo Dominus (When the Lord turned − the captivity of Zion, verse 1), AdagioAdagio-Music:* Adagio, a tempo marking indicating that music is to be played slowly* A composition marked to be played adagio, e.g.** Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber** Adagio for Strings , a cover of Barber's Adagio by Tiësto...
- B facti sumus sicut laetantes (whereof we are glad, verse 3b), Più vivo
- C Qui seminant in lacrymas (They that sow in tears − shall reap in joy, verse 5), Calmato
- D Venientes (They shall come − with rejoicing, verse 6b), Festivo
- A' In convertendo Dominus (repeat of verse 1), MaestosoMaestosoMaestoso is an Italian musical term and is used to direct performers to play a certain passage of music in a stately, dignified and majestic fashion or, it is used to describe music as such. The term is commonly used in relatively slow pieces; however, there are numerous examples - such as the...
The words of C and D had also been composed by Brahms in A German Requiem: "Die mit Tränen säen, werden mit Freuden ernten". The psalm was written as a motet by composers such as Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
and Lorenzo Perosi.
In Van Nuffel's setting the organ plays an important independent role. It introduces the first theme, which is picked up by the voices on "In convertendo Dominus", reappearing slightly changed in B on "Converte, Domine" and again in unison of all voices, marked fff, at the beginning of A'. A solo section of the organ leads from a climax reached at the end of B to the tranquil beginning of C. In parts A and C the tenors begin singing, whereas the altos begin part B. The "carrying of the sheaves" is expressed by a divided choir, alternating in singing the same pattern higher and higher, choir 1 a four-part female choir, choir 2 the altos and a four-part men's choir, ending the section in eight parts.
A reviewer of a recording summarized in 1967:
Van Nuffel was a completely new name to me — a Belgian contemporary of Kodaly who died in 1953 at the age of 70 — but I certainly want to hear more of his music: his setting ... is in the traditional nineteenth-century idiom with a touch of modality suggesting certain passages in Puccini and early Vaughan Williams, but it is a powerful and moving piece, rising out of a brooding darkness to a big impassioned outburst, and dying away again.
Recordings
- New Philharmonia Chorus: Choral works, New Philharmonia Chorus, conductor Wilhelm Pitz, HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
1967 - Jules Van Nuffel Psalms — Tedeum, Choir of the Cathedral St. Rombouts, organist Peter Pieters, conductor Johan Van Bouwelen, RG 1991
Sources
- The score
- Liner notes of Jozef Joris, Honorary Director of the Lemmens Institute, to the 1991 recording.
External links
- Entries for In convertendo Dominus on WorldCatWorldCatWorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...