The Symphony of Psalms is one of the most deeply moving and genuinely spiritual pieces Stravinsky ever wrote. It is Stravinsky's third work that he called a "symphony," after the Symphony in E-flat (1905-07) and the Symphonies for Wind Instruments (1920). It was followed by the Symphony in C (1938-40) for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony in Three Movements (1942-45) for the New York Philharmonic. The Symphony of Psalms was preceded by the dramatic works Oedipus Rex and Apollo, which, although pagan in subject matter, resemble religious works in their grandeur and musical composition.
The Symphony of Psalms is a three-movement "symphony" for chorus and orchestra. The text is based on Latin psalms. It was composed at a time when Igor Stravinsky's style was moving toward neoclassicism. The piece was commissioned in 1930 by Serge Koussevitzky, conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for the orchestra's 50th anniversary.
Stravinsky was given a free hand to compose, although his publisher wanted a work without chorus, "...something popular". Stravinsky himself explained that by "popular" he did not mean something that would suit the general taste of the public, but something that would be universally admired. For him, this was Psalm 150 (the third movement), which, despite the publisher's request for an instrumental work, would become the starting point and main focus of his composition.
The style of this work is very neoclassical and religious. The word "symphony" in this work is not "symphony" in the classical sense, but rather "ensemble," which is closer to the meaning of the root word "symphony." Stravinsky said, "This is not a symphony in which the singing of psalms is included. On the contrary, it is the singing of the psalms that I have symphonized.
Stravinsky is very concerned with unity. The Psalms of David that he chose, in the Latin version of the Vulgate, are textually unified. The 39th Psalm is like a response to the 38th. The "Alleluia" with which the 150th begins is the "new canticle" of the 39th. In another sense, the symphony is unified in that its three movements are linked and must be sung and played without pause. The first psalm rises rapidly to its conclusion. With the first notes of the next psalm, it becomes clear that the entire first movement has been one great upbeat to the second. These two movements set texts of human repentance, sinfulness, and
longed-for salvation: the sinner's cry to be heard in the first
movement, the "new song" forged after the Lord has pulled the psalmist
"out of a terrible pit, out of the miry clay" in the second.
For
Stravinsky, Psalm 150, the third and final movement, is "a song to be danced, as David danced before
the ark. The final hymn of praise is to be imagined as coming from
heaven; the excitement is followed by the serenity of praise".
Movement 1, Prelude: Exaudi orationem meam, Domine
The text is from Psalm 38 (39). It serves as a prelude to the second movement. The ostinato dominates the entire movement, which is punctuated by three chords in E minor.
2nd movement, double fugue: Expectans expectavi, Dominum
Text from Psalm 39 (No. 40). Double fugue with orchestra and choir. At the end of "Et immisit in os meum canticum novum", the chorus changes to homophonic form to form the climax.
3rd movement, Allegro symphonique: Alleluia
Text from Psalm 150. It consists of a slow section at each end and a middle section with an increase in tempo, with a complex orchestral interlude. The vocal part is extensively treated with cadenzas.
What is striking about the orchestration is the unusual concentration on certain sounds (flutes, trumpets, and pianos) and the complete omission of others (clarinets and high strings).
Text (PDF).
Choral Masterworks