English composer John Rutter (b. 1945) composed a setting of Psalm 23 in 1976 as a standalone anthem, and later incorporated it as the sixth movement of his supremely beautiful 1985 Requiem.
The solo oboe, an instrument which carries pastoral associations, is a recurring voice, at once longing and serene. The harp, another prominent voice, has ancient rustic roots among shepherds.
Scored for four-part female choir, Franz Schubert’s setting of Psalm 23 has been described as a gentle lullaby. Schubert composed it in December of 1820 as a dedicated gift for his friend, Anna Fröhlich, a voice teacher at the Vienna Conservatory. It was intended to be used as an exercise for the vocal examinations of her students. It was published posthumously in 1832 as Opus 132. The setting uses a German translation by philosopher and theologian Moses Mendelssohn (“Gott ist mein Hirt, mir wird nichts mangeln”).
The accompanying piano line evokes a flowing brook. Momentarily, it becomes a ghostly tremble (“valley of the shadow of death”). Here, Malcolm Bilson plays the fortepiano, the predecessor of the modern piano.
Recordings
- Rutter: The Lord is my shepherd, John Rutter, Cambridge Singers, City of London Sinfonia Amazon
- Schubert: Psalm 23, D. 706, John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, Malcolm Bilson Amazon
Featured Image: “The Hay Wain” (1821), John Constable