“The Lord is My Shepherd”: Settings of Psalm 23 by Rutter and Schubert
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 …