''Biblical Songs'' ( cs, Biblické písně) is a
song cycle
A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online''
The songs are either for solo voice ...
which consists of musical settings by Czech composer
Antonín Dvořák of ten texts, selected by him, from the
Book of Psalms. It was originally composed for low voice and piano (1894,
Op.99,
B. 185). The first five songs were later orchestrated by the composer (1895, B. 189).
History and reception
''Biblical Songs'' was written between 5 and 26 March 1894, while Dvořák was living in New York City. It has been suggested that he was prompted to write them by news of a death (of his father Frantisek, or of the composers
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
or
Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
, or of the conductor
Hans von Bülow
Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow (8 January 1830 – 12 February 1894) was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for es ...
); but there is no good evidence for that, and the most likely explanation is that he felt out of place in the bustle of a big city, and that after two years in America he was homesick for
Bohemia.
He returned to Europe in April 1895.
The original piano version was published in Czech by
Simrock in 1895, with English and German translations of the text. Dvořák took particular care that the translations were appropriate to the vocal line. In January 1895, Dvořák orchestrated the first five songs. The manuscript was later lost, and only rediscovered and published in 1914 (by Simrock). In 1914, the conductor orchestrated the other five. Arrangements of the cycle for other forces, and other orchestrations of the second five songs, have since been made.
The first known public performance of any of the songs was on 26 September 1895: it was of No. 6 ("''Slyš, ó Bože, volání mé''") only, and took place at
Mladá Boleslav
Mladá Boleslav (; german: Jungbunzlau) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 inhabitants.
Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region and a major centre of the Czech automotive in ...
; the performers were O. Schellerova (voice) and an unknown pianist.
It is not known when or where the full cycle with piano accompaniment was premiered. The orchestral version of the first five songs was premiered in Prague on 4 January 1896, by the baritone František Šír and the
Czech Philharmonic conducted by the composer. On 19 March 1896, Dvořák conducted a performance of the same songs in
Queen’s Hall, London, where the soloist was Katharine Fisk.
The songs
The texts are from the 16th century Czech-language
Bible of Kralice
The Bible of Kralice, also called the Kralice Bible ( cs, Bible kralická), was the first complete translation of the Bible from the original languages into Czech. Translated by the Unity of the Brethren and printed in Kralice nad Oslavou, th ...
, and are available online with some translations into other languages. The English and German titles in the following list are taken from the original vocal score, not from any English Bible.
#
Psalm 97
Psalm 97 is the 97th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: "The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice", also as "The Lord is King". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and ...
, "''Oblak a mrákota jest vukol neho''". ''Andantino''. ("Darkness and thunderclouds are round about Him", "''Um ihn her ist Wolken und Dunkel''", Psalm
97:2–6.)
#
Psalm 119
Psalm 119 is the 119th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord". The Book of Psalms is in the third section of the Hebrew Bible, the ' ...
, "''Skrýše má a paveza má Ty jsí''". ''Andante''. ("Lord my shield, my refuge and hope", "''Herr, mein Schirm und Schild''", Psalm
119:114–117, 119, 120.)
#
Psalm 55
Psalm 55 is the 55th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version, "Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication". The Book of Psalms forms part of the ketuvim, the third section of the ...
, "''Slyš, ó Bože, slyš modlitbu mou''". ''Andante''. ("Hear, oh hear my prayer", "''Gott erhöre mein Gebet!''", Psalm
55:1, 2, 4–5, 6, 7, 8.)
#
Psalm 23
Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The Lord is my shepherd". In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a boo ...
, "''Hospodin jest muj pastýr''". ''Andante''. ("Oh, my shepherd is the Lord", "''Gott ist mein Hirte''", Psalm
23:1–4.)
#
Psalm 144
Psalm 144 is the 144th psalm of the Book of Psalms, part of the final Davidic collection of psalms, comprising Psalms 138 to 145, which are specifically attributed to David in their opening verses. In the King James Version its opening words ar ...
,
Psalm 145
Psalm 145 is the 145th psalm of the Book of Psalms, generally known in English by its first verse, in the King James Version, "I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever". In Latin, it is known as "Exaltabo ...
, "''Bože! Bože! Písen novou''". ''Risoluto, maestoso''. ("Songs of gladness will I sing Thee", "''Herr! nun sing' ich Dir ein neues Lied''", Psalm
144:9 and
145:1–3, 5, 6.)
#
Psalm 61,
Psalm 63
Psalm 63 is the 63rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee". In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and the L ...
, "''Slyš, ó Bože, volání mé''". ''Andante''. ("
Hear, oh Lord, my bitter cry", "''Herr! Höre Gott, mein Flehen''", Psalm
61:1, 3, 4 and
63:1, 4–5.)
# "
Psalm 137
Psalm 137 is the 137th psalm of the Book of Psalms in the Tanakh. In English it is generally known as "By the rivers of Babylon", which is how its first words are translated in the King James Version of the Bible. Its Latin title is "Super flum ...
, ''Při řekách babylonských''". ''Andante''. ("By the shore of the river Babylon", "''An den Wassern zu Babylon''", Psalm
137:1–5.)
#
Psalm 25
Psalm 25 is the 25th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old T ...
, "''Popatriž na mne a smiluj se nade mnou''". ''Andante''. ("Oh, Lord, have mercy and turn Thou Thy face to me", "''Wende Dich zu mir!''", Psalm
25:16–18, 20.)
#
Psalm 121, "''Pozdvihuji ocí svých k horám''". ''Andante con moto''. ("My eyes will I to the hills lift up", "''Ich hebe meine Augen auf zu den Bergen''", Psalm
121:1–4.)
#
Psalm 98
Psalm 98 is the 98th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things". The Book of Psalms starts the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and, as such, ...
,
Psalm 96
Psalm 96 is the 96th psalm of the Book of Psalms, a hymn. The first verse of the psalm calls to praise in singing, in English in the King James Version: "O sing a new song unto the Lord". Similar to Psalm 98 ("Cantate Domino") and Psalm 149, th ...
, "''Zpívejte Hospodinu píseň novou''". ''Allegro moderato.'' ("Oh sing unto the Lord a joyful song", "''Singet ein neues Lied''", Psalm
98:1, 4–5, 7, 8 and
96:11–12.)
A typical performance of the complete cycle takes about 25 minutes.
Recordings
The complete cycle has been recorded numerous times since the introduction of
LP records in the late 1940s. Some notable recordings up to and including the first LP release include:
* 1913:
George Henschel
Sir Isidor George Henschel (18 February 185010 September 1934) was a German-born British baritone, pianist, conductor, and composer. His first wife Lillian was also a singer. He was the first conductor of both the Boston Symphony Orchestra ...
(voice and piano), "By the Waters of Babylon" (No. 7)
* Unknown date: (baritone) and unknown pianist, the complete cycle
* Unknown date:
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...
(bass) and unknown pianist, "Při řekách babylonských" (No. 7)
* 1952:
Marta Krásová (mezzo-soprano) and
Přemysl Kočí
Přemysl Kočí (1 June 1917 – 15 January 2003) was a Czech operatic baritone, actor, music educator, stage director, theatre manager and official of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
Biography
Born in Rychvald, Kočí attended high s ...
(baritone) with Miroslav Kampelsheimer (organ). First known LP recording. 10" mono LP
Supraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.
History
The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. ...
DM 5128
* 2004 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christian Gerhaher, Bariton
Nikolaus Harnoncourt Live - the radio recordings rco19007 2022
References
External links
*
*
*
{{italic title
1894 compositions
1895 compositions
Song cycles by Antonín Dvořák
Classical song cycles in Czech
Psalm settings