''Salmo 150'' (Psalm 150) is a psalm setting by

Ernani Aguiar Ernani Henrique Chaves Aguiar (born 30 August 1950 in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian composer, choral conductor, and musicologist. Life and career A scholarship winner to the Argentine Mozarteum, Aguiar studied under vari ...

. He wrote the composition, setting

Psalm 150 Psalm 150 is the 150th and final psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the . Praise God in his sanctuary". In Latin, it is known as "Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius". In Psalm 150, the psalmist ...

in Latin for unaccompanied choir, in 1975. The short work was published by Earthsongs in the U.S. in 1993, and achieved international popularity.

History

, the final psalm of the Book of Psalms, calls to praise God in music, listing nine types of instruments. It is also called "the musicians' psalm". It has inspired composers such as Anton Bruckner, Cesar Franck and Igor Stravinsky, and

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

. The Brazilian composer

, who has been active also as conductor, professor, and musicologist, composed ''Salmo 150'' in 1975 for choir a cappella, as a setting in Latin of

, beginning "Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius". It was published by the U.S. publisher Earthsongs in 1993, edited by Maria Guinand, in two versions, for mixed choir (

SATB SATB is an initialism that describes the scoring of compositions for choirs, and also choirs (or consorts) of instruments. The initials are for the voice types: S for soprano, A for alto, T for tenor and B for bass. Choral music Four-part harm ...

) and for high voices (SSA). The work, which takes about 1 1/2 minutes to perform, became one of Aguiar's most popular compositions, described as likely the most frequently performed choral work from Brazil in the U.S..

Music

The composition in one movement is in 12/8 time and marked ''Allegro con brio''. The music has been described as rhythmic and energetic.

Performance and recording

Thomanerchor, Lutherkirche, Wiesbaden, RMF

''Salmo 150'' was part of a 2008 album of Christmas Music, ''Lux Beatissima'', sung by the Constant chamber choir conducted by . Andreas Reize, Bach's 18th successor as

Thomaskantor (Cantor at St. Thomas) is the common name for the musical director of the , now an internationally known boys' choir founded in Leipzig in 1212. The official historic title of the Thomaskantor in Latin, ', describes the two functions of cantor a ...

conducting the

Thomanerchor The Thomanerchor (English: St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig) is a boys' choir in Leipzig, Germany. The choir was founded in 1212. The choir comprises about 90 boys from 9 to 18 years of age. The members, called ''Thomaner'', reside in a boarding sch ...

, chose ''Salmo 150'' as the opening piece for the choir's concert as part of the choral festival Deutsches Chorfest 2022 at the

Thomaskirche , native_name_lang = , image = Leipzig Thomaskirche.jpg , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt ...

and broadcast by Deutschlandfunk. It opened also his first summer program with the choir, called ''Salmo!''. It was presented at the Thomaskirche, and on a tour to the

Merseburg Cathedral Merseburg Cathedral (german: Merseburger Dom) is the proto-cathedral of the former Bishopric of Merseburg in Merseburg, Germany. The mostly Gothic church is considered an artistic and historical highlight in southern Saxony-Anhalt. History Back ...

and at the Lutherkirche in Wiesbaden as part of the

Rheingau Musik Festival The (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, ...

, among others.

References

External links

Salmo 150
Earthsongs 1993
Salmo 150
csupueblo.edu * {{italic title Psalm settings 1975 compositions Choral compositions