Zoltán Kodály wrote a choral setting of the Christian hymn ''Te Deum''. First performed in 1936, this ''Budavári Te Deum'' is in a traditional Hungarian folk-music idiom but employs creative compositional methods unique to Kodály.

Text

Te Deum The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Chur ...

is a hymn of thanks and joy used in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic church. It is sometimes referred to as the “Ambrosian Hymn” because the text was once believed to be by St. Ambrose,Gray, Cecil. "Zoltan Kodaly." ''Tempo'', Vol. 3, Issue 63 (1963): 22–27 but it is now attributed to

Nicetas Nicetas or Niketas () is a Greek given name, meaning "victorious one" (from Nike "victory"). The veneration of martyr saint Nicetas the Goth in the medieval period gave rise to the Slavic forms: ''Nikita, Mykyta and Mikita'' People with the name N ...

, Bishop of Remesiana. Its liturgical use is year-round except for

Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...

and the penitential season of

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

Recordings

Kodály's setting of ''Te Deum'' has been recorded numerous times. A couple of examples are listed. * Zoltán Kodály and the Budapest Chorus, Polygram, 1990. * Janos Ferencsik and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Hungaraton, 1994.Ferencsik, Janos and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. ''Kodaly: Budavári Te Deum & Missa Brevis''. Hungaraton, 1994, CD.

Analysis

This work references a stylistic choice used in all of Kodály’s compositions, to reference the tools used in traditional Hungarian folk music. In this way, he was quite similar to Béla Bartók, who also used these traditional resources in his compositions. The works of these two composers use certain pentatonic groups, isometric strophe structure, and tempo giusto most commonly. It can be seen from this example that most of the ''Te Deum'' follows the traditional compositional style of Kodály. Not only does one see stepwise motion in two of the voices (one of the common pentatonic groups he uses), but one also notices the leap of a fourth in the first measure in the bass line. This is a technique of Hungarian folk music that Kodály commonly uses, and continues to use consistently throughout ''Te Deum'', particularly in the bass line. As is common in Hungarian folk music, he employs verse structure, giving each section of the text its own individual musical style. There are no true or even tonal repeats at all throughout the work. Kodály begins the work in A minor, however he modulates multiple times throughout this lengthy work. He slowly modulates upward by step until the B section, during which he moves to E-flat major. The C section moves to E major. The D section slows down significantly, changing from 4/4 to 3/4 and introduces B-flat major. This is the solo section, and continues on in B-flat major, and it finally returns to E major. The remainder of the work contrasts between E major and E-flat major, ending in A major. The work contains a large amount of dynamic contrast, consistently alternating between forte and piano (or pianissimo). The overall mood of the dynamic starts forte and slowly wind down to a pianissimo finish.

References

Citations Sources * Kodály, Zoltán. ''Te Deum'', Choral Score. London: Universal Edition, 1952. * Szabolcsi, B. “Zoltan Kodaly.” ''Studia musicological Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae'', Vol. 14, No. 1 (1972): 5-9. doi: 0039-3266. {{DEFAULTSORT:Te Deum (Kodaly) Compositions by Zoltán Kodály Kodaly 1936 compositions