(Out of the deep) is a choral composition by

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in p ...

. He wrote the work in 1980, a setting of

Psalm 130 Psalm 130 is the 130th psalm of the Book of Psalms, one of the penitential psalms and one of 15 psalms that begin with the words "A song of ascents" (Shir Hama'alot). The first verse is a call to God in deep sorrow, from "out of the depths" or ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for a four-part men's choir,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

(ad. lib.) and

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

. It was first performed at the

Martinskirche, Kassel St Martin's Church (German: Martinskirche) is a Protestant parish church in Kassel, Hesse, Germany. It is also the preaching-church of the bishop of the Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck. It is in the Gothic architecture, Gothic sty ...

on 25 April 1981, conducted by

Klaus Martin Ziegler Klaus Martin Ziegler (23 February 1929 – 22 September 1993) was a German choral conductor, organist and Protestant church musician. Career Ziegler was born in Freiburg. He studied music at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe and matriculated f ...

. Pärt dedicated the work of around 7 minutes to

Gottfried von Einem Gottfried von Einem (24 January 1918 – 12 July 1996) was an Austrian composer. He is known chiefly for his operas influenced by the music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev, as well as by jazz. He also composed pieces for piano, violin and organ. Bio ...

. It was published by

Universal Edition Universal Edition (UE) is an Austrian classical music publishing firm. Founded in 1901 in Vienna, it originally intended to provide the core classical works and educational works to the Austrian market. The firm soon expanded to become one of t ...

. Pärt arranged it for chamber orchestra in 2008.

History

Pärt composed the work a year after he left Estonia, first for Vienna and then Berlin. He set Psalm 130 in Latin, a text speaking of profound distress which has inspired composers through the centuries, from polyphonic settings by

Josquin des Prez Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

to use in an opera of the 21st century by Lera Auerbach. Pärt composed the work in his personal ''tintinnabuli'' style, using simple means of expression. He scored it for a four-part men's choir ( ),

( ad lib.) and

, and dedicated it to the Austrian composer

. It was first performed at the

on 25 April 1981 by the Vokalensemble Kassel conducted by

. Pärt arranged it for chamber orchestra in 2008.

Music

De profundis is in one movement, set for a male choir in four parts, organ and percussion. The optional percussion might be bass drum,

tam-tam A gongFrom Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and are circular and fl ...

and a single

tubular bell Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillons, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells withi ...

. The organ provides in deep registers a slow continuous

ostinato In music, an ostinato (; derived from the Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces inc ...

pattern. Pärt built the voices from simple melodic phrases, increasing gradually to a climax. They begin in low register, rising and reaching a passage of unison of the four parts, before returning to silence, marked by a final sound of a bell.

Selected recordings

De profundis was first recorded in 1990 sung by the

Hilliard Ensemble Hilliard Ensemble was a British male vocal quartet originally devoted to the performance of early music. The group was named after the Elizabethan miniaturist painter Nicholas Hilliard. Founded in 1974, the group disbanded in 2014. Although ...

as part of a CD ''Arbos'' of sacred music by Pärt. It appears on a 1996 CD titled ''De Profundis'', performed by the choir

Theatre of Voices Theatre of Voices is a vocal ensemble founded by baritone Paul Hillier in 1990;www.paulhillier.net
. Retrieved March 9 ...

conducted by

Paul Hillier Paul Douglas Hillier OBE (born 9 February 1949) is an English conductor, music director and baritone. He specializes in both early and contemporary classical music, especially that by composers Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt. He was a co-founder o ...

. A reviewer wrote: "De Profundis (1980) is an impassioned and yet simple vocal setting ... where the voices climb out of the very depths of despair, with a funereal drum beat. Immediately we are drawn into an atmosphere of impassioned worship and reverence." It was recorded in 1997 by the choir

Polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chord ...

, conducted by

Stephen Layton Stephen David Layton (born 23 December 1966) is an English conductor. He was raised in Derby, where his father was a church organist. He was a chorister at Winchester Cathedral, and subsequently won scholarships to Eton College and then King's ...

, among many other recordings. The piece closes a 2013 recording, again titled ''De profundis'', sung by

Orphei Drängar Sångsällskapet Orphei Drängar (OD) is a Swedish male voice choir and singing society based in Uppsala, Sweden. While best known for its high quality performances of the classical repertoire, OD sings music of all genres in many different lang ...

, and conducted by Cecilia Rydinger Alin. The program notes describe the composition as a meditative setting creating "a mystical atmosphere".

References

External links

Arvo Pärt (b1935): De Profundis
saturdaychorale.com 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:De Profundis (Part) Choral compositions by Arvo Pärt 1980 compositions Psalm settings