David’s Kyrie

Description

David’s Kyrie

a setting of Psalm 51 for SSAATTBB a cappella chorus

David’s Kyrie is a mixture of ancient and modern both in form and sonority with a text taken from selected verses of Psalm 51, King David’s great confession and petition for mercy after his adultery with Bathsheba. In studying this psalm, I noted that its first half resembles the traditional Kyrie of the Christian mass so I felt that it would be appropriate to reflect the medeival heritage of the Kyrie in this new music. Thus the form, melody, and title of this work are all inspired by medieval chant while its soundscape juxtaposes chant with modern Whitacre-esque clusters and dissonances. The form employs antiphonal discourse between cantor and choir in three stanzas. The cantor role, intoned in the tenor solos, uses a tune derived from the medieval Kyrie Cunctipotens Genitor (being, roughly, “Lord, all powerful father”) and is harmonized over a bass line liberally employing perfect fourths, fifths and octaves as would be found in chant. The cantor is answered by choir using late Twentieth-Century styled chord clusters which resolve into a cadence on extended tertian chords. In the third stanza, the cantor is replaced by the chorus, typically building from a single voice into dense clusters shimmering between dissonance and consonance.

The heading for Psalm 51 states that it is “For the director of music” underscoring the fact that all 150 psalms in the Bible were meant to be sung, as they have been for most of the last 3,000 years. It is my hope that David’s Kyrie will be an encouragement to continue that great heritage.

David’s Kyrie is an a cappella work suited to the advanced high school or higher level choir for the concert stage, or would make a wonderful addition to the sacred repertoire of the adventurous church ensemble. A piano reduction is provided for rehearsal. To view a full perusal score please visit my website at https://wheatmyermusic.com/product/davids-kyrie/

For your convenience I haven’t set a minimum order quantity for this piece. If you’re singing sacred music I want to believe I can trust you so I’m using the honor system. In return I ask that you purchase just the number of copies you need. If you want a perusal copy, then buy just one. If your choir has six members then order eight: one for you, one for your pianist, and six for your singers. If you have eighty singers then please order eighty-two. Makes sense, right? What about lost copies or added singers? Feel free to buy additional copies if you like but, if your initial purchase was made in good faith, I don’t mind if you print replacement/expansion copies.