At this Sunday’s 10:30 am Mass the Parish Choir will sing John Rutter’s lively setting of Psalm 67.
The jubilant text of Psalm 47 has attracted a number of musical settings, notably by Giovanni Gabrieli for sixteen voices, Orlando Gibbons for eight voices, and Ralph Vaughan Williams for choir with brass and organ. In all these cases there is a sense that the composition is for a special occasion, which is equally true of Rutter’s setting, written in 1872 for an organists’ convention. Attneioni would inevitably focus on the organ part, and his aim was certainly to make it flamboyant and, to an extent, technically challenging. As for the choir part, its syncopated rhythms and changing meters appears less novel now then in the early 70s, but they still call for rhythmic precision and vitality.
At Communion, the choir will sing Palestrina’s well loved setting of Psalm 42, Like as the hart desires the water-brooks. Palestrina beautifully uses the Italian polyphonic style to present the text in Latin (Sicut Cervus). This setting offers a great contemplative way to approach the mysteries of the Mass as we step forward to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord.