The Sonata on the 94th Psalm in C minor is a sonata for solo organ by Julius Reubke, based on the text of Psalm 94. It is considered one of the pinnacles of the Romantic repertoire.
It is in three movements:
An average performance lasts 23 – 28 minutes.
Reubke composed the sonata while he was studying piano and composition in Weimar with Franz Liszt, and living at the Altenburg house. He composed it at the same time as his other large work, the Piano Sonata in B-flat minor, and finished it in April 1857. He dedicated it to Professor Carl Riedel and played the premiere on the Ladegast organ (1853-1855) of Merseburg Cathedral on June 17, 1857.
The 94th Psalm Sonata is considered to be inspired by Liszt's Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam, Piano Sonata, symphonic poems and Wagner's operas. It is nonetheless a very individual work composed well for the organ, requiring advanced pedal technique and a resourceful use of all the organ's departments.
The 94th Psalm sonata is a symphonic poem, and the three movements are connected but formally independent. It is programme music in that the text of the psalm is used to inspire the mood of the piece. These verses accompanied the first performance:
(Grave - Larghetto)
1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
Herr Gott, des die Rache ist, erscheine.
2 Arise, thou Judge of the world: and reward the proud after their deserving.
Erhebe Dich, Du Richter der Welt: vergilt den Hoffärtigen, was sie verdienen.
(Allegro con fuoco)
3 Lord, how long shall the ungodly triumph?
Herr, wie lange sollen die Gottlosen prahlen?
6 They murder the widow, and the stranger: and put the fatherless to death.
Witwen und Fremdlinge erwürgen sie und töten die Weisen
7 And yet they say the Lord shall not see: neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
und sagen: der Herr sieht es nicht an der Gott Jacobs achtet es nicht.
(Adagio)
17 If the Lord had not helped me: it had not failed but my soul had been put to silence.
Wo der Herr mir nicht hülfe, so läge meine Seele schier in der Stille.
19 In the multitude of sorrows that I had in my heart: thy comforts have refreshed my soul.
Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis in meinem Herzen, aber deine Tröstungen ergötzen meine Seele.
(Allegro)
22 But the Lord is my refuge: and my God is the strength of confidence.
Aber der Herr ist mein Hort und meine Zuversicht.
23 He shall recompense them their wickedness, and destroy them in their own malice.
Er wird ihnen Unrecht vergelten und sie um ihre Bosheit vertilgen.
The first and second movements are in sonata form; the third movement is a fugue which also has elements of sonata form. An impression of spontaneous improvisation is achieved by the overlapping and enmeshing of phrases and movements, which allows the avoidance of regular structures. All thematic phrases are also shaped irregularly, producing such great diversity that no musical idea is repeated exactly.
The opening theme of the piece provides the basis of all the rest of the thematic material. This music is an interpretation of the text 'Herr, Gott, des die Rache ist, erscheine'; a head-motif is followed by a descending chromatic scale. Ascending chords on the manual follow, a musical invocation of God. The development section of the first movement, from the allegro con fuoco, depicts the second group of verses, leading into a recapitulation in organo pleno.
The adagio second movement depicts the Bekümmernisse (sorrows) and Tröstungen (consolations) moods of the third group of verses, and closes with a reappearance of the opening theme of the sonata.
A furious fugue closes the work, depicting God's judgment and victory over evil. According to E. Power Biggs, Reubke inverts the second half of the original theme, thereby imparting a new drive, energy, and excitement to the music. The exposition and counter-exposition are regular, the subject appearing only on the tonic and dominant degrees of the scale. The opening chords of the sonata appear once more in a linking developmental episode, in a dotted rhythm and with full organ. Unlike similar dramatic compositions in which a contrasting lyrical theme is usually introduced, leading to a final victorious apotheosis, the sonata ends with an accelerated tempo and huge final C minor chords, depicting the gravity of divine judgment.
The 94th Psalm sonata is in the repertoire of most concert organists, and has been recorded by many well-known players such as E. Power Biggs, Catherine Crozier, Michael Schönheit, Simon Preston, Alan Morrison, Virgil Fox, Christopher Herrick, Gillian Weir, Jeremy Filsell, Daniel Roth, Kevin Bowyer, David Briggs and Jean Guillou. There is also a variation of the piece compiled and performed by Timothy Howard as part of his organ soundtrack score for the 1922 film, "Nosferatu."
Organist | Organ | Year | Label | Catalogue Number | Medium | Mono/Stereo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E. Power Biggs | Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Methuen, Massachusetts | 1953 | Columbia Masterworks | ML 4870 | LP | Mono |
Virgil Fox | John Hays Hammond Museum, Gloucester, Massachusetts | 1955 | RCA Victor | LM-1917 | LP | Mono |
Simon Preston | Westminster Abbey, London | 1985 | Deutsche Grammophon | 415 139-2 | CD | Stereo |
Christopher Herrick | Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík | 1996 | Hyperion | CDA66917 | CD | Stereo |
David Briggs | First Congregational Church, Los Angeles | 1999 | Delos | DE3241 | CD | Stereo |
The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a, was published in 1998.
Friedrich Julius Reubke was a German composer, pianist and organist. In his short life, he composed the Sonata on the 94th Psalm in C minor, which is considered to be one of the greatest organ works in the romantic repertoire.
Kevin John Bowyer is an English organist, known for his prolific recording and recital career and his performances of modern and extremely difficult compositions.
Gott ist mein König, BWV 71, is a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach written in Mühlhausen when the composer was 22 years old. Unusually for an early cantata by Bach, the date of first performance is known: at the inauguration of a new town council on 4 February 1708.
Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21 in Weimar, possibly in 1713, partly even earlier. He used it in 1714 and later for the third Sunday after Trinity of the liturgical year. The work marks a transition between motet style on biblical and hymn text to operatic recitatives and arias on contemporary poetry. Bach catalogued the work as e per ogni tempo, indicating that due to its general theme, the cantata is suited for any occasion.
Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht, BWV 105 is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the ninth Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 25 July 1723. The musicologist Alfred Dürr has described the cantata as one of "the most sublime descriptions of the soul in baroque and Christian art".
Johann Ernst Bach was a German composer of the Classical Period. He was the son of Johann Bernhard Bach.
Psalm 94 is the 94th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 93. In Latin, it is known as "Deus ultionum". This psalm is referred to as one of the Royal Psalms, Psalms 93–99, praising God as the King of His people, although as Gordon Churchyard notes, God is referred to here as judge rather than king.
Psalm 146 in A major by Anton Bruckner is a psalm setting for double mixed choir, soloists and orchestra. It is a setting of verses 1 to 11 of a German version of Psalm 147, which is Psalm 146 in the Vulgata.
The 66 Chorale improvisations for organ, Op. 65, were composed by Sigfrid Karg-Elert between 1906 and 1908, and first published in six volumes in 1909. The composition was dedicated to "the great organist Alexandre Guilmant".
Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält, BWV 178 is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the eighth Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 30 July 1724. It is a chorale cantata from his second annual cycle, based on the hymn "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält" (1524) by Justus Jonas, a paraphrase of Psalm 124.
"Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn" is a Lutheran hymn with a text written by Johann Georg Albinus as a paraphrase of Psalm 6. It was first printed with a formerly secular melody in Dresden in 1694. The song was included in 31 hymnals. The melody inspired musical settings both for organ and vocal works. The hymn was translated by Catherine Winkworth as "Not in anger, Mighty God", which appeared in 13 hymnals.
"Die Himmel rühmen des Ewigen Ehre", Op. 48/4, is a composition for voice and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven, setting the beginning of Christian Fürchtegott Gellert's poem "Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur", a paraphrase of Psalm 19. Beethoven composed it as part of a collection of lieder on texts by Gelllert, which was published in 1803, known as Gellert Lieder. "Die Himmel rühmen des Ewigen Ehre" became famous in arrangements for choir, "Die Himmel rühmen!" by Joseph Dantonello and "The Heavens are Telling" by Virgil Thomson.