Reflections on Psalm Twenty-Three: selected works

This project report examines selected choral settings of the Twenty-Third Psalm from Catholic liturgical chant to settings by twentieth-century composers. Examples discussed are by composers such as Le Jeune, Sch????tz, Firth, Thompson, and McFerrin who utilized strophic forms, and by Bach, Schubert, Stanford and Rutter who developed substantially larger works. Biographical information on each composer, and compositional techniques including elements of chant are addressed. Sources and adaptations of the text are considered, as well as the pastoral appeal of Psalm Twenty-Three. Controversial social, religious, and cultural changes that have impacted the musical style and form of these interpretations are also explored