Chichester Psalms is an extended choral composition in three movements by Leonard Bernstein for boy treble or countertenor, choir and orchestra.
[1] Bernstein scored the work for a reduced orchestra, but also made a version for an even smaller ensemble of organ, one harp, and percussion.
[4] Bernstein made his own selection from the psalms, and decided to retain the original Hebrew for an ecumenical message, focused on the "brotherhood of Man".
Word painting is used in that the dissonant sevenths present in every chord sound like clanging bells, indicating that we are being told to awaken in a deep and profound way.
Its last words, "Ki tov Adonai," recall the 7th interval presented as the main theme in the introduction.
Bin'ot deshe yarbitseini, Al mei m'nuḥot y'nahaleini, Naf'shi y'shovev, Yan'ḥeini b'ma'aglei tsedek, L'ma'an sh'mo.
Yit'yats'vu malchei erets, V'roznim nos'du yaḥad Al Adonai v'al m'shiḥo.
(sopranos (Psalm 23)) Ta'aroch l'fanai shulḥan Neged tsor'rai Dishanta vashemen roshi Cosi r'vayah.
"David" Ach tov vaḥesed Yird'funi kol y'mei ḥayai V'shav'ti b'veit Adonai L'orech yamim.
The second movement begins with the Psalm of David set in a conventional meter (34) with a tranquil melody, sung by the boy treble (or countertenor), and repeated by the soprano voices in the chorus.
This is abruptly interrupted by the orchestra and the low, rumbling sounds (again word painting) of the men's voices singing Psalm 2 (also notably featured in Handel's Messiah).
This is gradually overpowered by the soprano voices (with the direction—at measure 102 in the vocal score only—"blissfully unaware of threat") with David serenely reaffirming the second portion of Psalm 23.
However, the last measures of the movement contain notes which recall the interrupting section, symbolizing mankind's unending struggle with conflict and faith.
The third movement begins with a conflicted and busy instrumental prelude which recapitulates the chords and melody from the introduction, then suddenly it breaks into the gentle chorale set in a rolling 104 meter (subdivided as 2+3+2+34) which recalls desert palms swaying in the breeze.
Hineh mah tov, Umah na'im, Shevet aḥim Gam yaḥad Behold how good, And how pleasant it is, For brethren to dwell Together in unity.
This same note is that on which the choir then sings the Amen, while one muted trumpet plays the opening motif one last time and the orchestra, too, ends on a unison G, with a tiny hint of a Picardy third.
[7] The orchestra consists of 3 trumpets in B♭, 3 trombones, timpani, a five-person percussion section, 2 harps, and strings.
[1][7] A reduction written by the composer pared down the orchestral performance forces to organ, one harp, and percussion.
The interval of a seventh figures prominently throughout the piece because of its numerological importance in the Judeo-Christian tradition; the first movement is written in the unusual 74 meter.
In rehearsals, he is noted to have requested that the harpists play through the piece before the rest of the orchestra to emphasize the importance of the harps' role.
The instrumentalists were David Corkhill (percussion), Osian Ellis (harp) and James Lancelot (organ).
When Richard Hickox recorded the work in the 1980s, the composer gave his approval for the solo part to be sung by Aled Jones, then a treble.
A 2003 recording was performed by Thomas Kelly (treble) and the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop.
[5] In 2018 another recording by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge was released, this time conducted by Stephen Cleobury with George Hill as the treble soloist.