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Your Church Choir
Can Sing Mendelssohn!
imitation. In both versions, the full choir
enters at measure 80 beat three and concludes
the section. In three-two meter, an
Andante con moto follows. Points of imitation
alternate between soli and tutti throughout
this section. Common meter starts with
the Maestoso and continues to the end of
the work. The section introduces martial
rhythms and block chords on the words “He
hath shew’d strength with His arm” before
yielding to imitation. The Andante fi fth section
is a clever combination of homophonic
and imitative phrases with the two ideas
united in the penultimate phrase (Figure 11).
It uses only solo voices unaccompanied. All
forces return for the Allegro (sixth section),
which introduces two separate themes in
succeeding phrases and then combines the
two (Figure 12). The Gloria Patri, similar to
the other Gloria Patri sections in these English
works, is hymn-like, but Mendelssohn cleverly
repeats the material of the fi rst phrase in
the second and trades parts between tenor
and soprano. This Magnifi cat is perhaps the
fi nest of these English pieces.
Within the literature, it constitutes
'one of the most important works of
the nineteenth century,' according to
Hermann Kretschmar. It is intensely
contrapuntal, strict to the point of
severity, and not easy to perform.
But it enchants the listener through
its wonderful lucidity of choral setting
and through its variety of moods. 25
With the Te Deum, these pieces for the
Anglican service present music that fi ts well
in worship and is approachable by many
church choirs. Whether one chooses to perform
the music with organ accompaniment
or unaccompanied is a matter of personal
taste or necessity. Mendelssohn did not live
long enough to comment on the German
edition. As is the case with many Anglican
anthems of the Baroque era and much other
music of that period, choirs with capable
soloists will be able to produce convincing
performances of these works. Though the
Magnifi cat is a bit long for many services,
its inclusion on special occasions should
be welcomed. Choirs who attempt any of
these works will fi nd the process extremely
rewarding.
The Hundredth Psalm,
Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt 26
That Mendelssohn composed this Psalm
100 for a Jewish synagogue as Eric Werner
believed 27 has been disputed by R. Larry
Todd. 28 Mendelssohn had been requested to
compose either Psalm 24, 84, or 100 for the
dedication of the new temple in Hamburg
in December 1843, but it is highly doubtful
that this Psalm 100 was in any way related
to the piece he composed for that occasion.
Psalm 100 is divided into three sections
with no unifying material. The two outer
sections are in the key of C major and use
four-part choir. After the Andante con moto
opens with a chordal statement, “Nations
Give Thanks to the Lord”
(Figure 13), the piece unfolds
in alternating imitative and
homophonic phrases. The
middle section in F major
employs eight solo voices.
This Poco lento begins with
eight bars in which the
women answer the men and
then this phrase is presented
in reverse, men answering
women. The final section
consists of an eight-bar
phrase sung by altos, tenors,
and basses which is repeated
in four parts with the sopranos
singing the melody an
octave higher than it was
44 Choral Journal • April 2010