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Deines Kind’s Gebet erhöre
[Father, Hear Thy Child’s Petition]
Op. 96, No. 2
The short, simple chorale for alto solo,
four-part choir, and organ, is set in B ♭ major,
common meter, and with a Non lento tempo.
Mendelssohn treats his original melody as a
single stanza sung by the soloist with organ
accompaniment which is then repeated by
the choir with organ doubling the voices.
Taken at the composer’s intended tempo,
the melody is very pleasant and appropriate
to the text. The harmony undergoes
considerable alteration in the choral section,
but only the fi fth of the seven phrases ends
on a different chord (A major instead of F
major). The second harmonization, vocally
conceived, is an improvement over the one
that accompanies the solo.
This chorale setting can be sung by any
choir with a mezzo soprano who will sing
the solo version of the chorale and basses
who can sing low F. Apart from the Carus
edition, the piece is currently only available
with German text.
Herr, wir traun auf deine Güte
[Lord, We Trust in Thy Great Goodness]
Op. 96, No. 3
A joyful outburst of faith, the Allegro is
in common meter and marked Con moto e
vivace in the third idition. The work, a ternary
form with coda, employs four complete
statements of the stanza.
Without introduction, the soloist presents
the melody and fi rst statement of the
text accompanied mainly by running eight
notes. This accompaniment remains essentially
the same until the fi nal phrase of the
song. Melodically, the whole piece is derived
from fi ve measures (Figure 3). The motives
3a and 3c always appear in the same form
while 3b has its fi rst interval inverted in the
extension of the B section. Altos and basses
take up the fi rst phrase of the melody which
is repeated a fi fth higher by the sopranos
and tenors with fi rst alto and then bass harmony.
The second phrase is then presented
homophonically, but its extension is treated
with imitative entrances that lead to the
dominant key.
The B section begins with the soloist
presenting a new melody in F minor. The
fi fth and sixth measures of this melody are
exactly the same (transposed) as the corresponding
measures of the original. Over the
next two measures, the melody descends
a seventh stepwise c 2 –d 1 . The soloist then
sings an inversion of the second melodic motive
(Figure 3b) with the last note descending,
two measures of new material, and the
concluding phrase (Figure 3c) in C minor.
The return of the A section begins in C
minor but with basses singing the fi rst two
measures of the melody (Figure 3a) note for
note. In turn, this is taken up by the tenors
at the fi fth, the altos at the octave, and the
sopranos an octave above the tenors. Once
a voice enters it continues with only brief
rests for the upper three voices. The section
proceeds as a mini-development section
based on the fi rst four measures. The only
complete statement of this theme comes in
the bass part, reinforced by octaves in the
organ bass clef, at measures 55–58. As the
basses reach the fi nal note of this phrase,
the sopranos jump a sixth to A ♭2 . The piece
reaches its climax eight measures later when
successive entries of Figure 3a in alto, tenor,
and soprano above a bass pedal tone B ♭
lead the sopranos to an extended forte A ♭2 .
A cadence on the dominant seventh by the
choir leads to the soloist’s entrance with
the second melodic motive (Figure 3b). This
phrase concludes similarly to the second
phrase of the B section. The choir then takes
up the melody from the soloist and closes
with an extension similar to that of the A
section but ending on the tonic.
The coda consists of short phrases
passed between the soloist and choir, a complete
rendering of the second half of the text
by the soloist on a melody that sequences
upward, and a strong statement of the fi nal
line of the text by chorus, soloist, and organ
in long notes. A clever, well-integrated work,
Her, wir traun, auf deine Güte, will prove not
diffi cult and rewarding for those who attempt
it.
These Drei geistliche Lieder were intended
by the composer to be sung as one work
with no pauses. However, they have been
published as separate pieces and each can
stand alone as a single anthem for a worship
service. The fi rst two are penitent in nature
and would be appropriate for Lent or any
service where a statement of confession is
needed. The Andante is available in many
English versions. The second and third pieces
are only published with their English texts in
scores with the other pieces (see the Carus
editions). Number 3 would serve very well
for any celebration of thanks and praise.
Hear My Prayer
[Hör, mein Bitten, Herr, neige dich zu mir]
The hymn, Hear My Prayer, was composed
in 1844 with the English text, but later
published with the addition of a German
Choral Journal • April 2010 37