July 2, 2009

• The Psalms in Harmony by Goudimel

   1662, just three years after the completion of the Genevan Psalter, Claude Goudimel published the 4-part harmony settings. This publication allowed singers to sing in 4-part harmony, often with the melody in the tenor, and it allowed musicians to play the psalms in ensembles. In the Calvin Year 2009 an edition has been released with the remarkable subtitle”Revised Mazmur Edition”. It is an Indonesian title on the cover of an English language publication of French Psalms.

  

  

  Here is short story...

  The state church in the Netherlands (Hervormde Kerk) sent a missionairy to Indonesia in 1967. From then to his return in 2004, the Reverend Harry Van Dop worked in the churches in Indonesia and was member of the committee for Church Music and he taught at the Theological University in Jakarta.

  In the Indonesian churches some of the Genevan tunes were known since the 17^th century already, but the translation was old and in need of improvement. Many psalms were not sung because they were not available.

  A musician himself, Pastor Van Dop took on a project to translate all Psalm in Indonesian (with local assistance), and he reworked the 1662 Goudimel edition so that the melodies were in the soprano and the keys were suitable for congregational singing. This resulted in the publication of “Mazmur Edisi Harmoni” in 1987. (Mazmur in Indonesian means Psalm in English.) This edition was not only sold in Asia, but there was also demand in Canada and the Netherlands.

  (Van Dop was asked about the cultural alignment between Genevan in the 16^th and 17^th century and Indonesia in the 20^th and 21^st century. He responded that on the streets of Jakarta music can be heard that we would classify as written in modes and that modal music is common in Indonesia. Therefore the Genevan tunes fit in the Indonesian musical culture.)

  The 2009 edition in front of us is not a scan of the 1987 edition. Van Dop decided to improve on his work of several decades ago. The new edition is improved based on especially the feedback of organist, musician, and scientist, Dr. Gert Oost (who passed away earlier this year). It is not an identical copy of Goudimels 1662 edition, but edited for congregational use with minimal compromise of the original.

  

  

  How to use this new edition? The publisher points to the Sunday worship services as well as choirs. Ensembles can play this music to provide a solid accompaniment. Every Psalm is written in two versions: one with the melody in the Soprano and one with the melody in the Tenor. Van Dop points out that some stanza’s can be very well accompanied with the melody in the tenor when the male voices are dominant in the singing. Then he adds he has heard these harmonies used at Elementary Schools, where the children sung in 2-part harmony, using only 2 voices of the harmony.

  The book is produced on good quality paper, with a ring binder, so the book stays always open on the piano or organ. The note setting is clear and good to read.

   

  This book includes a (MP3) CD with all psalms played in 4 part harmony, in both settings: melody in Soprano and melody in Tenor. The melody is played with a different stop, which makes it stand out nicely, especially with the tenor settings. The organist on the CD is Dick Sanderman, a well-known organist in the Netherlands. To save costs, this CD is made with an organ connected to a computer. The stops of the “Michaels Kerk” in Zwolle, the Netherlands, have been “sampled” and the recording is made using these authentic sounds through a computer program. This resulted in a realistic sounding recording, while it was not necessary to rent the church to make the recording.

   

  
  The Genevan Psalms arranged by Claude Goudimel. Revised Mazmur Edition
  Edited and adapted by Harry van Dop. CD included: MP3-files of all psalms, played by Dick Sanderman. Publisher: Cantique, Rijssen 2009. 162 blz. € 39,95
  Website: http://www.cantique.nl/orgelmuziek/orgelmuziek/claude-goudimel-genevan-psalms-mazmur.php
  (Click on the English flag for the English language)

   

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