K52 Symphonie de psaumes**
pour choeur [mixte] et orchestre – Symphony of psalms for [mixed] chorus and orchestra – Psalmensymphonie für gemischten Chor und Orchester – Sinfonia di Salmi. Per coro misto ed orchestra
* Not: des.
** The original editions have the main title in capital letters; the original programme printed ‘psaumes’ as ‘Psaumes’, as is often the case; the title for the original edition was only in French (original edition) and English (revised version).
Title: The title, as is often the case with Strawinsky, can be understood enigmatically. The Symphony of Psalms should originally have been called Symphonie Psalmodique. On 12th August 1930, Strawinsky set out his argument in response to an inquiry from André Schaeffner as to what's this title should actually mean; at this point, it was going to be called Symphonie Psalmodique. In terms of meaning, the French word ‘psalmodique’ has two meanings, because ‘psalmodier’ means to psalmodise as well as to mindlessly reeling off a melody, and ‘psalmodie’ can mean just the intonation of the psalms but also has the connotation of monotonously chanting them or even droning through them. Strawinsky also considered the nature of the word ‘psalmique’ (probably prompted by Schaeffner). It does not catch the exact meaning however, because it only describes a symphony in which psalms are sung by soloists or choirs. He was looking for a short title which contained the exact character of his Symphony. His Symphony is not a work into which he inserted Psalms in order or for them to be sung, but the opposite, he ‘symphonized’ the singing of the Psalms themselves, and that was something else entirely and difficult to express in words. The title of the Symphony is probably better expressed in the German translation ‘Psalmensymphonie’ than in the French or later in the English original. From a letter of Strawinsky to Ernest Ansermet of 3rd September, 1930, it can be seen that he had only very recently decided on the final title.
Scored for: a) First editions: 4 Flauti grandi, Flauto grande (poi Piccolo), 4 Oboi, Corno Inglese, 3 Fagotti, Contrafagotto, 4 Corni in fa, Tromba piccola in re, 4 Trombe in do, 2 Tromboni tenori, Trombone (basso), Tuba, Timpani, Gran Cassa, Coro (Soprani, Alti, Tenori, Bassi), Arpa, 2 Pianoforti, Violoncelli, Contrabassi [4 Flutes, Flute (also Piccolo), 4 Oboes, English horn, 3 Bassoons, Contrabassoon, 4 Horns in F, Piccolo Trumpet in D, 4 Trumpets in C, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone, Tuba, Timpani, Big Drum, Chorus (Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, Basses), Harp, 2 Pianos, Violoncellos, Double basses]; b) Performance requirements: Four-part mixed chorus, Piccolo Flute (= 5th Flute), 5 Flutes (5th Flute = Piccolo Flute), 4 Oboes, English horn, 3 Bassoons, Contrabassoon, 4 Horns in F, Piccolo Trumpet in D, 4 Trumpets in C, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone, Tuba, Timpani, Big Drum, Harp, 2 Pianos, Violoncellos, Double basses.
* If possible, boys voices should be used.
Performance practice:The three movements of the Symphonyare to be played continuously, but Strawinsky in his in own interpretation (incidentally a soft, not sharply contoured interpretation) allows them to run continuously into one another, but not without leaving slight pauses. The pauses do not exist as a result of the separation of the movements, but are in fact composed endings: the first movement ends with two pauses with a value of two minims, and the second movement with a tied-over minim with a fermata. The choir should use boys’ voices instead of women’s voices, but this is not obligatory.– In the sung language, Strawinsky wished to include breathing sounds in a certain melismatic points. Thus, figure 20 of the third movement should not be sung ‘Lau-da-te Eum in timpano’ but ‘Lauhau daha tehe Eum inhin timpano’. These instructions are also similar for the other parts.
Sources: The texts, chosen by Strawinsky himself, are three excerpts from a Latin translation of the 150 Hebrew Psalms of the Old Testament and he allocated one to each of the three parts of his Symphony. He took them from the Vulgata, a Latin Bible translation dating for the most part from St. Hieronymus, which had begun to replace the Itala translation since the 6th century and was the most generally used version in the late Middle Ages, which is why it took that name. The Council of Trent named it as the authoritative translation of the Bible of the Catholic Church. In any case, the Latin translation of the Psalms in the Vulgata does not stem from Hieronymus, whose (better) translation could not compete with the traditionally adopted version of the Hebrew original, which is in fact mistranslated at certain points. The Symphony of Psalms originally contained Slavic Church texts. The ‘Laudate Dominum’ after the ‘Alleluja’ of the slow section in the third movement (figures 1 and 2) was originally set to the Slavic ‘Gospodi Pomilui’ and was only changed in the course of the planning and on further reflection on the Latin text. Strawinsky also used a system of numbering which differs from the Hebrew Masoretic text and which is found in the Vulgata and he interpreted the texts as he found them. It is significant that Strawinsky did not use the more recent Latin translation of the Psalms, but preferred the Vulgata and with it the version used by the Church in the Middle Ages and Tridentine tradition. Strawinsky chose verses 13 and 14 from Psalm 38 for the first part of the Symphony, verses 2-4 from Psalm 39 for the second part and the entirety of Psalm 150 for the third part. Psalm 38, ‘Dixi custodiam’, is the prayer of someone suffering, who asks for help against the infirmity of this life before death; its place in the liturgy is in the Matins on the third day of the week (Tuesday) immediately after the first Antiphon which follows the hymn. Strawinsky took verses 13 and 14, which are the final verses, from the psalm, Psalm 39, ‘Expectans expectavi’, (in a more recent translation secundem novem psalterium, ‘Speravi Speravi’) is, in the christological interpretation, the thanksgiving and prayer of David and contains the command to sing to God a new song. First, it has the same liturgical place as Psalm 38 and is sung directly after it, but fulfils further functions in hourly prayer because it is sung firstly in connection with the first Antiphon, ‘Complaceat’, of the third nocturne in the Matins of the Office of the Dead and then is sung in connection with the second Antiphon, ‘Confundantur’, of the second nocturne in Friday Matins (the sixth day of the week). It therefore reminds one of the suffering and sacrifice of Christ. Consequently, the ‘Requiem Aeternam’ and the ‘Lux Perpetua’ are connected to the 24th sung verse as the end of the psalm text (verse 18 by scientific numbering) in the Matins for the Dead. In using verses 2-4, Strawinsky took the beginning of the Psalm; verse 1, the announcements of the Psalms of David, is not counted as a verse according to the Masoretic text The well known Psalm 150, ‘Laudate Dominum’, is a call to praise God with which the Psalter ends. In liturgical practice, it takes on the crowning function of the celebrations of the Easter liturgy. Thus, it concludes the solemn proceedings of Maundy Thursday, without the main verse framing it, during Easter week in the Missa Vespertina; in connection with the 5 thAntiphon, ‘O Vos Omnes’, it comes before the ‘Benedictus’ Antiphon of the Laudes on Easter Saturday; in the Easter Vigil, it is the Psalm for the ‘Alleluia’ Antiphon. It is however also sung in connection with the 5th Antiphon, ‘Omnis spiritus’ in the Laudes of the Office for the Dead, in turn followed by the ‘Requiem Aeternam’ and ‘Lux Perpetua’. It may be the psalm which is most often set for several voice-parts in European music history. With its few verses, it is one of the shortest songs of the Psalter. Strawinsky inserted it, following the custom for Easter, as the triumphant end to his Symphony and set the Psalm in its entirety. How much Strawinsky took the logic of the order of the texts from the Trois Motets for Soprano solo, Chorus and Organ by the French composer Jean Jules Roger-Ducasse (1873-1954) remains unclear, despite speculation which was already increasing in 1933 and expressed already in a letter of Jacques Handschin on 20th February 1931. These works were composed in 1911-1912 and were published by Durand; they were obviously already known at the time in St Petersburg. Strawinsky never mentioned anything about the matter in public while he was entering into many different dialogues on questions of detail regarding the Symphony of Psalms, revising that which seemed wrong to him and negating influences which in his opinion did not exist. Both Psalms 38 (39) and 39 (40) are, unlike Psalm 150, rarely noticed psalms because they are not a necessary part of the normal course of the Church year, and certain psalms are preferred for the Antiphons while the others, approximately two fifths of the collection, are not used. They are only found in the many-volume versions of the Complete Monastic Office for monastical hourly prayer and of course in the complete Psalter of the Old Testament. It is not an entirely insignificant question as to how Strawinsky conceived this combination of texts considering the existence at that time of a series of motets by another composer who had previously come to the same order of texts. Roger-Ducasse was someone who was also regarded as a composer at that time and who had already become Inspecteur du chant of the Paris schools by the age of 36 and successor of Paul Dukas as Professor of Composition at the Paris Conservatoire 1935.In any case, Handschin formulated his suggestion hidden in the possibility of an interpretation, as if he were assuming a knowledge of the Ducasse motets on the part of Strawinsky.
Translations:The modern church translations reproduced today for the purposes of understanding the Latin text in record supplements or popular biographies may come closer to the Hebrew original in certain cases, but do not achieve what Strawinsky was intending, which was to select these psalm verses, and no others also. Even in the Catholic Church, there have long been new Latin translations of the Psalms, including for those featured in the Symphony of Psalms. For Strawinsky, it is significant that he did not connect with the newer Latin translation of the Psalms, but confined himself to the Vulgate and its mediaeval Tridentine contents. The subsequent translated texts correspond word-for-word to the Vulgate original and are approved for the Catholic Tridentine rite. Strawinsky became familiar with them in this version. Each psalm verse is made up of two half verses, between which in liturgical psalm singing, a short, but noticeable pause is inserted, while the verses themselves are sung in such a way that they (almost) roll into one another. The pause between the half verses is then indicated by + (in liturgical books, always with an asterisk = *), and the end of the verse in the sung version with an oblique (/). The differences from the academic numbering are indicated by inserting the authentic Vulgate verse numbers in square brackets.
Psalm numbering and Psalm Quotation: The Greek and Latin translations of the Hebrew Psalms differ from the Hebrew numbering system. The Catholic “Vulgate” (also the “Septuagint”) brings Psalms 9 and 10 together, and thus, beginning from the 10th Psalm, the numbering falls behind by one in comparison with the Hebrew system. This remains the case, excluding Psalms 114-116, up to the 147th Psalm, which the Vulgate splits into two separate Psalms, so that from Psalm 147, the Catholic system of counting (the Lutheran Bible uses the same system of numbers, as is also in the Unified Bible, based on the Hebrew Masorete text) once again corresponds with the Hebrew. In addition, the Vulgate changes the numbering of Psalms 114-116. It adds Psalm 115 to Psalm 113, so that the Vulgate numbering at Psalm 114 differs by two with respect to the Hebrew version. Since the Vulgate however then divides what is the 116th Psalm in the Hebrew system into two Psalms, 114 and 115, the difference between the systems is reduced by one with Psalm 116 in the Vulgate. In Catholic theology, the numbering is based on the Vulgate numbering, but the Hebrew numbers are added in brackets. Strawinsky took his texts from the Vulgate and specified them accordingly, so that Psalm 38 was cited as Psalm 38 (39), Psalm 39 as Psalm 39 (40) and Psalm 150 as Psalm 150. The numbering of verses, not the numbering of the psalms themselves, is also handled in different ways inside the Catholic Church, depending on whether it is in the context of academic theology or the monastic practice of the Liturgy of the Hours. Verses 13 and 14 of Psalm 38 in the practice of the psalmody are therefore verses 16 to 18, and verses 2 to 4 of Psalm 39 are verses 1 to 5. These discrepancies are connected with the practice of delivering the psalmody, which for reasons of the repetition of longer sections of psalm verses are broken up into smaller sung units and, for the sake of necessity, are also separately through-numbered. That is not however always the case. Psalm 150 for example, with which the Symphony of Psalms ends, has in the academic numbering six verses, but in the sung Gregorian psalmody only five.
Construction:
The
Symphony of Psalms consists of three metronomisided movements without separate title numbered with Roman numerals. The movements are to be played without a break between them and, with the exception of the third movement, do not contain any explicitly indicated markings for the structural sections. In any case, the pauses are incorporated into the composed endings: the first movement ends with two pauses of two-minim worth; the second movement ends with a tied-over minim with a fermata. –
In accordance with the supplication character of the first movement, the first section enters almost as a monologue with the Alto part after a four-part instrumental introduction (figures 1-4: 25 = 3+4+6+12 bars). The melody of the Alto part is anticipated in the eight bars of the second section of the fourth part of the introduction. The choice of the dark alto voice for the monody as well as its limited range, which covers the span of a major second, indicates a mourning motif, with which they pray that God might hear their prayer. Consequently follows after a solo from the choir which stands for the prayers leader a four-bar response of the cry of the four-part choir (figure 5) representing all prayers of the world. Here as well the range remains narrow. The bass sings only one note, the soprano and alto parts intone inside the range of a minor third, and the tenor however covers the range of an octave with two linked fifths. Four instrumental bars simultaneously make up the Postlude, Interlude and Prelude (figure 6). The alto part then repeats its mourning phrase identically with a new text (figures 7 and 8). The rest of the movement consists of a response which comes first contrapuntally between the choirs and then homophonically in all parts. The formal structure of the movement A-B-C-D-B1-C2, of which A and D are instrumental sections, B is the solo from the choir and C is the choral section, which hinder us to interpret the work as approaching a classical symphony in any way. –
The second movement is a four-part double fugue which does not conform to the classical, 3-part structure outlined in music textbooks since the second fugue subject is derived from the first; both the fugues stand by themselves as instrumental and vocal fugues, but overlap one another (a device of which Strawinsky was very proud). The movement ends homophonically after a short instrumental interlude in heavy chords. –
The third movement is constructed from a formulated interplay of fast and slow sections and choral and instrumental sections with calls incessant of ‘Laudate’ interspersed throughout; the movement begins with a slow section because, as Strawinsky himself said, one should not be in a hurry when praising God. The movement is predominantly homophonic; it is framed by the ‘Alleluia’ in the manner of a framing verse and is simultaneously split by means of a mediant. The movement ends as it began, with an ‘Alleluia’ call and a final ‘Laudate’. The Psalm itself repeats the ‘Laudate’ ten times in total, but in Strawinsky’s version, there are 103 ‘Laudate’ calls split between Soprano (24), Alto (21), Tenor (27) and Bass (31).
Structures
(original and revised version)
I
Tempo Crotchet = 92 (figure 81 up to the end of figure 13 7)
II
Tempo Quaver = 60 (figure 51 up to the end of figure 17 5)
III
Tempo Crotchet = 48 (figure 31 up to the end of figure 2 10)
Minim = 80 (figure 3 up to the end of figure 11 12)
Tempo Io Crotchet = 48 (figure 1 2)
Tempo Minim = 80 (figure 13 up to the end of figure 19 8)
Rallentando * (figure 19 7)*
Tempo Minim = 48** (figure 20 up to the end of figure 21 6)
Molto meno mosso, rigorosamente Crotchet = 72*** (figure 22 up to the end of figure 28 6)
Doppio movimento Crotchet = 48**** (figure 29 1-8)
* Original version. Revised version: Meno mosso Minim = 60.
** Original version. Revised version: Tempo Halbe = 48 Crotchet = 96.
*** Only the Revised version. In the Original version, there is no entry at this point.
**** Original version. Revised version: Tempo Io Crotchet = 48.
Corrections / Errata
Full score 52-4 Errata Sheet
Pagina 5: One bar before figure 5, Cor Anglais, Note is F ( not C); pagina 11: first bar, First Flute, first note is Bb ( not B); pagina 15: first bar, Second Bassoon, last note but one is F ( not G); pagina 33 first bar, Third and Fourth Flutes, third note is G# ( not G); pagina 36: two bars before figure 7, Second Flute, last note is C ( not A); pagina 41: third bar, Third Flute, second note is C ( not E); pagina 52: second bar, First and Second Flutes, last note is D# ( not D); pagina 60: last bar, First Trumpet, the note is C ( not B); pagina 62: first bar, Third Trumpet, the note is Ab.
Style: The outside picture of the score of the Symphony of Psalms appears to refer to one of the typical neo-classical, musical works free of markings from which can be inferred that everything that is necessary is contained in the notes and there is no need for any interpretation while on the contrary the fundamental elements do not just come from the notes but must be conveyed from the composer. Strawinsky's own interpretation includes numerous crescendi, decrescendi, rubati and other agogic subtleties which are not present in the printed score. – The Symphony of Psalms begins with a motor rhythm but avoids dynamic or agogic suggestions, and it seems that it should be played like the mechanistic parts of the Sonata or Serenade. This sober musical picture, however, conceals an overgrown musical landscape of dynamic and agogic differentiations. The three movements of the Symphony are clearly characterised and proceed from a psalmodising prayer with narrow tessitura in the first movement through transparent, articulated contrapuntal writing for many parts in the second to the homophonic hymn of the third movement, which shines over the entire work. Through this journey, the statically treated material receives an overall direction because the process does not function as a sequence, but the last movement becomes the goal. The three-movement structure of the work also corresponds to a typology of the Psalms which are sung themselves here in their different manners: psalmodising in mourning, en masse in hope, rejoicing in praise. The compositional basis of the entire work is a combination of thirds consisting of two minor thirds and one major third, and the compositional analysis is identical for the different forms in which they appear. Strawinsky rewrites the chromatically cramped thirds in their corresponding sixths using his well known registral-swapping technique. Accordingly, the instrumental theme begins C2-E flat2-B2-D2, of which the two minor thirds are C-E flat and B-D, but the fact that they are thirds is concealed by the ascending registral shift upwards from E flat to B. Alongside the montage of thirds, a rhythmic model of a 4/4 bar is structurally important: crotchet rest - two quavers - two quavers - two quavers tied to the second quaver semibreve. This rhythmic model was the first idea conceived for the music of the Symphony of Psalms and indeed for the third movement. The text is not always sung in its entirety by each voice part, but is split between several voices. The meaning of the text is tailored by Strawinsky himself and makes the Symphony of Psalms into his first statement of belief which can be seen early on. Words from the text such as ‘meam’ and above all the word for ‘I’ (‘ego’) show who is praying and praising and for whom they are praying: the latter, which only appears once in the Latin text, is held on for a colossal length of time, 3 minims (first movement, figure 104), an effect used for only a few special words in the text. That subsequent words like ‘peregrinus’ are expanded with a leap of a compound octave-seventh in the Soprano over the maximum range of a 12th, emphasises the amount of alienation experienced by those who pray in this world.
Dedication: Cette symphonie composée / à la gloire de DIEU / est dédiée au / "Boston Symphony Orchestra" / à l'occasion / du cinquantenaire de son existence. - (This symphony composed / to the glory of GOD / is dedicated to the / "Boston Symphony Orchestra" / on the occasion / of its fiftieth anniversary).
Date of origin: in Nizza and Echarvines between beginning and autumn 1930.
History of origin: The Symphony of Psalms owes a great deal for its creation to Strawinsky's friend, conductor and publisher, Serge Koussewitzky, who wanted a symphonic work from Strawinsky for the 50th anniversary of his orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and gave him carte blanche for it. Strawinsky's publisher, Gabriel Païchadze, requested from Strawinsky, not for the first time, that he write something ‘popular’.In dry publishing language, this meant writing something which would also sell. Strawinsky turned the meaning on its head, interpreting it as if he had been invited to set something which was popular in the sense of “generally admired”, and so chose the 150th Psalm, because this was known worldwide and often set to music, but, in Strawinsky’s opinion, had never been set ‘objectively’. Koussevitzky in turn had in mind an orchestral piece; Strawinsky however, long set on a psalm setting, took the suggestion and produced a work for choir and orchestra. At first, it only included the 150th psalm, and was composed out to great lengths without the movement openings used today, before connecting the other two movements on before it. Strawinsky began with the fast sections of the third movement, then concentrated on the first and second movements, finally composing the slow sections of the third movement. We can therefore see that the famous combination of thirds which forms the technical framework of the entire symphony is derived in the first movement from the trumpet and harp motif of the opening of third movement, while the most important motif of the ubiquitous theme of thirds in the double fugue of the second movement was developed from an ostinato figure in the first movement, which in turn stems from the combination of thirds in the third movement. Originally, Strawinsky had Russian in mind as the sung language, and parts of the third movement grew out of the planned setting of the Slavic Church text. The impressions of the scene go back to the time of St Petersburg, and some appear in retrospect as having been intended programmatically. The Allegro of the third movement was linked to the heavenly journey of Elijah. He saw Elijah’s horses and chariot in the triplet figure played by the horns and piano. – The history of the composition of the Symphony of Psalms ran without interruption in what was a relatively short period of time for Strawinsky, eight-and-a-half months between January and August 1930 following the commission of Kussewitzky which came at the end of 1929. The sections of the third movement, which were to be completed before the first and second movements, were finished on 27th April in Nizza, and the second movement likewise on 17th July. The date of completion for the work is normally given as 15th August but it might well be that the finishing touches of the work were not completed until 18th August and Strawinsky may have wanted to use a meaningful feast day in the Church calendar such as 15th August, which is ‘the journey of Mary to heaven in the Roman-Catholic Church’ as the date of completion. In any case, the accepted German translation of the Latin Assumptio B. M. V. (B. M. V. = Beatae Maria Virginis) as the journey of Mary into Heaven (literally: the Assumption of Mary into Heaven) comes from popular piety and is theologically incorrect.
Duration: 21' 33".
First performance: Although the work was written for Koussewitzky, his publishing house and for Boston, the Symphony of Psalms was premiered on the 13th December 1930 in the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels by the Chorus and Orchestra of the Société Philarmonique de Bruxelles: this was under the auspices of the second concert of a Strawinsky Festival under the direction of Ernest Ansermet and it was repeated on the following day. Before the interval, the Overture to Mavra was played along with the first performance of the Four Orchestral Studies in that city and likewise the first performance there of the Capriccio with Strawinsky as the soloist. After the interval, the premiere of the Symphony of Psalms followed as the 4th item. To complete the concert was the l’Oiseau de Feu. The performance in Boston took place on the 19th December, 1930, which was also the American première, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Serge Koussewitzky.
Remarks:Ansermet was informed about the Symphony and was presumably also familiar with the movements. In his letter to Ansermet dated 3rd September 1930 from the Villa Waddington in Charavines-les-Bains, Isère, where the Strawinskys, in the composer’s opinion, in spite of the rainy weather, had spent the most beautiful summer of their lives, Strawinsky marked the completion of the Symphony of Psalmswith a date two weeks previously. In Strawinsky’s date markings, the religious reference is noteworthy. He noted 27th April as a Sunday “two weeks after the Resurrection”, and 15th August as “Mary’s Ascension” in the Roman Catholic Church. – The aged Strawinsky still remembered a Jewish master shoemaker, Gurian, who lived directly under Strawinsky’s flat in St Petersburg and struck up the Alleluia loudly on Easter days.
Strawinsky-Handschin: The musicologist Jacques Handschin, who came from Russia and authored one of the best, if also the smallest, monographs on Strawinsky, met with Strawinsky in 1909, according to Craft, and came to know the Symphony of Psalms at the end of 1932 and criticised the performance as too gentle. He obviously subscribed, along with Ansermet, to the image of the sharply contoured, hard Strawinsky. That the conductor allowed the three movements to run on, as proscribed, without a pause he felt was a failing and shared this with Strawinsky in a letter dated 10th November 1932. Handschin evidently did not know at the time that the conductor was only following the instructions in the score. This time, he criticised the lack of two or three Latin words between “Remitte” and “peccata mea” or something similar, which he noticed upon reading the text and which he had noted down. He recalled that Sacher had also noticed something similar. It must have been pretty funny when Handschin enquired of the composer as to what sort of a composer Strawinsky was if he could not summon up any inspiration for the last couple of words. The objection is incomprehensible. The words “peccata mea” are not in fact used at all in the Symphony of Psalms. Handschin probably meant the “ut refrigerer”, which he must have missed when he was only following the soprano part at the end of the first movement, because Strawinsky, as a result of the counterpoint, only put these words in the alto and tenor parts, while the soprano and bass parts only sing “Remitte mihi” (figure 12 6-7).
As can be seen from a further letter from Handschin to Strawinsky, dated 21st January 1933, Strawinsky defended himself and Handschin explained his argument. It comes across as though Handschin also wanted to discover mistakes in the 150th Psalm. In any case, he indicates that he has found all the bars of the Psalm. As a specialist in the Middle Ages, Handschin naturally new all about the problems between the Greek-Latin translation of the Bible and the original Hebrew text, and he did not neglect to share with Strawinsky that whilst none of the Latin words in his composition were wrong, the translation of the Bible in its entirety was incorrect. Strawinsky would not have cared much about this. He used the Vulgate again in later years when setting Bible texts. In terms of the meaning of Strawinsky’s conceptions, these are always based on the Vulgate text from the Middle Ages and from the later-certified translations which are based on this.
Significance: The Symphony of Psalms is the first public statement showing Strawinsky's altered beliefs after 1923 and provoked reactions accordingly.
Versions: As can be inferred from his correspondence, Strawinsky originally did not want the publishers to produce a conductor's score but said that it should be played from the manuscript. Despite this, both a piano reduction and a conductor's score was available for purchase from the Russian music publishers in 1931 and likewise for the pocket score a year later in 1932. The conductor's score was full of mistakes, so the publishers had to produce a list of errata to go with the publication which highlights nine falsely printed notes. The piano edition for two hands which is not by Strawinsky himself, rather by his son Sviatoslav, was in fact more a vocal score with piano part than an actual piano edition, and in any case served for learning and training purposes. All three editions were replaced in 1948 by revised editions which were produced by the publishers Boosey & Hawkes after Hawkes had bought up the rights for Strawinsky's music from the Russian publishers. The revisions were extremely minor. The contract for the Symphony of Psalms with the Russian publishing house was settled under the Roman numeral XIV on 20th December, 1931 after the piano edition had already been produced. Païchadze signed for the publishers. The contract for the revisions with Boosey & Hawkes was settled on 6th November 1950. The Symphony of Psalms is one of the most successful compositions of Strawinsky in terms of sales. The Russian music publishers sold over 800 copies of the piano edition between 1930 and 1938, of which more than 500 alone were sold in the first three years. The drop in sales came about in the years after 1933 when the publishers, hampered on all sides, lost their possibilities for expansion and struggled for their economic existence. While the conductor's score was not sold publicly, there were over 500 copies of the pocket score sold up to 1938. The errata were removed in the subsequent edition of the pocket score of 1966. The revised edition of the piano version was printed in March 1960 in an American edition; the revised version of the conductor's score kept an identical musical text but with anglization as was characteristic for the editions after 1957. The conducting score editions, which Boosey & Hawkes were responsible for publishing, were still produced with the old date 1931 (>XXXI<) up to Strawinsky’s death. The advertisement page, dated 1968, is in a modern style but has lost any sense of overall scheme, and is therefore more difficult to read due to a lack of fill dots.
Revised version 1948: The revised versions of the Symphony of Psalms which have appeared since 1948 (piano reduction = choral parts, conductor's score and pocket score) make up the minimally corrected editions, which Strawinsky had published in the context of the transfer of the rights from the Russian publishing house to Boosey & Hawkes. The obvious printing errors were removed and occasional articulation marks were inserted. In the first movement, Strawinsky removed seven accidentally doubled notes at figure 4 so that the woodwind sounds somewhat brighter. The most important structural change concerns figure 14 of the second movement. At this point, he removed the tuba part and rewrote parts for trumpets, tuba and timpani. At its strongest point, he used metronome markings when replacing the unmetronomic rallentando four bars before figure 20 in the third movement (there are no changes in the first and second movements) with minim=60 at the Meno mosso and at figure 22 added a Molto meno mosso, rigorously characterised with the marking crotchet=72. – The Nouvelle Révision = The new revision of 1948 of the Symphony of Psalms is the best document for the copyright emergency, from which most of the revised editions were taken.
Historical recordings: Paris 16. up to 18. February 1931, Théâtre des Champs-Clysées, Alexei Vlassoff-Choir and the Orchestra Walther Straram under the direction of Igor Strawinsky; New York 19th December 1946 with a mixed choir and the Columbia Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Igor Strawinsky; Toronto 30th March 1963 in the Massey Hall with the Festival Singers of Toronto rehearsed by Elmer Iseler and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Igor Strawinsky.
CD edition: IV-2/8-10 (Recording 1963).
Autograph: The autograph is owned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Copyright: without date by Édition Russe de Musique (Russischer Musikverlag) for the vocal score; 1931 by Russischer Musikverlag Berlin; 1948 by Boosey & Hawkes New York for the revised versions.
Editions
a) Overview
52-1 1930 [1931] VoSc; L; [Sviatoslav Strawinsky]; Russischer Musikverlag Berlin; 36 pp.; R.M.V. 504.
52-2 1931 FuSc; L; Russischer Musikverlag Berlin; 63 pp.; R. M. V. 561.
52-2Straw ibd. [with annotations].
52-3 1932 PoSc; L; Russischer Musikverlag Berlin; 63 pp.; R. M. V. 561.
52-3Straw ibd. [with annotations].
52-4 1948 FuSc rev.; L; Russischer Musikverlag / Boosey & Hawkes London; 63 pp.; B. & H. 16328.
52-4Straw ibd. [with annotations].
52-464 (1964) ibd.
52-464-Straw (1964) ibd. [with annotations].
52-4[65][1965] ibd,
52-4Err [1948] FuSc rev.; B. & H. 16328.
52-5 1948 VoSc rev.; L; Russischer Musikverlag / Boosey & Hawkes London; 35 pp.; B. & H. 16371.
52-560 1960 ibd.
52-5[68] [1968] ibd. 52-6 1948 PoSc rev.; L; Russ. Musikverlag / Boosey & Hawkes London; 63 p.; B. & H. 16328; 637.
52-669 1969 ibd.
b) Characteristic features
52-1 IGOR STRAWINSKY / SYMPHONIE de PSAUMES / ÉDITION RUSSE DE MUSIQUE // SYMPHONIE de PSAUMES / pour chœur mixte et orchestre / de / IGOR STRAWINSKY / Réduction pour chant et piano / par son fils SVIATOSLAV. / Prix: RM. 6.= / Frc. 8.=*/ ÉDITION RUSSE DE MUSIQUE / RUSSISCHER MUSIKVERLAG (G. M. B. H.**) / FONDÉE PAR S. ET N. KOUSSEVITZKY / BERLIN · LEIPZIG · PARIS · MOSCOU · LONDRES · NEW YORK · BUENOS AIRES / [°] / Imp. Delanchy-Dupré. – Paris-Asnières. / 2 et 4, Avenue de la Marne – XXX // (Vocal score with chant sewn 27.6 x 34.7 (2° [4°]); sung text Latin; 36 [36] pages + 4 cover pages brown on beige [front cover title, 3 empty pages] + 2 pages front matter [title page, empty page] + 2 pages back matter [2 empty pages]; title head >SYMPHONIE DE PSALMES<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 between title head and movement number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred >Igor Strawinsky / 1930<; legal reservations 1st page of the score below type area flush left centred >Propriété de l'Editeur pour tous pays / Edition Russe de Musique / Russischer Musikverlag G.m.b.H. Berlin< flush right centred >Tous droits d'exécution publique de reproduction / et d'arrangements réservés pour tous pays<; plate number >R. M. V. 504<; production indications 1st page of the score below type area p. 36 flush left italic > G. DUPONCHELLE Grav.<) centre >Imp. Delanchy-Dupré, Paris-Asnières.< flush right as end mark centred >Imp. Delanchy-Dupré – Paris-Asnières / 2 et 4, Avenue de la Marne – XXXI<) // 1930
° Dividing horizontal line of 0.8 cm.
* Currency units appear under another .
** G.M.B.H. is printed in smaller letters whereas B. and H. are printed below the G. and M.
52-2 IGOR STRAWINSKY / SYMPHONIE de PSAUMES / ÉDITION RUSSE DE MUSIQUE // [ X] // (Full score [library binding] 27,7 x 37,3 (2° [gr. 4°]); sung text Latin; 63 [63] pages + 4 cover pages black on blue-grey [front cover title, 3 empty pages] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >SYMPHONIE DE PSAUMES<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 above and next to movement title numbered in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred partly in italics >Igor Strawinsky / 1930<; legal reservations 1st page of the score below type area flush left centred >Russischer Musikverlag G. m. b. H. Berlin / Edition Russe de Musique / Copyright 1931 by Russischer Musikverlag G. m. b. H. Berlin.< flush right centred >Tous droits d'exécution, de reproduction et / d'arrangements réservés pour tous pays. / Propriété de l'Editeur pour tous pays.<; plate number >R. M. V. 517<; end of score dated p. 63 italic > Igor Strawinsky, Nice 1930<; production indications p. 63 flush left centred >Imp. Delanchy-Dupré – Paris-Asnières / 2 et 4, Avenue de la Marne – XXXI< flush right as end mark >GRANDJEAN Grav.<) // (1931)
52-2Straw
On the front cover title Strawinsky’s copy is signed and dated below >IGOR STRAWINSKY< with >1. oct. 1931< centre centred. The copy contains notes on performance and corrections [ 1st movement p. 13 figure 12 4: throughout pinstead of ¦ , above Flutes and in the soprano system ;2nd movement p. 22 figure 112 Tenor: last quaver e b2 instead of e2; 3rd movement p. 51 figure 118 Tenor: 1st quaver b b1 instead of b1; 3rd movement p. 57 figure 22 1to p. 62 figure 28 6(= end of the bar) Timpani set: throughout from the (incorrect) E and H to the (correct) e band b b; 3rd movement p. 58 figure 23 5Basses: 3rd minim c1 instead of a b].
52-3 IGOR STRAWINSKY / SYMPHONIE de PSAUMES / ÉDITION RUSSE DE MUSIQUE / RUSSISCHER MUSIKVERLAG (G. M. B. H.*) / FONDÉE PAR S. ET N. KOUSSEVITZKY / BERLIN · LEIPZIG · PARIS · MOSCOU · LONDRES · NEW YORK · BUENOS AIRES / [°] / S. I. M. A. G. - Asnières - 1932 // [title page = front cover titleei] // (Pocket score sewn 15 x 21 (8° [8°]); sung text Latin; 63 [63] pages + 4 cover pages black on bluegrey [front cover title, 3 empty pages] + 4 pages front matter [title page, page with dedication >Cette symphonie composée / à la gloire de DIEU / est dédiée au / " Boston Symphony Orchestra " / à l'occasion / du cinquantenaire de son existence.< + playing and performance markings with information on the sources from the PsalmsFrench >REMARQUES< signed centred >IGOR STRAWINSKY 1930<] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >SYMPHONIE DE PSAUMES<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 above and next to movement number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred partly in italics >Igor Strawinsky / 1930<; legal reservations 1st page of the score below type area flush left centred >Russischer Musikverlag G. m. b. H. Berlin / Edition Russe de Musique / Copyright 1931 by Russischer Musikverlag G. m. b. H. Berlin.< flush right centred >Tous droits d'exécution, de reproduction et / d'arrangements réservés pour tous pays. / Propriété de l'Editeur pour tous pays.<; plate number [exclusively] 1st page of the score >R. M. V. 561<; production indications p. 63 flush left centred >S. I. M. A. G. - Asnières-Paris. / 2 et 4, Avenue de la Marne – XXXII< flush right as end mark >GRANDJEAN grav.<) // 1932
° Dividing horizontal line of 0.3 cm.
* G.M.B.H. is printed in smaller letters whereas B. and H. are printed below the G. and M.
52-3Straw
Strawinsky’s copy is without cover, but sewn. The incorrectly notated timpani are not corrected.
52-4 igor strawinsky / symphonie / de psaumes / partition/ édition russe de musique · boosey & hawkes // Igor Strawinsky / Symphonie / de Psaumes / Partition · Full Score/ Nouvelle révision 1948 New revision/ Édition Russe de Musique (S. et N. Koussewitzky) · Boosey & Hawkes / London · New York · Sydney · Toronto · Cape Town · Paris · Buenos Aires // (Full score [library binding] 26.2 x 36.8 (2° [gr. 4°]); sung text Latin; 63 [63] pages + 4 cover pages tomato-red on green-greybeige [front cover title, 2 empty pages, page with publisher’s >Édition Russe de Musique / (S. et N. Koussewitzky) / Boosey & Hawkes< advertisements > Igor Strawinsky<* production data 453] + 4 pages front matter [title page, empty page, page with dedication >Cette symphonie composée / à la gloire de DIEU / est dédiée au / “ Boston Symphony Orchestra ” / à l'occasion / du cinquantenaire de son existence.<, legend >Orchestre< + playing and performance markings with information on the sources from the Psalms French >Remarques< English >Observations<] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >SYMPHONIE DES PSAUMES<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 above and next to movement number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred partly in italics >IGOR STRAWINSKY / 1930<; legal reservation 1st page of the score below type area flush left >Copyright by Édition Russe de Musique (Russischer Musikverlag) for all countries. / Printed by arrangement, Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / New revision copyright 1948 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / Nouvelle révision · New revision 1948. / All rights of reproduction in any form reserved<; production indication 1st page of the score below type area flush right >Printed in England.<; plate number >B. & H. 16328<; end of score dated p. 63 italic > Igor Strawinsky, Nice 1930<; end number flush right as end mark >H.P. B733. 448.<) // (1948)
* In French, compositions are advertised in two columns without edition numbers and without price information >Piano seul° / Trois Mouvements de Pétrouchka / Suite de Pétrouchka ( Th. Szántó ) / Marche chinoise de “ Rossignol ” / Sonate pour piano* / Ouverture de “ Mavra ” / Serenade en la / Symphonie*°° pour°° instruments à vent / Octuor pour instruments à vent / Partitions pour piano°* / Le Chant du Rossignol / Apollon Musagète / Le Baiser de la Fée / Orpheus / Piano à quatre mains° / Le* Sacre du Printemps / Pétrouchka / Deux Pianos à quatre mains° / Concerto pour piano* / Capriccio pour piano* et orchestre / Chant et piano°* / Deux Poésies de Balmont / Trois Poésies de la lyrique japonaise / Trois petites chansons / Chanson de Paracha de “ Mavra ” / Introduction, chant du pêcheur, air du / rossignol / Choeur°* / Ave Maria (a cappella) / Credo (a cappella) / Pater noster (a cappella) // Partitions pour chant et piano* / Rossignol. Conte lyrique en 3 actes / Mavra. Opéra bouffe en 1 acte / Œdipus Rex. Opéra-oratorio en 1 acte* / Symphonie de Psaumes / Perséphone / Violon et Piano°* / Suite d’après Pergolesi / Duo Concertant / Airs du Rossignol / Danse Russe / Divertimento / Suite Italienne / Chanson Russe / Violoncelle et Piano°* / Suite Italienne ( Piatigorsky) / Musique de Chambre° / Trois pièces pour quatuor à cordes / Octuor pour instruments à vent / Partitions de poche° / Suite de Pulcinella / Symphonies pour°° instruments à vent / Concerto pour piano* / Chant du Rossignol / Pétrouchka. Ballet / Sacre* du Printemps / Le Baiser de la Fée / Apollon Musagète / Œdipus Rex* / Perséphone / Capriccio* / Divertimento / Quatre Études pour orchestre / Symphonie de Psaumes / Trois pièces pour quatuor à cordes / Octuor pour instruments à vent / Concerto en ré pour orchestre à cordes< [* different spelling original; ° centre centred; °° original spelling]. The following places of printing are listed: London-New York-Sydney-Toronto-Cape Town-Paris-Buenos Aires.
52-4Straw
52-464 igor stravinsky / symphony / of psalms / (symphonie de psaumes) / Full Score · Partition/ édition russe de musique · boosey & hawkes // Igor Stravinsky / Symphony / of Psalms / (Symphonie de Psaumes) / for Chorus and Orchestra / Full Score · Partition/ New revision 1948 nouvelle révision/ Édition Russe de Musique (S. et N. Koussewitzky) · Boosey & Hawkes / London · Paris · Bonn · Capetown · Sydney · Toronto · New York // (Full score sewn in white 26.6 x 36.7 (2° [gr. 4°]); sung text Latin; 63 [63] pages + 4 cover pages tomato-red on grey-green beige [front cover title, 2 empty pages, page with publisher’s advertisements >Igor Stravinsky<* production data >No. 692< [#] >12.53<] + 4 pages front matter [title page, empty page, page with dedication >Cette symphonie composée / à la gloire de DIEU / est dédiée au / Boston Symphony Orchestra / à l'occasion / du cinquantenaire de son existence<, legend >Orchestra< Italian + playing and performance markings with information on the sources from the Psalms English-French-German] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >SYMPHONY OF PSALMS / (Symphonie de Psaumes)<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 below and next to movement number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred >Igor Stravinsky / 1930<; legal reservation 1st page of the score below type area flush left >Copyright by Édition Russe (Russischer Musikverlag) for all countries. / Printed by arrangement, Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / New revision copyright 1948 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / Nouvelle révision · New revision 1948. / All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.<; plate number >B. & H. 16328<; production indication 1st page of the score below type area below plate number flush right >Printed in England<; end of score dated p. 63 italic > Igor Strawinsky, Nice 1930<; end number p. 63 flush right as end mark >7. 64. E.<) // (1964)
* Compositions are advertised in two columns without edition numbers and without price information, in part multi-lingual and assigned (randomly) to genres >Stage Works° / Oeuvres Théatrales · Bühnenwerke° / The Rake’s Progress [#] Le Rossignol / Le Libertin Der Wüstling [#] The Nightingale Die Nachtigall / Opera in three acts Opéra en trois actes [#] Musical tale in three acts after Anderson°° / Oper in drei Akten [#] Conte lyrique en trois actes d’apres Anderson°° / [#] Lyrisches Märchen in drei Akten nach Anderson°° / Mavra [#] Oedipus Rex / Opera buffa in one act after Pushkin [#] Opera - Oratorio in two acts after Sophocles / Opéra Buffe en un acte d’apres Pushkin [#] Opéra – Oratorio en deux actes d’apres Sophocle / Oper°° Buffa°° in einem Akt nach Puschkin [#] Opern - Oratorium in zwei Akten nach Sophokles / Persephone [#] Pétrouchka / Melodrama in three parts by André Gide [#] Burlesque in four scenes / Melodramé°° en trois parties d’Andre°° Gide [#] Burlesque en quatre tableaux / Melodrama in drei Teilen von André Gide [#] Burleska°° in vier Bildern / Le Sacre du Printemps [#] Le Chant du Rossignol / The Rite of Spring [#] The Song of the Nightingale / Pictures from pagan Russia in two parts [#] Symphonic poem in three acts / Tableaux de la Russie paienne en deux parties [#] Poème symphonique en trois parties / Bilder aus dem heidnischen Russland in zwei Teilen [#] Symphonische Dichtung in drei Teilen / Pulcinella [#] Apollon Musagète / Ballet with chorus in one act after Pergolesi [#] Ballet in two scenes / Ballet avec chant en un acte d’apres Pergolesi [#] Ballet en deux tableaux / Ballett mit Chor in einem Akt nach Pergolesi [#] Ballett in zwei Bildern / Le Baiser de la Fée [#] Orpheus / Ballet - Allegory in two scenes [#] Ballet in thre scenes / Ballet - Allégorie en deux tableaux [#] Ballet en trois tableaux / Ballet°° - Allegorie in zwei Bildern [#] Ballett in drei Bildern / Symphonic Works° / Oeuvres Symphoniques · Symphonische Werke° / Pétrouchka Suite [#] Apollon Musagète / Pulcinella Suite[#] Symphonies pour°° instruments a°° vents°° / Le Sacre du Printemps [#] Symphonies of Wind Instruments / The Rite of Spring [#] Symphonien für Bläsinsrumente°° / Le Chant du Rossignol [#] Piano Concerto / The Song of the Nightingale [#] Capriccio / Divertimento [#] Quatre Etudes°° pour Orchestra°°/ Orpheus [#] Four Studies for Orchestra/ Symphonie de Psaumes [#] Vier Etüden für Orchester/ Symphony of Psalms [#] Concerto in D ( Basle Concerto) / Psalmensymphonie [#] Messe°° / Voice and Orchestra° / Chant et Orchestre · Gesang und Orchester° / Trois poésies de la Lyrique japonaise [#] Chant du Rossignol (tiré du “Rossignol”) / Three japanese Poems [#] The Nightingale’s Song (from “The Nightingale”) / Trois petites chansons [#] Mephistopheles Lied vom Floh / Three little Songs [#] The Song of the Flea / Two Songs (Paul Verlaine)° / Sagesse · Sleep · Ein dusterer°° Schlummer° / La bonne Chanson · A Moonlight Pallid · Glimmernder mondschein°°+°< [° consecutive, centred lists up to ‘Orpheus’ appearing in the centre and spreading across the columns ; °° original spelling; in the opposite column slightly displaced between >Mavra< and the >Burlesque in four scenes<, likewise there is a dislocated line spacing after >Apollon Musagète< in the section for Symphonic Works]. Apart from London, no branch of the publishers is given.
52-464-Straw
Strawinsky’s copy from his estate is signed on the front cover title below name right with >IStravinsky<, but undated. >d’orchestre< is noted behind > Partition<.
52-4[65] igor stravinsky / symphony / of psalms / (symphonie de psaumes) / Full Score · Partition / édition russe de musique · boosey & hawkes // Igor Stravinsky / Symphony / of Psalms / (Symphonie de Psaumes) / for Chorus and Orchestra / Full Score · Partition / New revision 1948 nouvelle révision/ Édition Russe de Musique (S. et N. Koussewitzky) · Boosey & Hawkes / London · Paris · Bonn · Capetown · Sydney · Toronto · New York // (Full score bound 26.1 x 36.2 (2° [gr. 4°] ); sung text Latin; 63 [63] pages + 4 cover pages brown-red on grey-green beige [front cover title, 2 empty pages, page with publisher’s advertisements >Igor Stravinsky<* production data >No. 40< [#] >7.65<] + 4 pages front matter [title page, empty page, page with dedication >Cette symphonie composée / à la gloire de DIEU / est dédiée au / Boston Symphony Orchestra / à l'occasion / du cinquantenaire de son existence<, legend >Orchestra< Italian + playing and performance markings with information on the sources from the Psalms English-German] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 flush right >Igor Strawinsky / 1930<; legal reservation 1st page of the score below type area flush left >Copyright by Édition Russe (Russischer Musikverlag) for all countries. / Printed by arrangement, Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / New revision copyright 1948 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / Nouvelle révision New revision 1948. / All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.< plate number >B. & H. 16328<; production indication 1st page of the score below type area flush right >Printed in England<; end of score dated p. 63 > Igor Strawinsky, Nice 1930<; p. 63 as end mark >Imp. Delanchy-Dupré – Paris-Asnières / 2 et 4 Avenue de la Marne - XXXI<) // [1965]
*
Compositions are advertised in two columns without edition numbers, without price information and without specification of places of printing
>Operas and Ballets° / Agon [#] Apollon musagète / Le baiser de la fée [#] Le rossignol / Mavra [#] Oedipus rex / Orpheus [#] Perséphone / Pétrouchka [#] Pulcinella / The flood [#] The rake’s progress / The rite of spring° / Symphonic Works° / Abraham and Isaac [#] Capriccio pour piano et orchestre / Concerto en ré (Bâle) [#] Concerto pour piano et orchestre / [#] d’harmonie / Divertimento [#] Greetings
°°
prelude / Le chant du rossignol [#] Monumentum / Movements for piano and orchestra [#] Quatre études pour orchestre / Suite from Pulcinella [#] Symphonies of wind instruments / Trois petites chansons [#] Two poems and three Japanese lyrics / Two poems of Verlaine [#] Variations in memoriam Aldous Huxley / Instrumental Music° / Double canon [#] Duo concertant / string quartet [#] violin and piano / Epitaphium [#] In memoriam Dylan Thomas / flute, clarinet and harp [#] tenor, string quartet and 4 trombones / Elegy for J.F.K. [#] Octet for wind instruments / mezzo-soprano or baritone [#] flute, clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets and / and 3 clarinets [#] 2 trombones / Septet [#] Sérénade en la / clarinet, horn, bassoon, piano, violin, viola [#] piano / and violoncello [#] / Sonate pour piano [#] Three pieces for string quartet / piano [#] string quartet / Three songs from William Shakespeare° / mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet and viola° / Songs and Song Cycles° / Trois petites chansons [#] Two poems and three Japanese lyrics / Two poems of Verlaine° / Choral Works° / Anthem [#] A sermon, a narrative, and a prayer / Ave Maria [#] Cantata / Canticum
s
Sacrum [#] Credo / J. S. Bach: Choral-Variationen [#] Introitus in memoriam T. S. Eliot / Mass [#] Pater noster / Symphony of psalms [#] Threni / Tres sacrae cantiones°< [° centre centred; °° original mistake in the title].
52-4Err
Strawinsky “SYMPHONIE DE PSAUMES” Full Score* / Errata*
Page
5 One bar before figure 5, Cor Anglais° Note is F ( notC)
11 First bar, First Flute° First note is B b( notB)
15 First bar, Second Bassoon° Last note but one is F ( notG)
33 First bar, Third and Fourth Flutes° Third note is G# ( notG)
36 Two bars before figure 7, Second Flute° Last note is C ( notA)
41 Third bar, Third Flute° Second note is C ( notE)
52 Second bar, First and Second Flutes° Last note is D# ( notD)
60 Last bar, First Trumpet° The note is C ( notB)
62 First bar, Third Trumpet° The note is A b
B. & H. 16328* [° fill character (dotted line); * centre] // (1948)
52-5 igor strawinsky / symphonie / de psaumes / partition pour chant et piano / édition russe de musique · boosey & hawkes // Igor Strawinsky / Symphonie / de Psaumes / pour choeur mixte et orchestre / Réduction pour piano/ par son fils Sviatoslav/ Partition pour Chant et Piano · Vocal Score/ Nouvelle révision 1948 New revision/ Édition Russe de Musique (S. et N. Koussewitzky) · Boosey & Hawkes / London · New York · Sydney · Toronto · Cape Town · Paris · Buenos Aires // (Vocal score with chant stapled 26.6 x 32.9 ([4°]); sung text Latin; 36 [36] pages + 4 cover pages tomato red on hellgrey [front cover title, 2 empty pages, page with publisher’s >Edition Russe de Musique / (S. et N. Koussewitzky) / Boosey & Hawkes< advertisements > Igor Strawinsky<* production data >No. 453<] + 2 pages front matter [title page, empty page] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >SYMPHONIE DE PSAUMES<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 between title head and movement number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred >Igor Strawinsky / 1930<; legal reservation 1st page of the score below type area flush left >Copyright by Édition Russe (Russischer Musikverlag) for all countries. / Printed by arrangement, Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / New revision copyright 1948 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / Nouvelle révision · New revision 1948. / All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.<; production indication 1st page of the score below type area flush right >Printed in England.<; plate number >B. & H. 16371<; end number p. 35 flush right as end mark >H.P. B763. 4.48.<) // (1948)
* In French, compositions are advertised in two columns without edition numbers and without price information >Piano seul° / Trois Mouvements de Pétrouchka / Suite de Pétrouchka ( Th. Szántó ) / Marche chinoise de “ Rossignol ” / Sonate pour piano* / Ouverture de “ Mavra ” / Serenade en la / Symphonie*°° pour°° instruments à vent / Octuor pour instruments à vent / Partitions pour piano°* / Le Chant du Rossignol / Apollon Musagète / Le Baiser de la Fée / Orpheus / Piano à quatre mains° / Le* Sacre du Printemps / Pétrouchka / Deux Pianos à quatre mains° / Concerto pour piano* / Capriccio pour piano* et orchestre / Chant et piano°* / Deux Poésies de Balmont / Trois Poésies de la lyrique japonaise / Trois petites chansons / Chanson de Paracha de “ Mavra ” / Introduction, chant du pêcheur, air du rossignol / Choeur°* / Ave Maria (a cappella) / Credo (a cappella) / Pater noster (a cappella) // Partitions pour chant et piano* / Rossignol. Conte lyrique en 3 actes / Mavra. Opéra bouffe en 1 acte / Œdipus Rex. Opéra-oratorio en 1 acte* / Symphonie de Psaumes / Perséphone / Violon et Piano°* / Suite d’après Pergolesi / Duo Concertant / Airs du Rossignol / Danse Russe / Divertimento / Suite Italienne / Chanson Russe / Violoncelle et Piano°* / Suite Italienne ( Piatigorsky) / Musique de Chambre° / Trois pièces pour quatuor à cordes / Octuor pour instruments à vent / Partitions de poche° / Suite de Pulcinella / Symphonies pour°° instruments à vent / Concerto pour piano* / Chant du Rossignol / Pétrouchka. Ballet / Sacre* du Printemps / Le Baiser de la Fée / Apollon Musagète / Œdipus Rex* / Perséphone / Capriccio* / Divertimento / Quatre Études pour orchestre / Symphonie de Psaumes / Trois pièces pour quatuor à cordes / Octuor pour instruments à vent / Concerto en ré pour orchestre à cordes< [* different spelling original; ° centre centred; °° original spelling]. The following places of printing are listed: London-New York-Sydney-Toronto-Cape Town-Paris-Buenos Aires<.
52-560 igor stravinsky / symphony / of psalms / vocal score / Revised Edition / 1948 / édition russe de musique · boosey & hawkes // Igor Stravinsky / symphony / of psalms / For Mixed Chorus and Orchestra / Reduction for Voice and Piano / by his son / SOULIMA / Vocal Score / 1948 New revision / $ 2.75 / Edition Russe de Musique (S. et N. Koussewitzky) · Boosey & Hawkes / London · New York · Sydney · Toronto · Cape Town · Paris · Buenos Aires // (Vocal score with chant [library binding] 26.6 x 32.9 [4°]; sung text Latin; 36 [36] pages + 4 cover pages orange-red on creme-white [front cover title, 2 oder 3 empty pages, page with publisher’s >Edition Russe de Musique / (S. et N. Koussewitzky) / Boosey & Hawkes< advertisements > Igor Strawinsky<* production data >No. 453<] + 2 pages front matter [title page, page with dedication >This symphony composed / to the glory of GOD / is dedicated to the / “Boston Symphony Orchestra“ / on the occasion / of its fiftieth anniversary<] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >SYMPHONY OF PSALMS<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 between title head and movement number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred >Igor Stravinsky / 1930 / Revised 1948<; legal reservation 1st page of the score below type area flush left >Copyright by Édition Russe for all countries. / Copyright assigned 1947 to Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York / New revision copyright 1948 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York / All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.<; production indication 1st page of the score below type area flush right >Printed in U. S. A.<; plate number >B. & H. 16371<; end number p. 36 flush right as end mark >3. 60. E<) // 1960
* In French, compositions are advertised in two columns without edition numbers and without price information werden >Piano seul° / Trois Mouvements de Pétrouchka / Suite de Pétrouchka ( Th. Szántó ) / Marche chinoise de “ Rossignol ” / Sonate pour piano* / Ouverture de “ Mavra ” / Serenade en la / Symphonie*°° pour°° instruments à vent / Octuor pour instruments à vent / Partitions pour piano°* / Le Chant du Rossignol / Apollon Musagète / Le Baiser de la Fée / Orpheus / Piano à quatre mains° / Le* Sacre du Printemps / Pétrouchka / Deux Pianos à quatre mains° / Concerto pour piano* / Capriccio pour piano* et orchestre / Chant et piano°* / Deux Poésies de Balmont / Trois Poésies de la lyrique japonaise / Trois petites chansons / Chanson de Paracha de “ Mavra ” / Introduction, chant du pêcheur, air du rossignol / Choeur°* / Ave Maria (a cappella) / Credo (a cappella) / Pater noster (a cappella) // Partitions pour chant et piano* / Rossignol. Conte lyrique en 3 actes / Mavra. Opéra bouffe en 1 acte / Œdipus Rex. Opéra-oratorio en 1 acte* / Symphonie de Psaumes / Perséphone / Violon et Piano°* / Suite d’après Pergolesi / Duo Concertant / Airs du Rossignol / Danse Russe / Divertimento / Suite Italienne / Chanson Russe / Violoncelle et Piano°* / Suite Italienne ( Piatigorsky) / Musique de Chambre° / Trois pièces pour quatuor à cordes / Octuor pour instruments à vent / Partitions de poche° / Suite de Pulcinella / Symphonies pour°° instruments à vent / Concerto pour piano* / Chant du Rossignol / Pétrouchka. Ballet / Sacre* du Printemps / Le Baiser de la Fée / Apollon Musagète / Œdipus Rex* / Perséphone / Capriccio* / Divertimento / Quatre Études pour orchestre / Symphonie de Psaumes / Trois pièces pour quatuor à cordes / Octuor pour instruments à vent / Concerto en ré pour orchestre à cordes< [* different spelling original; ° centre centred; °° original spelling]. The following places of printing are listed: London-New York-Sydney-Toronto-Cape Town-Paris-Buenos Aires.
52-6 HAWKES POCKET SCORES / ^IGOR STRAWINSKY / SYMPHONIE / DE PSAUMES^ / BOOSEY & HAWKES / No. 637 // HAWKES POCKET SCORES / IGOR STRAWINSKY / SYMPHONIE / DE PSAUMES / Nouvelle révision 1948 New revision / BOOSEY & HAWKES / LTD. / London · New York · Los Angeles · Sydney · Toronto · Capetown · Paris / NET PRICE / Made in England // (Pocket score sewn 13.6 x 18.7 (8° [8°]); sung text Latin; 63 [63] pages + 4 cover pages dark green on dark beige [front cover title with frame 9.5 x 4 dark beige on dark green, 2 empty pages, page with publisher’s advertisements >HAWKES POCKET SCORES / The Standard Classical and Outstanding Modern Works./ Primera edición española de partituras de bolsillo de las obras / del repertorio clásico y moderno. <* without production data] + 4 pages front matter [title page, empty page, page with dedication >Cette symphonie composée / à la gloire de DIEU / est dédiée au / " Boston Symphony Orchestra " / à l'occasion / du cinquantenaire de son existence.<, legend >Orchestre< French + statement of the source text >Remarques< with note (asterisk) >* Les choeurs comprenant des voix d’enfants, à defaut de celles-ci on / peut les remplacer par des voix de femmes (soprano et alto).< French + statement of the source text >Observations< with note (asterisk) >* The choir should contain children’s voices, which may be replaced by / female voices (soprano and alto) if a children’s choir is not available< without duration data] + 1 page back matter [empty page**]; title head >SYMPHONIE DE PSAUMES<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 above and next to movement number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred partly in italics >IGOR STRAWINSKY / 1930<; legal reservation 1st page of the score below type area flush left >Copyright by Édition Russe (Russischer Musikverlag) for all countries. / Printed by arrangement, Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / New revision copyright 1948 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / Nouvelle révision · New revision 1948. / All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.<; production indication 1st page of the score below type area flush right below plate number >Printed in England.<; plate number >B. & H. 16328<; end of score dated p. 63 italic > Igor Strawinsky, Nice 1930<; end number p. 63 flush right >H.P. B733.448.<) // (1948)
^ ^ = Text in frame.
* Classical editions from >J. S. BACH< to >WEBER< are listed including the titles of their works in three columns under the headline > classical WORKS<, under the headline >MODERN WORKS< the names of contemporary composers are listed without any titles in three columns from >BELA BARTOK< to >ARNOLD VAN WYK<, Strawinsky not mentioned. The order of the places of printing is London-New York-Sydney-Toronto-Capetown
** In the Munich copy >8 Mus.pr. 3668< an errata list is bound in behind the empty page >Strawinsky “SYMPHONIE DE PSAUMES“ Full Score / Errata<.
52-666 HAWKES POCKET SCORES / ^IGOR STRAWINSKY / SYMPHONIE / DE PSAUMES^ / BOOSEY & HAWKES / No. 637 // HAWKES POCKET SCORES / IGOR STRAWINSKY / SYMPHONIE / DE PSAUMES / (Symphony of Psalms) / Nouvelle révision 1948 New revision / BOOSEY & HAWKES / MUSIC PUBLISHERS Limited / LONDON · PARIS · BONN · JOHANNESBURG · Sydney · Toronto · New York / NET PRICE / MADE IN ENGLAND // [without text on spine] // (Pocket score sewn 0.5 x 13.6 x 18.7 (8° [8°]); sung text Latin; 63 [63] pages + 4 cover pages dark green on beige [front cover title with frame 9.4 x 4.1 beige on dark green, 2 empty pages, page with publisher’s advertisements >HAWKES POCKET SCORES / An extensive library of miniature scores containing both classical works / and a representative collection of outstanding modern compositions<* production data >No. I6< [#] >I/6I<] + 4 pages front matter [title page, empty page, page with dedication >Cette symphonie composée / à la gloire de DIEU / est dédiée au / "Boston Symphony Orchestra" / à l'occasion / du cinquantenaire de son existence.<, legend >Orchestre< French with asterisk after >Choeur mixte.*< and note at the end of >Remarques< >* Les choeurs comprenant des voix d’enfants, à default de celles-ci on / peut les remplacer par des voix de femmes (soprano et alto).< and >Observations< >* The choir should contain children’s voices, which may be replaced by / female voices (soprano and alto) if a children’s choir is not available< + playing and performance markings with information on the sources from the Psalms French >Remarques< English >Observations< without duration data] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >SYMPHONIE DE PSAUMES<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 above and next to movement number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred partly in italics >IGOR STRAWINSKY / 1930<; legal reservation 1st page of the score below type area flush left >Copyright by Édition Russe (Russischer Musikverlag) for all countries. / Printed by arrangement, Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / New revision copyright 1948 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / Nouvelle révision · New revision 1948. / All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.<; plate number >B. & H. 16328<; end of score dated p. 63 italic > Igor Strawinsky, Nice 1930<; end number p. 63 flush left >1 · 66 L & B<; production indications 1st page of the score below type area flush right below plate number >Printed in England.< p. 63 as end mark flush right >Lowe & Brydone (Printers) Ltd.<) // (1966)
* Compositions are advertised in three columns without edition numbers from >Bach, Johann Sebastian< to >Wagner, Richard<, amongst these >Stravinsky, Igor / Agon / Canticum Sacrum / Le Sacre du Printemps / Monumentum / Movements / Oedipus Rex / Pétrouchka / Symphonie de Psaumes / Threni<. After London the following places of printing are listed: Paris-Bonn-Johannesburg-Sydney-Toronto-New York.
52-669 HAWKES POCKET SCORES / ^IGOR STRAWINSKY / SYMPHONIE / DE PSAUMES^ / BOOSEY & HAWKES / No. 637 // HAWKES POCKET SCORES / IGOR STRAWINSKY / SYMPHONIE / DE PSAUMES / (Symphony of Psalms) / Nouvelle révision 1948 New revision / BOOSEY & HAWKES / MUSIC PUBLISHERS LIMITED / LONDON · PARIS · BONN · JOHANNESBURG · SYDNEY · TORONTO · NEW YORK / NET PRICE / MADE IN ENGLAND // [without text on spine] // (Pocket score sewn 0.5 x 13.8 x 18.6 (8° [8°]); sung text Latin; 63 [63] pages + 4 cover pages dark green on beige [front cover title with frame 9.6 x 4.1 beige on dark green, 2 empty pages, page with publisher’s advertisements >HAWKES POCKET SCORES / The following list is but a selection of the many items included in this extensive library of miniature scores / containing both classical works and an ever increasing collection of outstanding modern compositions. A / complete catalogue of Hawkes Pocket Scores is available on reques<* Stand >No. 16< [#] >1/66<] + 4 pages front matter [title page, empty page, page with dedication >Cette symphonie composée / à la gloire de DIEU / est dédiée au / "Boston Symphony Orchestra" / à l'occasion / du cinquantenaire de son existence.<, legend >Orchestre< French with asterisk after >Choeur mixte.*< and note at the end of >Remarques< >* Les choeurs comprenant des voix d’enfants, à default de celles-ci on / peut les remplacer par des voix de femmes (soprano et alto).< and >Observations< >* The choir should contain children’s voices, which may be replaced by / female voices (soprano and alto) if a children’s choir is not available< + performance markings with information on the sources from the Psalms French >Remarques< English >Observations< without duration data] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >SYMPHONIE DE PSAUMES<; author specified 1st page of the score paginated p. 1 above and next to movement number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I< flush right centred partly in italics >IGOR STRAWINSKY / 1930<; legal reservation 1st page of the score below type area flush left >Copyright by Édition Russe (Russischer Musikverlag) for all countries. / Printed by arrangement, Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / New revision copyright 1948 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A. / Nouvelle révision · New revision 1948. / All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.<; plate number >B. & H. 16328<; end of score dated p. 63 italic > Igor Strawinsky, Nice 1930<; end number p. 63 flush left >12·69 L & B<; production indications 1st page of the score below type area flush right below plate number >Printed in England.< p. 63 as end mark flush right >Lowe & Brydone (Printers) Ltd.<) // (1969)
* Compositions are advertised in three columns without edition numbers from >Bach, Johann Sebastian< to > Tchaikovsky, Peter <, amongst these >Stravinsky, Igor / Abraham and Isaac / Agon / Apollon musagète / Concerto in D / The flood / Introitus / Oedipus Rex / Orpheus / Perséphone / Pétrouchka / Piano concerto / Pulcinella suite / The rake’s progress / The rite of spring / Le rossignol / A sermon, a narrative and a prayer / Symphonie de psaumes / Symphonies of wind instrunments / Threni / Variations<, without specification of places of printing.
K Catalog: Annotated Catalog of Works and Work Editions of Igor Strawinsky till 1971, revised version 2014 and ongoing, by Helmut Kirchmeyer.
© Helmut Kirchmeyer. All rights reserved.
http://www.kcatalog.org and http://www.kcatalog.net