STRAVINSKY: SYMPHONY OF PSALMS
Lucy Hale May 2011
Aristotle argued that the distinctive experience induced by good art is catharsis. The Greek word katharsis, from which the English is derived, means purging or purification and Aristotle uses the term metaphorically to refer to emotional release. I first heard the third movement of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms in a state of high anxiety. This amazing piece of music immediately transported me out of myself.
The Symphony of Psalms is a three movement work for a large orchestra and choir which was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The work is a setting of Psalm 38, verses 13 and 14 (movement I), Psalm 39, verses 2, 3 and 4 (movement II), and Psalm 150 (movement III), all in the Latin version. The use of the Latin text helps to convey the ancient nature of the work’s subject matter and may represent Stravinsky’s desire to connect with the Orthodox roots of his faith.
Musically, Stravinsky synthesizes elements of different musical styles. These include neo-classicism such as the frequent return to simple, consonant chords like the final C major chord, features of other styles of 20th century classical music, such as the use of non-functional harmony particularly notable in the section that runs from bar 163 to bar 204, influences from jazz, such as the dominance of wind and lack of upper strings in the orchestration, and influences from Russian Orthodox Church music such as the often static nature of the music, notable again from bar 163, which evokes ancient Church rituals. With this combination of elements from different eras, Stravinsky illustrates God’s omnipresence. In this way he is able to convey the meaning of his text without the use of the obvious and frequently used technique of word painting, which, though very effective, could not create as much excitement, variation or unpredictability as the technique employed by Stravinsky in this piece. Indeed, Stravinsky seems deliberately to avoid traditional notions of word painting. For instance, though cymbals are mentioned in the text, they are not present in the score.
In this piece, Stravinsky makes very simple ideas become very exciting. An excellent example of this is the repeated note motif which is introduced at bar 24 in the horns and bassoons. This motif, though short and simple, becomes the main building block of the most exciting section of the piece and is the idea which dominates the movement as a whole. This kind of melodic work is contrasted with the lyrical vocal melody in the latter sections such as the section from bar 150 - 163. The contrasts achieved in this piece are reminiscent of the contrasts in Stravinsky’s changing style over the course of his compositional output which mark him as such a versatile and ingenious composer.
The third movement of the Symphony of Psalms has the cathartic effect for the listener that the religion it celebrates has for the believer, whether or not the listener is a believer. It does exactly what art should do. It is a masterpiece of 20th century classical music.
