“I didn’t sign up for music lectures. I signed up for biblical exposition”. Is that so? Well then, all you have to do is ignore the “music lectures” and read the other stuff. Problem solved. No more need for any huffing and puffing.🙂 You see, I believe that great music is a gift from God. The great Seven. Just like the rainbow has seven colours and every hue in between, so music has seven natural notes with every hue in between (primarily sharps and flats, and we could get into quartertones 😉). I think that a serious person who enjoys biblical exposition can and should also do other things too — not just for ‘relaxation’ but to open one up to other ‘worlds’, to broaden one’s emotions, deepen one’s spirituality, spark one’s own creativity, to inspire one to greater things and more. Imagine a world without music. Unthinkable! I believe that taking in great music makes you into a better person and can even drive away evil spirits (1 Samuel 16:23).

For more than forty years one of my favourite composers has been Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745). Born in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), Zelenka was one of the leading baroque composers of his time, though he has fallen into relative obscurity since then, due in part to being overshadowed by other contemporary composers who were pushed into the spotlight, such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767). Yet both Bach and Telemann were great admirers of Zelenka’s works and Telemann was a personal friend. However, something tells me that Zelenka would not object to this relative obscurity. He was a devoutly prolific composer of primarily ‘sacred’ music, he never married and had no children but just produced work after work to the glory of God.

The work by Zelenka that I want to share with you today is his “Miserere in C minor” (1738), most likely written to be performed on Good Friday in that year. In just 15 minutes this choral work (based on Psalm 51) packs a visceral punch of typical Zelenka intensity with the most remarkable counterpoint. He was well-known for that and also for his dissonances and quirky chromaticisms which tenderly pull the carpet out from under you, of which there are examples in this work. The text used for the choir is the entire Psalm 51, plus a ‘Gloria’ and a ‘Sicut erat’ (an English translation of the entire text is further below). Miserere is Latin for “Have mercy”. The Psalm begins: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions”.

The performance I have chosen comes from a 2016 concert in Mexico as part of an Easter programme in the Tlaqná Cultural Center in Xalapa, a city surrounded by forests and volcanoes about 300 kilometres to the east of Mexico City. It is amazing to see this relatively unknown baroque European work being performed in the middle of Mexico. But the director of this ensemble, Academia Barroca, is Rafael Palacios, a great exponent of baroque music being played in an authentic manner. This ensemble does use period instruments in the strings, but the oboes and organ (a Yamaha in place of a wooden portative organ!) are modern instruments. But that does not detract from the power of the work, which carries great spiritual and emotional intensity, as reflected in some of the comments below the video, such as these (translated from the Spanish):

1) “My God this makes me very emotional and it is really sad that this composer is so underrated”.
2) “And finally, I finished with tears in my eyes. The pure voices and energy of these young people, plus the exquisite musical craftsmanship (perfect and breathtaking dissonances and tempo), make this performance one of the most energetic and moving I’ve ever heard. Thank you, thank you, thank you”.
3) “A piece I’d never heard before. It gives me goosebumps with its dissonances of intervals of a second, and sometimes minor seconds. It’s a feast. A feast for my mind”.
4) “It still gives me goosebumps. Thank you, Maestro, for that wonderful experience”.
5) “I don’t know why, but this version gives me goosebumps, incredible energy”.

It is true. There is an incredible energy to this singing, as if the performers believe and feel every word. They couldn’t put more into it if they tried. It really does bring tears to the eyes. That is why I have chosen this performance: It is so Zeklenka-esque. So I leave this with you for your delectation and refreshment. And for those who think that I should only be doing Bible exposition, you will be pleased to know that this post not only has great music but is also a powerful rendition of Psalm 51! 🙂. Here is the YouTube video of the performance. Turn up your volume for maximum effect! Beneath that video is the Latin text sung of Psalm 51 followed by the English translation.

LATIN TEXT

Miserere mei
Miserere mei, Deus.
Secundum magnam misericordiam tuam
Secundum magnam misericordiam tuam;
et secundum multitudinem
miserationum tuarum,
dele iniquitatem meam.
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea,
et a peccato meo munda me.
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco,
et peccatum meum contra me est semper.
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci;
ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis,
et vincas cum judicaris.
Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum,
et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti;
incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae
manifestasti mihi.
Asperges me hyssopo, et mundabor;
lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam,
et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.
Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis,
et omnes iniquitates meas dele.
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus,
et spiritum rectum innova
in visceribus meis.
Ne projicias me a facie tua,
et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.
Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui,
et spiritu principali confirma me.
Docebo iniquos vias tuas,
et impii ad te convertentur.
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus,
Deus salutis meae,
et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam.
Domine, labia mea aperies,
et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.
Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium,
dedissem utique;
holocaustis non delectaberis.
Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus;
cor contritum et humiliatum,
Deus, non despicies.
Benigne fac, Domine,
in bona voluntate tua Sion,
ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem.
Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae,
oblationes et holocausta;
tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.
Gloria Patri
Gloria patri, et Filio,
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat
Sicut erat in pricipio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
Miserere mei
Miserere mei, Deus.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Have mercy upon me
Have mercy upon me, O God.
According to your loving devotion
According to Your loving devotion;
according to Your great compassion,
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me clean of my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You may be proved right when You speak
and blameless when You judge.
Surely I was brought forth in iniquity;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
Surely You desire truth in the inmost being;
You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Your presence;
take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and sustain me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
and sinners will return to You.
Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.
For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise.
In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,
in whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
Glory be to the Father
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be: world without end.
Amen.
Have mercy upon me
Have mercy upon me, O God.

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