Musical contribution - April 2013

Introitus psalm 122 (Joost Schellingerhout) – This month – after a year and a half – we will once again be focussing on another psalm arrangement. Psalm 122 is one of the so-called “Songs of Ascent”. Songs which were sung by the pilgrims whilst on their way to the festivities in Jerusalem.

It’s almost as if though we can hear the pilgrims’ footsteps in the pedal. It would definitely have sounded martial back then and it certainly also sounds martial in this arrangement. The accompaniment will withdraw into the background somewhat after 7 bars, in order to make room for a leading trumpet and melodic line in the pedal. Something which makes another comeback in bars 26 to 31.

We need to back register a little from bar 7 to 8. At times like these we can really enjoy the capture memory. One push of a button and a new registration is ready for us. We can return to the original position in bar 13. This repeats itself around bars 26 to 31.

It’s quite possible to introduce a slightly stronger registration each time we return to the Great. However, we would need to consider the fact that a number of registers will need to remain closed at the beginning.

Former student Joost Schellingerhout – 4th prize winner in the composition contest for amateurs and music academy students organised by the Reformatorisch Dagblad – has hereby clearly demonstrated the reason for an introitus in a psalm: to start singing along. I don’t foresee any problems in this area when I play and listen to this arrangement.

With Kind Regards,

André van Vliet.