Psalm 90 (Ives)

Psalm 90 is a musical composition by the American composer and insurance executive Charles Ives, written in 1923–24.

Text

This is the text as printed in the score (Ives 1970), taken from the King James version of the Bible, numbers indicate verses:

Analysis

Verse 3

The full chorus sings the first half of this verse ("Thou turnest man to destruction"). Beginning in unison, as a collective address from mankind to God, the chorus sings the first three words, but then splits apart into a series of cacophonous chords, as in the first verse (a device used frequently in this piece), to align with the text, "to destruction," which is repeated thrice (another thematic gesture), and accompanies the seeming destruction of harmonic convention. A tenor soloist takes the rest of the verse, "and sayest, 'Return, ye children of men.'" The solo voice is most appropriate here because it delineates the voice of God as singular (Spurgeon 1885) and separate from the mass and chaos of mankind.

Verse 4

All four parts of the chorus sing entirely in unison for this whole verse, with the organ providing some supporting chords beneath along with the C pedal. The voices unison symbolizes the voices of humanity speaking together, in accord, acknowledging the eternity of God, as compared to the mortality of the individual (Spurgeon 1885).

Verse 12

This short verse expresses man's submission, the consequent desire for peace with one's mortality, and a petition for God's help and guidance through the struggles of life (Spurgeon 1885).

Verse 13

A soprano solo takes this verse, calling one's mind back to the third verse with its tenor solo. This solo strikes a similar chord with the tenor, as it begins with the word, "return", however, this time it is the people requesting God's return, rather than God mandating to them (Spurgeon 1885).

Verses 14,15,16,17

These verses mark a transition into the last theme of the piece, introduced at the beginning, that of "Rejoicing in Beauty and Work". The tone and mood of the music shifts to a more serene, peaceful chorale, almost in unison. The church bells and gong return in the accompaniment, further transforming the previous tension and explosiveness of the previous verses into a blending, consonant prayer/resolution. The new tone assists in declaiming the text, as the psalm itself asks for satisfaction, peace, and due happiness as God sees fit to bestow. The psalm here accedes to God's power, stating the outright submission of the human soul to his will by referring to humans as "servants," and in this submission man hopes to achieve the beauty and salvation God offers to the faithful (Spurgeon 1885).

Lasting impressions

According to Ives's wife, Harmony, his Psalm 90 was "the only one of his works that satisfied him" (Swafford 1998).

References

Further reading