Beatus vir (Beatus primo)
Setting of Psalm 112
For choir in six voices (S-S-A-T-T-B) and two violins
with 3 violas or 3 trombones ad libitum (to double lower voices)
Program Notes by Martin Pearlman
Toward the end of his life, Monteverdi published an anthology of his religious works under the title Selve morale e spirituale (Moral and spiritual woods). He had not published any church music since his Vespers more than 30 years earlier, even though he had been director of music for St. Mark's Basilica in Venice during most of the intervening years.
The Beatus vir, a six-voice setting of Psalm 112, comes from this collection, but it may well have been composed earlier. The high-spirited solo violin music in this piece is borrowed from a secular madrigal (Chiome d'oro) that Monteverdi had published more than two decades earlier. Mixing elements of his secular music into his church works was not unusual for a composer like Monteverdi, who had opened his religious masterpiece, the Vespers, with music from his opera Orfeo. He was quintessentially an opera and madrigal composer who complained in his letters of the distraction of having to write so much church music.
This lively setting of the Beatus vir is captivating and engages the listener from its first bars. The bright violin parts and tuneful soprano line unfold over a buoyant walking bass, which for much of the piece repeats the same few simple patterns over and over. Following a middle section in a more flowing triple meter, the music of the opening returns, this time with some wonderful word painting. The word "irascetur"("is angered") is expressed with fast repetitions, the word "aeternum" (eternity) is set in long notes, and the word "peribit" (perishes) has falling figures that gently disappear at a cadence.
Text & Translation
Beatus vir, qui timet Dominum:
In mandatis eius rolet nimis.
Potens in terra erit semen eius;
Generatio rectorum benedicetur.
Gloria et divitiae in domo eius;
Et justitia eius manet in saeculum saeculi.
Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis.
Misericors, et miserator et justus.
Jucundus homo qui miseretur et commodat.
Disponet sermones suos in judicio:
Quia in aeternum non commovebitur.
In memoria aeterna erit justus.
Ab auditione mala non timebit.
Paratum cor eius sperare in Domino;
Confirmatum est, cor eius:
Non commovebitur,
Donec despiciat inimicos suos.
Dispersit, dedit pauperibus:
Justitia eius manet in saeculum saeculi,
Cornu eius exaltabitur in gloria.
Peccator videbit, et irascetur;
Dentibus suis fremet et tabescet.
Desiderium peccatorum peribit.
--Vulgate Bible
Blessed is the man who fears the lord:
He delights greatly in his commandments.
His seed will be mightly on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house;
And his righteousness endures for ever and ever.
Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness:
He is gracious, full of compassion, and righteous.
Good is the man who has compassion and lends.
He will guide his affairs with discretion:
Because he will not be moved for ever.
The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
He will not be afraid of evil tidings.
His heart is fixed, trusting in the lord;
His heart is established:
He will not be moved,
Until he gazes at his enemies.
He has dispersed, he has given to the poor:
His righteousness endures for ever and ever,
His soul will be exalted with honour.
The sinner will see it, and will be grieved;
He will gnash with his teeth,
And melt away.
--King James Bible
Boston Baroque Performances
Beatus vir (Psalm 112), from Selve Morale e Spirituale
March 27 & 29, 2020
(Performances canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic)
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
March 4 & 5, 2011
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
February 15, 1985
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
March 18, 1983
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor