Psalm 96
RBM-025
SATB Chorus with Orchestral or Organ, Brass and Percussion Accompaniment

This composition was commissioned by the Dudley Birder Chorale, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, to honor their longtime conductor, Dr. Dudley Birder.

The work is freely structured to accommodate a full setting of the psalm. Aggressively cast passages are contrasted with more gently phrased material, the shadings of which are adjusted to best suit the poetic moment. In general, the piece is framed by brass and organ statements, while the center portion of the work contains more sensitively wrought music which allows more freedom of choral tone and phrasing.

When the work was commissioned, it was requested that this composition be written such that both orchestral and organ-brass-percussion performances could be equally effective and the composer did his best to achieve that versatility.