14 Pseaumes: Compositions for organ based on Gregorian Hymns

14 PSEAUMES - Compositions for Organ based on Gregorian Hymns

"The psalms are literary gems! Most psalms often involve many thoughts and metaphors. Therefore, a particular psalm cannot be summarised well in a single sentence. In these psalm arrangements, an attempt has been made to formulate in a single sentence for each psalm what thought was specially in the foreground when editing that melody."
Gerrit Wielenga (1926-2010)

It was this reflection that Gerrit Wielenga brought to the psalms project, the end result of which he no longer witnessed. Together with Wout van Andel, Jan Hage, Toon Hagen and Aart de Kort and with the Schola Cantorum Gregoriana led by Hans Jansen, he worked for quite some time on the compositions and the realisation of the CD recording.

On 16 January 2011, the (double) CD was presented at the Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam. The CD was recorded in the Grote Kerk in Gorinchem (Witte/Bätz organ). The compositions focus on the 14 Psalms, the melodies of which Valkestijn considers to be related to certain Gregorian Hymns to a greater or lesser extent. The Schola always sings the relevant Gregorian hymn, followed by organ compositions on both the melody of the hymn and the corresponding psalm melody, and finally the Goudimel setting of the psalm melody is played.

The arrangements on Psalms 17, 20, 31, 32 and 39 are by Gerrit Wielenga, Aart de Kort provided the compositions on the corresponding hymns. The other organists composed on both Gregorian hymns and psalm melodies:

- Wout van Andel - Psalms 103, 124 and 141
- Jan Hage - Psalms 46, 51 and 55
- Toon Hagen - Psalms 80, 104, 129