Archbishop Parker's Psalme 150

I broke my own self-imposed rule of never writing music about music for this piece! Archbishop Parker's translation of Psalme 150 was a fun one to set, the text invoking a robust and slightly chaotic sense of religious cheer. There are mentions of recorders, cymbals, tambourine (tymbrell), lute, harp and trumpets all blaring away. The song is in basic verse form which begins to be pulled apart by the choir, all the while aiming to retain a feel of rowdy celebration. The setting is in the 'vulgar tongue' (ie that dreadfully uncouth Middle English) and has quite a peculiar form that I tried to reflect in the musical rhythm. I do imagine that this is sung by slightly drunken 16th-century peasants, happy to be singing in their own language.

Psalme 150 was commissioned by ORA Singers and recorded by them on Many Are The Wonders (Harmonia Mundi).