Psalm 130 (de Profundis), op. 50B by Arnold Schoenberg

Nick Strimple, conductor
Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale
Sinai Temple, Los Angeles
April 7, 2011

The Hebrew setting of Shir HaMa'alot MiMa'amakim finished in July, 1950 and dedicated to the State of Israel, owes its origin to a request by Chemjo Vinaver, a choral conductor who was compiling an anthology for the Jewish Agency for Palestine. Schoenberg seems to have purposely written a piece that was easily singable, and in fact asked Vinaver in May 1951: "Should you have already performed it, I would like to know how it came out, that is, how the dramatic character appeared which is produced through the alternation of speaking and singing voices. I want also to know whether as a chorus director, you see great difficulties to perform the piece." Most often the six-part texture is characterized by voices being rhythmically paired against each other,
though there is great variety in the nature of these pairings. The opening words, for example, are spoken in unison by men's voices, while the first hexachord is divided polyphonically between the second soprano and alto. The climax, reached on the final word of the last sentence, "He shall redeem Israel," takes the first soprano up to b, and
beneath the seven beats that this note is sustained, the lower five voices are rhythmically joined and, chant-like, speak the sentence again. The chorus then concludes with a tutti repetition of the line; the women's voices lead the men's voices, though complimentary rhythms bind the two groups.

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) was born in Vienna, Austria. Although self-taught, he became the leading composer of his era, and perhaps the greatest Jewish composer of all time. In the first decade of the twentieth century he became the first composer to explore well beyond the boundaries of conventional tonality. Later, he developed his method of composing with twelve tones as a way to organize and provide coherence to modern music. His works and writings became widely influential, and his pupils attained great success as well. In 1933, Schoenberg was forced to abandon his teaching post in Berlin and fled Nazi Germany. By 1934 he arrived in Los Angeles, where he taught at both USC and UCLA and lived for the remaining 27 years of his life. After his death, the music building at UCLA was named Schoenberg Hall in his honor.
Schoenberg's compositions continue to be performed on a regular basis by the leading orchestras of the world. Just this month during the summer festival season major works are being performed in Auckland (New Zealand), Lucerne (Switzerland), Edinburgh (Scotland) and Salzburg (Austria), with the world's most prominent conductors (Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle) and orchestras (Berlin Philharmonic, Lucerne Festival Orchestra). Schoenberg's large-scale Jewish-themed works include his Jakobsleiter (Jacob's Ladder) oratorio, the opera Moses und Aron, and the orchestral works Kol Nidre, op. 39, Prelude to Genesis, op. 44 and A Survivor from Warsaw, op. 46. See www.schoenberg.at.

Psalm 130 (Shir HaMa'alot MiMa'amakim/De Profundis)
Out of the depths have I called Thee, O Lord!
Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, who could stand?
For with Thee there is forgiveness, that Thou mayest be feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait,
And in His word do I hope.
My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than they that watch for the morning;
O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy,
and plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all iniquities.

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