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Psalm 21 : for mixed choir / William Knight
Genre:
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composition
Psalm 21 : for mixed choir / William Knight
Other authors:
Knight, William
(Composer)
Description:
Psalm 21: ‘The King rejoices in your strength, O LORD’.
The opening words to Psalm 21 resonate with strength and power. Faith, love, immortality and God’s wrath resound as key concepts throughout Psalm 21.
The Psalm continues to hold relevance today. Many current world leaders use religion to justify their actions, granting them power from above. Likewise, Psalm 21 is about Divine Right. God himself has chosen the leader of the people and therefore the leader acts with the Will of God. In the second half of the Psalm the Will of God is wrathful and powerful. All those that oppose him will be wiped off the face of the Earth, as will their descendants.
One of the main lines I focused on was: ‘He asked you for life, and you gave it to him: length of days for ever and ever’. For me, the idea of eternal life within the Psalm can be achieved through remembrance – by those who love you remembering you once you’ve passed away, or indeed by your enemies.
When writing this composition, the most prominent theme that struck me was of war and fighting in the name of God. One of the most powerful images in the Psalm is the fiery furnace that swallows up and consumes everything. This destructive force brought to mind a nuclear weapon being sent and devouring your enemies. At this point in the music, I wanted to convey how one would feel at seeing such a scene. Time would stop, emotion and feeling forgotten, and only shock and devastation remain.
William Knight