As a Father Cares for His Children: Psalm-Motet for Mixed Choir and Organ (Piano) Ad Lib., Choral Octavo

Psalm-Motet (Eng.) This piece continues Pinkham's series of Psalm-Motets, very brief settings of Psalm verses, many of which were written as gifts for personal friends of the composer. These beautifully concise works are particularly suitable for use as introits and offertories. All of the Psalm-Motets may be performed a cappella or with accompaniment by piano or organ. The keyboard parts, rather than being literal doublings of the choral parts, are conceived to lie well in the hand, to provide acoustic reinforcement to the choir, and, occasionally, to enrich the harmony with pitches that are not found in the choral parts. Typically, this work fills its brief duration with a maximum of musical variety, particularly in the realms of harmony and texture. The first phrase of this soberly dramatic and reflective work begins in unison and expands first to two and then to four real parts. A crescendo from piano to forte in this same phrase foreshadows the vivid dynamic contrasts thatwill figure prominently in the rest of the motet.