PROGRAM NOTE
The passage “the humble shall inherit the earth” is one of the bible’s most widely recognized and noble teachings, originating in Chapter 37 of the book of Psalms. Using the original Hebrew text, my approach to setting it was to excerpt four other phrases from the same chapter to lead up to this pivotal passage, with the goal of creating a coherent narrative that takes one from a state of searching and contemplation to an affirmation of moral rightness.
The music of the first phrase (37:25), where the psalmist, as one who has lived a long life, asserts his belief that the virtuous will not be forsaken, opens the work reflectively, then leading to a depiction of the wicked, who gains power using devious means (37:35). Here my approach was to create the musical image of a slithering snake, with the background suggesting murkiness. The next passage (37:36), where the image of evil dissipates as the perpetrator vanishes, serves as a transition, and is intoned by a solo tenor, gradually joined by the muted singing of the rest of the chorus. The work’s concluding portion is an extended build-up. The words “the righteous shall inherit the land, and inhabit it forever” (37:29) now appear, the music becoming progressively more jubilant, culminating in “the meek shall inherit the earth, delighting in the abundance of peace” (37:11), expressive of both reverence and grandeur.
It remains to be noted that in my setting, on the very final reiterations of the word “Shalom” on which the work ends, a note of reflection, not closure, is introduced, alluding to the ever-elusive nature of this quest for peace and moral justice.
© Shulamit Ran
INFORMATION
Commissioned for the 25th anniversary of The New York Virtuoso Singers / Harold Rosenbaum, music director
Premiere:
October 21, 2021
Merkin Hall, New York City
The New York Virtuoso Singers
Harold Rosenbaum, conductor
Duration: 5’30
SHEET MUSIC
Available from your favorite sheet music seller, or directly from Theodore Presser.