This essay wasn’t too hard to do in one night. A thousand words used to seem like a lot more. Of course, this essay probably stinks, but what I stink at on essays I make up for in… eating.
Jordan Cunningham
4th Period
September 30th, 2008
Psalm 23
Psalm 23 is a beautiful music composed by Z. Randall Stroope and written by King David of Judah, second king of Israel. The words were written by David some thousands of years ago, and have been translated into literally hundreds of languages, cited and included in literally thousands of forms of art, especially in literature and music. There are by no doubt hundreds of different versions of this scripture put into song ever since monks began their chanting in the dark ages, but this one stands out in its beauty and with its underlying meaning more defined. The words are filled with symbolism and imagery, and the musical properties magnify those meanings and create some of its own. The music’s lyrics, taken almost directly from “The Twenty-Third Psalm” in the Book of Psalms written by King David of the Jews, are the main attraction of this piece, and next its musical properties, as the music of this piece shows a great deal of meaning.
It doesn’t say directly that the Lord does all of these wonderful things for the author, but it is implied very well throughout the piece that it is the Lord who is doing them for the person, who will henceforth be referred to as David. The absence of speaking about what the Lord does for David implies genuine respect and honor. This technique of nearly “hiding” the Lord in the song also signifies to the reader (or listener, as it is a music) that the Lord will provide blessings in one’s life, and one may not even realize it was Him.
Near the middle of the piece, however, as the music becomes the softest that it ever does in the entire song, David does specify that the Lord has something to do with everything in the song. “Green pastures, still waters, the Lord provides… The Lord prepares me a table… The Lord anoints me, guides me, loves me.” This is to show that even though we are stupid and human, we still do recognize Him and His influence in our lives, and we’ll eventually see that He does everything for us, really. (West Jordan High School Belles Voix)
The words “green pastures, still waters, the Lord provides,” aren’t quite literal. There are cases when He may provide a green pasture for, perhaps, a farmer, and still waters for, perhaps, a seaman, but this phrase is meant to be taken symbolically. Green pastures are generally recognized as a peaceful place where sheep can graze without fear; in scripture, disciples of Christ are referred to as “lambs of his fold,” and the words “green pastures” can also refer to this connotation—cross-referencing with the first words of the piece, “the Lord is my shepherd,” and providing the idea that the Lord will watch over and protect his “sheep,” and give them “green pastures” to rest in. Still waters refers to the peace of the soul—the balance that one may feel as one is at peace with himself, or with the Lord, or one who feels the Spirit, whatever one’s beliefs may be. (West Jordan High School Belles Voix)
Near the end of the piece, David says that “in the house of the Lord, I will dwell forever.” Interpreted in one context, this means that when David dies, he will live forever in the Heavens with his Lord, happily and peacefully (we all know that he got distracted and ended up not dwelling quite with the Lord, however). (West Jordan High School Belles Voix)
At another point in the piece, the words “my cup runneth over and over.” By these words, David is saying that the Lord has and is blessing him so much that he hasn’t enough capacity in his being to use or even comprehend all of his blessings. He is, in lack of a better phrase, basically battered with blessings. (West Jordan High School Belles Voix)
Throughout the piece, the lyrics repeat the Latin word “Laudo” perpetually, dozens of times. In simplest terms, this word translates to praise. This is not included in the actual scripture; though it is probably included in the Latin translation of some scriptures, David is constantly praising his Lord, for He can never be praised enough, and no man can ever praise Him enough. (Translation Experts Limited)
The music itself has almost magical properties—one might call them spiritual properties. In simple terms, it lifts the spirit, or the soul, or however one might describe their deepest, overall feelings of one’s being. This music has power to move this soul to a more peaceful state. All one must do is listen, and the business and stress of our century can somehow be melted away into those still waters.
It would seem that all musics designed on the basis of religion, on the basis of God, from scripture, from spiritual revelations—it would seem that these musics have a strange power to lift a weary soul, even more so than most other musics. Comparing it with Deep River, a traditional music performed by many choral groups throughout the United States, one will feel the same lifting of the soul into a more peaceful state. Though Psalm 23 speaks of the Lord’s goodness and mercy and Deep River tells of the desire to cross over a river deep and hard to get to the other peaceful side (symbolically translating to the desire to return with God and be at eternal peace at last), they both speak the same message in the end result, through the lyrics partly, but also a great deal through the musical properties, through the harmonics, through the flux of the crescendo, the flow of the instruments, through the silence of the softness. (Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
The music, Psalm 23, will speak to one’s soul. The lyrics contribute to this through various different types and forms of symbolism as well as the literal meanings. The music contributes through the genius of the composer and arranger, making it speak to one’s soul; the words themselves are nice to read and think about, but adding the music is only when this music becomes true art.
Works Cited
Mormon Tabernacle Choir. “Deep River.” Peace Like a River. cond. Craig Jessop. By Traditional. Salt Lake City, 2004.
Translation Experts Limited. InterTran. 2004. 29 September 2008 <http://www.tranexp.com>.
West Jordan High School Belles Voix. “Psalm 23.” cond. Kelly DeHaan. By Z. Randall Strope. West Jordan, 2007.
