From thine altar, O Lord, we receive Christ,
in whom our heart and flesh rejoice.
in whom our heart and flesh rejoice.
— Antiphon for Corpus Christi
Psalm 84 is a hymn of the sons of Korah, descendants of Moses’ nephew. Korah once led a revolt against Moses and died, along with all his co-conspirators, when God caused "the earth to open her mouth and swallow him and all that appertained to them" (Num 16:31–33). His children, however, did not die (Num 26:11) and went on to serve as porters of the Temple (1 Chr 9:17–19), with special responsibility to care for God’s house, including the baking in pans for the meat-offering (Lev 2:5). These vital roles in the stewardship of God’s house, in addition to rescuing the family name, are reflected in the Psalms by the sons of Korah: 42, 44–49, 84, 85, 87 and 88.
Martin Luther describes the theology of Psalm 84:
The 84th Psalm is a psalm of comfort. It praises God’s Word highly over all things and exhorts us to gladly give up all good things—glory, power, joy, and whatever we desire—that we may hold onto God’s Word. And if we should be like the doorkeeper, that is, the least of those in the temple, this would still be far better than to sit in all the castles of the godless.
The Sons of Korah, whose responsibilities for the Temple paralleled the modern-day custodian and dish washer, certainly understood what it meant to be the least of those in the Temple. And yet, in contrast to their rebellious ancestor and name’s sake, they rejoiced that they were given to dwell in God’s house and to receive His gifts. Again, from Luther:
For God’ Word (the psalmist says) gives victory, salvation, grace, glory, and all good things. Oh, how blessed are those who believe this and then keep it! But where are they? Even if they were slandered and despised, they would find the whole world to be theirs in abundance, prepared for them. (Reading the Psalms with Luther, p. 200)
A quick survey of the standard musical catalogues of choral music reveals numerous settings of this Psalm. I would like to highlight three settings by three different composers, each of whom focuses on a different aspect of the text and music. Readers who are familiar with the setting by Johannes Brahms in his German Requiem may look forward to a future column devoted entirely to his treatment of this Psalm.
I. Gabriel Joseph Rheinberger (1839–1901), Hymne nach dem 84, Opus 3
Though he is no stranger to readers of this column, Rheinberger must certainly be counted among the hidden treasures of sacred music. His religious works include twelve Masses, with the following voicing: one for double chorus, three for four voices a cappella, three for women's voices and organ, two for men's voices and one with orchestra. Though rarely found in the choral folio of the modern parish choir, those who have ventured into his music are rarely disappointed, as the following Psalm setting of selected verses from Psalm 84 for women’s voices with harp demonstrates. Why do you think the composer used the harp and women’s voices to paint these verses from Psalm 84?
| Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, o Herr! Es sehnt sich meine Seele nach dem Vorhof des Herrn. Mein Herz frohlockt in dem lebendigen Gotte; denn der Sperling findet ein Haus, und die Taube Obdach im Sturm: ich finde deine Altäre, o du mein König, Herr und Gott! Selig sind die in deinem Hause wohnen, in alle Ewigkeit loben sie dich! Barmherzigkeit und Wahrheit liebt Gott, und denen die da wandeln in Unschuld, gibt Gnade er und Herrlichkeit. | How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord! My soul longs for the courts of the Lord. My heart cries out in the presence of God; there the Sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself: even at your altar, O you my King, Lord and God! Blessed are the ones who dwell in your house, they will always be praising you! Mercy and truth God loves, and [among] those who walk there in Innocence [He] gives mercy and glory. |
So why is the harp fitting for this text? Some superscriptions of Psalm 84 read, “For praises upon the harp brought from Gath,” which makes the harp a fitting instrument for this setting. And why the setting for women’s voices? Although the composer also set these words for SATB or mixed voices, the use of women’s voices is angelic, their luminous tones serving as a fitting vehicle for the praises sung by angels and archangels, leading the company of heaven.
II. Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848–1918), Quam Dilecta
Parry was an English composer, teacher, and historian of music, highly regarded for his work at the Royal College of Music and for being the teacher of Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst. As a composer of sacred music, he is best known for the choral song "Jerusalem", his 1902 setting for the coronation anthem "I was Glad When They Said unto Me," with similar themes to Psalm 84. The following setting of Psalm 84 is known by the first phrase of the Psalm in Latin, Quam dilecta tabernacula tua Domine virtutum, following a custom in the Anglican tradition of singing the text in English, but retaining the first phrase in Latin as an unofficial title. Readers who listen to Choral Evensong on BBC3 every Wednesday and those who remember the Anglican chant Psalms in the back of The Lutheran Hymnal (#662–668) will no doubt resonate with this style of Psalm singing. The previous setting by Rheinberger paints the text on a musical canvass; Parry’s music simply carries the text, allowing the singers and the hearers to meditate on every word.
| O how amiable are thy dwellings: thou Lord of hosts! 2 My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. 3 Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young: even thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be alway praising thee. 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee: in whose heart are thy ways. 6 Who going through the vale of misery use it for a well: and the pools are filled with water. 7 They will go from strength to strength: and unto the God of gods appeareth every one of them in Sion. 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: hearken, O God of Jacob. 9 Behold, O God our defender: and look upon the face of thine Anointed. 10 For one day in thy courts: is better than a thousand. 11 I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God: than to dwell in the tents of ungodliness. 12 For the Lord God is a light and defence: the Lord will give grace and worship, and no good thing shall he withhold from them that live a godly life. 13 O Lord God of hosts: blessed is the man that putteth his trust in thee. Glory be to the Father. . . . |
[text: 1662 Book of Common Prayer]
III. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), O How Amiable
A student of Parry, the importance of Vaughan Williams in both secular and sacred music in Great Britain cannot be overstated. In the concert hall, he is probably second only to Benjamin Britten in his importance to the symphonic repertoire. In the sacred realm, he might be England’s finest composer of the first half of the twentieth century. His setting of Psalm 90, for instance (please see the September 2018 issue of “Lifted Voice”), though out of reach for many choirs, may be the most profound Psalm setting ever written for England’s mighty cathedrals. His much shorter and more accessible setting of Psalm 84 includes the first four verses of Psalm 84, an appropriate verse from Psalm 90 (v. 4), and a familiar hymn fragment from Isaac Watts. Listen for the different musical styles and traits as they evolve with the text, including the stately music at the words, “The glorious majesty,” then gradually swelling to the climactic point on the words, “And our eternal home.”
| O how amiable are thy dwellings: thou Lord of hosts! 2 My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. 3 Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young: even thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be always praising thee. The glorious majesty of the Lord our God be upon us: Prosper thou the work of our hands up on us. O prosper thou our handiwork. Our God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come. Our shelter in the stormy blast, And our eternal home. |
The most familiar context for singing this Psalm (other than the daily rhythm of appointed Psalms) is probably the dedication of a sanctuary or a church anniversary. As I finish this column on a warm August morning in southern California, I am hearing on a daily podcast that the great cathedral, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), has once again been converted to a Mosque, emblematic of the ongoing challenge of Islam to Christianity. How fitting that Psalm 84 is one of only three Psalms with the superscription, “for the presses,” i.e., “for the sufferings of the Holy Church” (Neale & Littledale, III:36). “For the presses” recalls the wine press, where something was crushed now to make it something better later. In application, “We failed, and cease to be what we were before, but become something better and stronger, as the grape, forced out of its form and nature in the presses . . . becomes rich wine fit for storage in the cellars” (Neale and Little [after Ambrose], III:39).
How fitting for the ongoing challenge of Islam, for prolonged quarantine during COVID-19, and for our entire earthly pilgrimage of suffering. In this life, the faithful face persecution from those who dwell in the tents of the ungodly, temptations from Satan, and of course the ongoing threats of Islam and of secularization. It is all for the sake of learning to go from strength to strength and to take refuge at the altar, where Christ is received, in whom our heart and soul rejoice. As the hymn puts it:
How fitting for the ongoing challenge of Islam, for prolonged quarantine during COVID-19, and for our entire earthly pilgrimage of suffering. In this life, the faithful face persecution from those who dwell in the tents of the ungodly, temptations from Satan, and of course the ongoing threats of Islam and of secularization. It is all for the sake of learning to go from strength to strength and to take refuge at the altar, where Christ is received, in whom our heart and soul rejoice. As the hymn puts it:
| Built on the rock the church shall stand / even when steeples are falling. Crumbled have spires in ev’ry land; Bells still are chiming and calling, Calling the young and old to rest, But above all the souls distressed, Longing for life everlasting. (Lutheran Service Book 645.1). |
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