Die erste Fassung des Beckerschen Psalters von Heinrich Schütz

Abstract

Two versions of the Becker Psalter, with settings by Schütz, were published during the composer's lifetime. The second version of 1661, op. 14, is well-known, but the first version of 1628, op. 5, has remained unpublished, although its intrinsic value was recognized by Philipp Spitta. The relationship between the two versions of the work is examined, using as an example the Psalms 23 and 117 as well as short excerpts from other pieces. The appendix includes a survey in tabular form of melodic references by Becker and Schütz, information about the editorial revision process used in creating new editions, as well as a synopsis of the two versions of Psalm 23.