Felix Mendelssohn

Lauda Sion (Mendelssohn)

Lauda Sion (Praise Zion), Op. 73, (MWV A 24) is an extended composition by Felix Mendelssohn. He set parts of Lauda Sion, a sequence in Latin for Corpus Christi in 1846. The piece in eight movements

History#

Mendelssohn was ready to set music for different denominations. He received a commission for a setting of the Lauda Sion sequence from a Belgian church musician, to be performed at the church St. Martin in Liège in 1846, commemorating the feast’s 600th anniversary. Mendelssohn began the work in 1845, at the same time as his oratorio Elijah, and completed it in 1846. It was published after his death, in 1848. Carus published it in a critical edition in 1996. <!–

Text#

The text is Psalm 100, also known as the Jubilate Deo, in the German translation by Martin Luther. ().

Music#

Mendelssohn structured the text in eight movements: # Lauda Sion Salvatorem # Laudis thema specialis # Sit laus plena # In hac mensa # Docti sacris institutis # Sub diversis speciebus # Caro cibus # Sumit unus <!– The first verse of the psalm is set as a fanfare. The second verse, serving with gladness, begins in contrast with the high voices in unison, then expanded for all. The third verse, “Erkennet, daß der Herr Gott ist”, is first soft and in low register for all voices, but gradually growing towards the word Gott. In the middle section, setting the fourth verse, the men’s choir begins, answered by the high voices, then the opposite way. “Danket ihm”, introduced by two notes by second bass alone, is richly set for eight parts. The final section, verse five, begins piano with the three lower voices in homophony, about the friendliness of the Lord, growing toward mercy, and further to truth. The development is repeated with the soprano.

Recording#

The popular anthem was recorded often. On the occasion of the bicentenary of Mendelssohn’s birth in 2009, Carus-Verlag made a recording of his complete sacred music in twelve volumes. The psalm setting is performed on vol. 5 by the Kammerchor Stuttgart, conducted by Frieder Bernius and recorded in 1996. A reviewer noted that the work in rich texture is accessible for amateur choirs and “has proved enduringly popular”. –>

Composer: Felix Mendelssohn