Schubert: Psalm 23 ("Gott ist mein Hirt"), D 706

Description

1820 was not a good year for Franz Schubert. He was in the middle of a compositional crisis; he was issued a warning for "slandering the authorities;" and he added, with few exceptions, mostly fragments to his oeuvre. One of the exceptions is this setting of Psalm 23. with the piano's lyrical accompaniment, Schubert created a musical backdrop for the four-part women's chorus which takes the listener to a meadow where shepherds gather with their grazing sheep. It also leads through the dark valley to the water – and to the richly laid-out table that is the object of this piece.