Psalm 23 (Dominus Regit Me) for SATB Acappella Divisi SATB divisi

“I finished Psalm 23 Dominus regit me (The Lord Is My Shepherd), which inspired me musically, in 2013. This prayer of praise, being a radical act of trust in God, as Pope Benedict XVI once said, complements Credo in unum Deum. I was particularly moved by the personal tone of the Psalm author and by the landscape of life symbols that he painted. The psalmist, describing ancient nomads, compares God to a shepherd taking care of his flock. It is a hopeful metaphor of a journey in the future with kind and loving God as a guide – 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.' By interpreting the text with music, I wanted to avoid emotional directness, and to present the 'trust' in a contemplative way, as if it were a kind of a prayer – meditation.” –Marcel Chyrzynski, translated by Monika Rokicka