Spreek tot mij - Berutzang naar psalm 51 = Speak To Me - Antiphonal Song from Psalm 51, 1978 - 1981

Penitential occasions preceded the sowing of crops, with tears of repentance rendering fertile the fields. Verses 2-3 suggest a post-Exilic adaptation as a re-dedication prayer, to restore the nation to its former glory. It may have later played a role in the New Year rites of the Day of Atonement, a festival of purification and enlightenment. Our current form of the psalm begins with the psalmist's memory of a merciful God and a request for a return to favor. In the context of an oracular consultation, the psalmist seeks forgiveness, resulting in prayers of thanksgiving and hope.

Oosterhuis' text uses fragments of the psalm which he considered to be its essence. I made one modification in translation. In verse 2 (also verse 2 of the biblical psalter), he writes, ik wil word zo wit als sneeuw - I shall become so (as) white as snow. With racial sensitivities in mind, I translated that phrase as I shall become as pure as snow.

Huijbers chose the Gregorian melody, Mea Culpa, from the Confiteor chant, to preserve the association of repentance and renewal, but with the new clothes of a fresh text speaking with eloquence and simplicity. In the refrain and throughout the verses, he plays on the tension between speech accents and the chant tactus. This is felt in the notation and the tenuto markings, which the singers are invited to relish. I recall a workshop where he spent a good thirty minutes perfecting the interpretation and tension between text and music at the end of the refrain of verlosende worden - in the hope of redemption, with the different notation groupings between voice and accompaniment. I recall a eureka moment in translation, when at 3:00 a.m we finally arrived at a satisfactory resolution of the refrain, with words that release me, ideally suited to the flow of the chant and for the woord-toonverhouding, the cohesion of syllable and supporting notation, the verb release lending itself to the tenuto tension. This is a key issue in his principle of formula technique and vocality. He follows this pattern throughout the verses. It serves ritual as a dialogue of covenant between assembly and psalmist/cantors.

I have used this throughout Lent, in various situations: on Ash Wednesday during the distribution of ashes, as a common responsorial seasonal psalm, and as a processional reflection during communion. I have based a Lenten reconciliation liturgy with burning of incense around it, using additional verses prepared with Jim Hansen with Huijbers' approval. I have also used it on Sundays within the rites of purification and enlightenment scrutinies of the Rite of Christian Initiation. - Tony Barr