Gij does - beurtzang voor een dode I (ps90) = You make -- Antiphonal Song for a Dead Person I (Psalm 90), 1979 - 1981

Oosterhuis chose Psalm 90 as the text for this piece. The psalm falls into two sections, a lamentation and intercessory prayer. A hymn-like introduction, verses 1-2, sets the stage, to honor the God as the One who has both brought forth the mountains (Creation) and Israel (Restoration). This God has existed for all ages, since living memory You are a dwelling place of safety. This psalms is a lament of individual and communal fragments Then follows a lamentation in verses 3-11, about human frailty, sinfulness, and the brevity of life. From this section, Oosterhuis drew his three basic verses, the initial stages of dejection and uncertainty. He omits the oracular consultation, and the ultimate joy of rediscovering God, which characterize a lamentation by providing the psychological phases of articulation, listening, and thus healing. The second part of the psalm, verses 12-17, offers intercessory prayer to God. It lacks the strong language and emotion found in the first section. The style of writing is on the Wisdom genre of literature, a well-spun way of addressing God while instructing Israel. While these two halves fail to balance each other, the complement one another.

Perhaps the liturgical occasion for this psalm was a Service of Penance and Intercession at a time of national disaster, as described in Judith 4:9-15. The Ruler (King or Priest) expressed personal anguish on behalf of the Nation. Although largely post-Exilic, some elements are pre-Exilic. It is in a Mosaic tradition, due to its connection with Genesis 2:4, 3:19 and Deuteronomy 32. The psalm may have been composed from two earlier poems in which the first (verses 1-11) was addressed to Adonai or El, the remote God of the Northern tradition, and the second (verses 12-17) to the more intimate YHWH of the Southern Jerusalem Shrine. While there are no assembly refrains, there is a recurring theme, Return to us, O Lord. The first section depicts God as calling humanity to return to the dust of creation; yet this is the stardust from which were formed, an the underlying spirit of light is indestructible. The second section calls on God to return to Israel. Perhaps a refrain similar to that of Psalm 80 may have been used, God of the Powers, return to us, bring us back that we may be saved.

Huijbers' choice from the Gregorian repertoire is Regem Cui, an a latere or antiphonal song for two alternating groups of singers, taken from the Matins Invitatorium Psalm to the Office of the Dead. While Oosterhuis' original setting consisted of 3 verses from the psalm, Huijbers provided an additional four verses as an extension, giving even more life to piece. Perhaps he may have consulted with Oosterhuis about this, but the final version given to the publisher, Gooi en Sticht, reflects only the ths basic three verses. He provided bo indication as the division of voices throughout the piece, but the assumption may safely be made that the assembly would sing the entire text. The a latere source of the original melody suggests that the verses be sung by alternating sides of the assembly, with both sides coming together for the refrains. His splitting of the refrains is a common practice which he developed throughout his psalmody in his initial years of composing for the Domincus and Student communities. - Tony Barr