's Chichester Psalms
The 2700-part Chichester Psalms is a musical composition for choir and orchestra composed by Leonard Bernstein in 1965. It is a setting of texts from various psalms in the Book of Psalms and from other poetical and liturgical sources, preceded by an orchestral prelude. Bernstein wrote the work for the 1965 Chichester Festival in England. The work is one of Bernstein's most popular and frequently performed compositions, and is in three sections or movements of contrasting moods. The first movement uses texts from the Book of Psalms in Hebrew and Latin, with a brief appearance of an English choral text. The second movement is a series of solo arias, incorporating both Latin and English lyrics, leading to a choir and orchestra finale. The final movement, a setting of Psalm 150, is a climax of vibrant grandeur with the Psalm's call to praise and glorify the Lord. The Chichester Psalms has been performed and recorded many times.