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This is an art song setting of Psalm 13. The title of the song is indeed “Psalm 13,” but the words “How long?” recur multiple times and sound like something of a refrain. This was written for the first Deus Ex Musica concert project, “In the Shadow of Your Wings.”
Psalm 13
How does this psalm piece interpret the psalm?
This setting of Psalm 13 was commissioned by Deus Ex Musica, an organization committed to the development of sacred music. The psalm, a lament, opens by repeating the words “How long?” four times. This howling cry drew me deeper into the text and its raw emotion, and my setting aims to similarly convey the desperation of the speaker as they cry out to God, fearing they have been abandoned in their trials. Ultimately, though, the speaker regains faith and rejoices, trusting that God is with them even in their darkest hour. The song is a journey, traveling from the immediacy of anguish, pain, loneliness, and desolation through the recovery of strength and resolve and ultimately to the peace of trusting in God’s lovingkindness. The text is adapted by the composer from the World English Bible translation, with additions from alternate translations at the discretion of the composer. The performance features Mary Montgomery Koppel, composer and soprano, accompanied by Abigail Frost on piano.
While this song premiered in concert as part of an ecumenical concert and discussion, it has also been an integral part of worship at my home church, First Church in Wenham (Mass.). As our worship team built virtual worship services compiled from various video contributions from our ministers, deacons, and musicians, we contributed this for use as an anthem and a musical reflection on Scripture.
Text and Music: Psalm 13; Mary Montgomery Koppel, © Mary Montgomery Koppel
Contact: Mary Montgomery Koppel, mkmkmusic@gmail.com
Why and how did psalm singing become such a hallmark of Reformed worship? Join Dr. Karin Maag for a fascinating journey through time, from Reformation Geneva to Scotland and from the Netherlands to New England, exploring the roots and impact of metrical psalm singing. Along the way, we will hear the voices of early modern Christians as they learned how to sing the psalms, both in unison and in harmony.
John Goldingay, an Anglican priest and the senior professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, posits the psalms are the densest material in the entire Old Testament. They expound the nature of God as the compassionate, faithful, and committed one, but also as the one who makes demands upon us. The psalms help us talk to God, even about difficult things—and when we do, we are talking to someone who is in a position to do something about it.
Sister Kathleen Harmon of the community of the Ohio province of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Dayton, invites us to be transformed by the psalms and experience them as the whole story God is revealing to us. As we keep praying and singing them, the psalms interpret us, and that’s when the transformation comes.
Why and how did psalm singing become such a hallmark of Reformed worship? Join Dr. Karin Maag for a fascinating journey through time, from Reformation Geneva to Scotland and from the Netherlands to New England, exploring the roots and impact of metrical psalm singing. Along the way, we will hear the voices of early modern Christians as they learned how to sing the psalms, both in unison and in harmony.
John Goldingay, an Anglican priest and the senior professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, posits the psalms are the densest material in the entire Old Testament. They expound the nature of God as the compassionate, faithful, and committed one, but also as the one who makes demands upon us. The psalms help us talk to God, even about difficult things—and when we do, we are talking to someone who is in a position to do something about it.
Sister Kathleen Harmon of the community of the Ohio province of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Dayton, invites us to be transformed by the psalms and experience them as the whole story God is revealing to us. As we keep praying and singing them, the psalms interpret us, and that’s when the transformation comes.
Vinroy D. Brown Jr.—conductor, musicologist, educator, and minister of creative worship and music at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City—explores the vibrant intersection of Black sacred music and the psalms. He talks about Black composers and how they have reimagined the psalms through choral music, spirituals, and the gospel tradition for the benefit of everyone.
