Today we return to the choral works of Jan Sweelinck. He was the most famous Dutch organist-composer in the early 1600s. He played at the Oude Kerk - these days it is the oldest building in Amsterdam. Sweelinck composed a large body of choral works, many of them in French, such as this one. During his lifetime, Amsterdam was very prosperous and was very international. His Huguenot psalms were composed for French-speaking Protestants living there. Most settings of Psalm 90 are epic or at least grand in scale. This one is intimate and personal, full of shadings and nuance – like a Vermeer.

– Dennis Keene, Artistic Director

SWEELINCK Psalm 90

Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director

from the Delos recording Beyond Chant ℗ 1994 Delos
The singers in this performance are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.