Mendelssohn composed the three a cappella Psalms of Op. 78 in late 1843 and early 1844. They were not published until 1848.

Although written in a conservative idiom, the psalm settings of Op. 78 do not display the deliberate archaism of the Tu es Petrus (1827) and Hora est (1828), which look back to sixteenth-century Italian linear counterpoint. Mendelssohn eschewed the tone painting of Liszt and the nascent Wagnerians. He did not attempt to illustrate particular words of a text through musical gestures. This restraint contributes to the solemn air of his choral works, even though it sometimes produced banality in his works for solo voices.

The first of the Op. 78 set, Psalm 2, "Warum toben die Heiden?" (Why Do the Nations Rage?), was completed on December 15, 1843. It is a powerful work that opens with antiphonal passages and contains a four-part canon in its "Gloria" section. Such characteristics lend the piece a dignified air.

Psalm 43 was finished on January 3, 1844. For the fifth and final verse, "Was betrübest du dich, meine Seele?" (Why are you downcast, my soul?), Mendelssohn borrows music from the parallel passage (with the same text) of his earlier Psalm 42, Op. 42 (1837). In Psalm 43, however, the texture is thinner, in part because there is no orchestra, but also because the part-writing is streamlined.

Mendelssohn finished his setting of Psalm 22, "Mein Gott, mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen?" (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?), sometime in early 1844. It is written with the strictest traditional liturgical means and is without a trace of melodrama. This lack of affect is especially conspicuous when one considers the passionate nature of the text. The piece's uniformity of conception and the simplicity of its style make it exceptional for its era.

One of the peculiar characteristics of these and other Mendelssohn psalm settings is the composer's occasional disregard for proper text setting. Unstressed syllables are set to long notes in numerous places, going against the grain of proper German text declamation.

© All Music Guide