Save Me, O God

Instrumentation

SSAATTBB

Duration

5 minutes

Performance Information

Written for the Ensemble Altera Composition Competition

Score

View the score

Program Notes

This work is based on Psalm 54, in which the psalmist cries out for deliverance from his enemies. The setting centers around the three anguished cries in the psalm: “save me, O God”; “hear my prayer”; and “destroy thou them”. These share the same motivic material, but with increasing desperation (and increasingly agitated musical treatment) each time. In between the second and third cries, there is a turbulent interlude depicting the gathering enemies. Finally, as the psalmist reflects upon the fact that he has always been able to rely on God’s care, the music draws to a peaceful close.

This work was a finalist in the 2024 Ensemble Altera Composition Competition.