Sacred Concerto No. 1, “Sing unto the Lord a New Song” (Psalm 96)

• This work’s Russian title is Vospoyte Hospodevi pesn′ novu. It is scored for a cappella SATB choir.¹
• This is work in the choral concerto (or sacred concerto) genre. This is an a cappella, sacred, multimovment genre in which Bortniansky specialized; he wrote at least 45 choral concertos over the course of his career.²
• Bortniansky prepared his sacred concertos for publication, but they were not published until after his death. This concerto was numbered first in the original publication, but there is no sure indication that it was the first one the composer wrote.³
• Tchaikovsky edited an edition of Bortniansky’s sacred choral concertos in 1882. 

Movements 

1. “Sing unto the Lord a new song” 
2. “Let them sing praises unto him” 
3. “He will beautify the meek with salvation”⁴

1. Marika Kuzma, “Bortnyans′ky [Bortniansky, Dmytro Stepanovych,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed March 18, 2022, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000003638.
2. Ibid.
3. Liner notes to Bortniansky: Sacred Concertos, Vol. 1, Russian State Symphonic Cappella, Valeri Polyansky, Chandos 9729, CD, 1999.
4. Liner notes to Bortniansky: Sacred Concertos, Vol. 1