PSALM 149
Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches.
(Psalm 149: 1-5, NRSV)
This Psalm Offering is composed in the form of a Mazurka, a lively Polish dance written in triple meter. I had Psalm 149 in mind as I composed this music.
I composed this in memory of my cousin Cheryl Deister. Cheryl died following back surgery early in the year. She worked for most of her life in the Federal government and upon retiring, was employed as an independent contractor on government projects. Single all her life, she took loving care of her parents till they passed away, and was a loving doting aunt to her nieces and nephews. She loved dearly her sister Kathy and brother in law, Frank. The other great love of her life was her standard poodle, Buster. Cheryl was a devoted Washington Redskin and Washington Nationals fan.
Kathy and Cheryl were my Virginia cousins, whom I last visited probably in the 1960’s. Ruth and I had the great pleasure of visiting Kathy, Frank and Cheryl the first week of October, 2017. We were looking so forward to them coming to visit us this summer and were greatly shocked and saddened to hear of Cheryl’s death in January. I would like to think that this Mazurka reflects the joy that Cheryl imparted to those who knew her, and is now part of the great dance she is enjoying in Heaven.
About the music: As stated above, a Mazurka is a fast, lively dance in triple meter. It is marked by accents falling on the weaker beats of triple time, namely, the 2nd and 3rd beat of each measure. One of the great composers of Mazurkas was Frederick Chopin, who composed 69 Mazurkas for piano.
This Mazurka is composed in simple 3 part meter. Melody A, melody B, melody A.
Psalm Offering 8 Opus 9: For my cousin Cheryl and Buster (c) 2018, Robert Charles Wagner. All rights reserved.
