A Musical Gem - Zelenka's Miserere

The Prophet Nathan confronts King David with his sin 

     One of the things I aim for in my bloggery is to share some gems from the Catholic Tradition that are not as well-known as they deserve to be. For centuries Catholic artists have been creating beautiful things to honor God. We have accumulated a vast treasury of works of unequaled loveliness – including a veritable horde of the most beautiful music ever conceived. Sadly, most of it, it seems, is rarely heard today.  
     Take the piece below, for instance, by the Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745), which is a musical setting for Psalm 51, also known as the Miserere.
     Tradition tells us that this psalm was composed by King David as an act of penance after he ordered the murder of Uriah, one of his officers, so that he could marry the man's wife. Because of it's penitential character, Psalm 51 is always included in Morning Prayer on Fridays, and is also closely connected with the Season of Lent.  It has become my custom to post a couple different musical interpretations of this psalm at the beginning of Lent every year (I have also posted Antonio Lotti's version here on my other blog, Principium et Finis).
     Zelenka was a highly regarded composer in his time, but never received the recognition of some of contemporaries such as J.S. Bach (Bach himself is reported to have been a friend and admirer).  Zelenka was rediscovered by his fellow Czech, the composer Smetana, a century and a half ago, and over the past few decades his reputation and audience has been steadily growing.  His work is known for its innovative harmonics and use of counterpoint, which are evident in the powerful, moving Miserere below.