Michael: Psalmodia Regia (Leipzig, 1632)

The sacred concertos in Psalmodia Regia (1632), composed by Samuel Michael (ca. 1599–1632), organist at the church of St. Nicholas, Leipzig, set selected texts from the first twenty-five psalms scored for a variety of vocal and instrumental forces. The publication is an early example of the growing interest in Protestant Germany for Italianate concerted musical styles, especially those featuring obbligato instruments as well as basso continuo. It also reflects political and confessional sentiment in central Germany at a key turning point during the Thirty Years’ War. Many of Michael’s texts allude to the recent harrowing events of the war, and in the preface to his collection, the composer points out the contemporary significance of his pieces, casting them as responses to the unrest of his time and invoking the model of King David, who composed some of his best psalms during times of suffering.