Salvation is Created
Salvation is Created is a choral work composed by Pavel Tchesnokov in 1912. It was one of the very last sacred works he composed before he was forced to turn to secular arts by the Soviet government. Although he never heard his own composition performed, his children had the opportunity to in the years following his death. Salvation is Created was originally published in 1913 by J. Fischer and Bro. but its popularity drove editors to produce many different versions in both Russian and English. Scored for either six or eight voices (SATTBB or SSAATTBB), the work is a communion hymn based on a synodal Kievan chant melody and Psalm 74 (73 in the Greek version). The original Russian text is as follows:
- Russian Script: Cпасение coдeлaл еси посреде земли, Боже. Аллилуия.
- Phonetic Alphabet: Spaséniye sodélal yesí posredé ziemlí, Bózhe. Allilúiya.
- English: Salvation is made in the midst of the earth, O God. Alleluia.
- (Tchesnokov 2002)
The keys of B minor and D major are the work’s primary key centers, and it is cast in AA’ or two part strophic form.
Later on in the years of this piece when it was getting more popular in choral groups, it started to get popular among bands. So then someone had decided to transpose "Salvation is Created" to fit with a wind ensemble.
This arrangement uses the French horn at the beginning to have a solo line for the first four measures so that it can introduce the main melody and before the upper woodwinds take over and to then bring in the entire band with a wonderful mix of chords and bring out the climax. Then it becomes very quiet, yet with a long build again to a dramatic climax of the entire band.
References
- Rommereim, J. C. "'The Choir and How to Direct It:' Pavel Chesnokov's magnum opus." CHORAL JOURNAL, Official Publication of the American Choral Directors Association XXXVIII, no. 7 (1998): 29-42.
- Tchesnokov, Pavel. "Salvation is Created (Pavel Tchesnokov)." Choral Public Domain Library. Two editions. http://www.choralwiki.org/wiki/index.php/Salvation_is_created_(Pavel_Chesnokov) (accessed February 15, 2011).