Te Deum (Kodály)

Zoltán Kodály stands with Béla Bártok as one of the most prolific Hungarian composers of all time. While best known for his work in music education, Kodály has composed many great works that often go unnoticed or ignored. One of such works is his Te Deum, composed for use in the Roman Catholic mass. Like most of his compositions, he employs traditional Hungarian folk music idioms, as well as creative compositional methods of his own. While exceptional, this work is unfortunately overlooked by most musicians and choral conductors.

Biography

Zoltán Kodály was born in the small Hungarian town of Kecskemét in 1882 to musical parents. His father was a railway official, and his family moved across the country frequently throughout his childhood. Starting at age 3, he began to learn the violin and the cello, and his gifts quickly became apparent. However, despite his accomplishments, his father did not want him to become a professional musician. Against his father’s wishes, he went to study at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, quickly falling more and more in love with the traditional folk music of his country. It was at this time that Kodály began to work closely with Béla Bártok, as Kodály quickly became a professor in the Budapest Music Academy, where Bártok was also employed. Kodály first became recognized as a composer with the premier of Psalmus Hungaricus in 1923. His use of folk concepts in opera and other vocal music became very popular across Hungary. Around 1925, his focus turned towards choral music, particularly youth chorus and music education. It was during this time that he initiated what we know today as the “Kodály method” of music education, which focuses on the solfege system and singing. While music education itself was his focus, he continued to compose incredible choral works, Te Deum being one of them. Kodály continued his work as an educator, composer, and ethnomusicologist until his death in 1967.

The Te Deum: Purpose and Translation

Te Deum is a hymn of joy and thanksgiving used in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic church. It is sometimes referred to as the “Ambrosian Hymn,” because the church originally thought was written by St. Ambrose. It is now attributed to Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana. It is used in the common liturgy of the Catholic church, and is excluded on special occasions such as Lent or during the Christmas season.

The Text, as translated from The Book of Common Prayer, is as follows:

Te Deum laudamus:	We praise thee, O God:
te Dominum confitemur.	we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
Te aeternum Patrem	All the earth doth worship thee:
omnis terra veneratur.	the Father everlasting.
Tibi omnes Angeli;	To thee all Angels cry aloud:
tibi caeli et universae Potestates;	the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim	To thee Cherubim and Seraphim:
incessabili voce proclamant:	continually do cry,
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,	Holy, Holy, Holy:
Dominus Deus Sabaoth;	Lord God of Sabaoth;
Pleni sunt caeli et terra:	Heaven and earth are full of Majesty:
maiestatis gloriae tuae.	of thy glory.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus,	The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee,
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus,	The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee,
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.	The noble army of Martyrs praise thee.
Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur Ecclesia,	The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee.
Patrem immensae maiestatis:	The Father: of an infinite Majesty;
Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium;	Thine honourable, true, and only Son;
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.	Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter.
Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.	Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.	Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem,	When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,
non horruisti Virginis uterum.	thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
Tu, devicto mortis aculeo,	When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.	thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.	Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
Iudex crederis esse venturus.	We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni:	We therefore pray thee, help thy servants:
quos pretioso sanquine redemisti.	whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.	Make them to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting.
[added later]	[added later]
Salvum fac populum tuum,	O Lord, save thy people:
Domine, et beneic hereditati tuae.	and bless thine heritage.
Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.	Govern them, and live them up forever.
Per singulos dies benedicimus te;	Day by day we magnify thee;
Et laudamus Nomen tuum in saeculum, et in saeculus saeculi.	And we worship thy Name, ever world without end.
Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire.	Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
Miserere nostri Domine, miserere nostri.	Oh Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
Fiat misericordia tua,	O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us,
Domine, super nos, quemadmodum speravimus in te.	as our trust is in thee.
In te, Domine, speravi:	O Lord, in thee have I trusted:
non confundar in aeternum.	let me never be confounded.

Kodaly's Te Deum

Recordings

===Janos Ferencsik and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra=== This is the most modern recording of the Te Deum; in fact, there is video footage available on YouTube. It is very close to the tone, dynamic level, and style used by Kodály on his own recording. Conductor Ferencsik does a wonderful job of interpreting the piece in the true Hungarian folk style, as Kodály meant for it to be.

===Zoltán Kodály and the Budapest Chorus=== This of course is the most authentic recording of the Te Deum, as it is conducted by Kodály himself. Therefore, it is completely accurate and a delightful experience to hear it performed as it was apparently intended.

Analysis

The first thing to note about this work references a stylistic choice used in all of Kodály’s compositions. Kodály consistently desired to reference the tools used in traditional Hungarian folk music. In this way, he was quite similar to Béla Bartók, who also used these traditional resources in his compositions. The works of these two composers use certain pentatonic groups, isometric strophe structure, and tempo giusto most commonly.

Picture here

It can be seen from this example that most of the Te Deum follows the traditional compositional style of Kodály. Not only does one see stepwise motion in two of the voices (one of the common pentatonic groups he uses), but one also notices the leap of a fourth in the first measure in the bass line. This is a technique of Hungarian folk music that Kodály commonly uses, and continues to use consistently throughout Te Deum, particularly in the bass line.

As is common in Hungarian folk music, he employs verse structure, giving each section of the text its own individual musical style. There are no true or even tonal repeats at all throughout the work. Kodály begins the work in A minor, however he modulates multiple times throughout this lengthy work. He slowly modulates upward by step until the B section, during which he moves to E-flat major. The C section moves to E major. The D section slows down significantly, changing from 4/4 to 3/4 and introduces B-flat major. This is the solo section, and continues on in B-flat major, and it finally returns to E major. The remainder of the work contrasts between E major and E-flat major, ending with a big IV chord in E major. This emphasizes the characteristic use of the interval of a fourth often used by Kodály. The work contains a large amount of dynamic contrast, consistently alternating between forte and piano (or pianissimo). The overall mood of the dynamic seems to start forte and slowly wind down to a pianissimo finish.

Throughout the work, Kodály seems to be less concerned with overall text painting, and seems more focused on portraying the folk music of his country. There are occasions when the dynamic level or the chord structure used doesn’t quite match up. For instance, he uses a strong fortissimo marking with the text “pleni sunt coeli et terra” ("heaven and earth are full of majesty"), which most composers paint in a soft and subtle manner. However, it is a very powerful and influential work with beautiful, folk-style harmonies, intervals, and rhythms. His use of frequent key change, though may seem a bit chaotic at times, is truly unique and beautiful.

1. Eosze, Laszlo. Zoltan Kodaly: His Life and Work. London: Collet’s Holdings Ltd., 1962. 2. Kodaly, Zoltan. Selected Writings of Zoltan Kodaly. London: Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd., 1974. 3. Gray, Cecil. “Zoltan Kodaly.” Tempo, Vol. 3, Issue 63 (1963): 22-27. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Szabolcsi, B. “Zoltan Kodaly.” Studia musicological Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1972): 5-9. doi: 0039-3266. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Martin, Michael. “Te Deum.” Preces-Latinae Thesaurus Online. Accessed on October 28, 2012 at http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Trinitas/TeDeum.html 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. Wikipedia. “Te Deum.” Accessed on November 4, 2012 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Deum. 15. Ferencsik, Janos and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Kodaly: Budavári Te Deum & Missa Brevis. Hungaraton, 1994, CD. 16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVRvAk45cb0 17. Kodály, Zoltán and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Kodaly Conducts Kodaly: Psalmus Hungaricus/Budavári Te Deum/Missa Brevis. Polygram Records, 1990, CD. 18. Wikipedia. “Hungarian Folk Music.” Accessed on November 4, 2012 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_folk_music. 19. Kodály, Zoltán. Te Deum, Choral Score. London: Universal Edition, 1952. 20. Ibid.

Zoltán Kodály, Te Deum

Zoltán Kodály stands with Béla Bártok as one of the most prolific Hungarian composers of all time. While best known for his work in music education, Kodály has composed many great works that often go unnoticed or ignored. One of such works is his Te Deum, composed for use in the Roman Catholic mass. Like most of his compositions, he employs traditional Hungarian folk music idioms, as well as creative compositional methods of his own. While exceptional, this work is unfortunately overlooked by most musicians and choral conductors.

Biography

Zoltán Kodály was born in the small Hungarian town of Kecskemét in 1882 to musical parents. His father was a railway official, and his family moved across the country frequently throughout his childhood. Starting at age 3, he began to learn the violin and the cello, and his gifts quickly became apparent. However, despite his accomplishments, his father did not want him to become a professional musician. Against his father’s wishes, he went to study at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, quickly falling more and more in love with the traditional folk music of his country. It was at this time that Kodály began to work closely with Béla Bártok, as Kodály quickly became a professor in the Budapest Music Academy, where Bártok was also employed. Kodály first became recognized as a composer with the premier of Psalmus Hungaricus in 1923. His use of folk concepts in opera and other vocal music became very popular across Hungary. Around 1925, his focus turned towards choral music, particularly youth chorus and music education. It was during this time that he initiated what we know today as the “Kodály method” of music education, which focuses on the solfege system and singing. While music education itself was his focus, he continued to compose incredible choral works, Te Deum being one of them. Kodály continued his work as an educator, composer, and ethnomusicologist until his death in 1967.

The Te Deum: Purpose and Translation

Te Deum is a hymn of joy and thanksgiving used in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic church. It is sometimes referred to as the “Ambrosian Hymn,” because the church originally thought was written by St. Ambrose. It is now attributed to Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana. It is used in the common liturgy of the Catholic church, and is excluded on special occasions such as Lent or during the Christmas season.

The Text, as translated from The Book of Common Prayer, is as follows:

Te Deum laudamus:	We praise thee, O God:
te Dominum confitemur.	we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
Te aeternum Patrem	All the earth doth worship thee:
omnis terra veneratur.	the Father everlasting.
Tibi omnes Angeli;	To thee all Angels cry aloud:
tibi caeli et universae Potestates;	the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim	To thee Cherubim and Seraphim:
incessabili voce proclamant:	continually do cry,
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,	Holy, Holy, Holy:
Dominus Deus Sabaoth;	Lord God of Sabaoth;
Pleni sunt caeli et terra:	Heaven and earth are full of Majesty:
maiestatis gloriae tuae.	of thy glory.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus,	The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee,
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus,	The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee,
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.	The noble army of Martyrs praise thee.
Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur Ecclesia,	The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee.
Patrem immensae maiestatis:	The Father: of an infinite Majesty;
Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium;	Thine honourable, true, and only Son;
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.	Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter.
Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.	Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.	Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem,	When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,
non horruisti Virginis uterum.	thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
Tu, devicto mortis aculeo,	When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.	thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.	Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
Iudex crederis esse venturus.	We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni:	We therefore pray thee, help thy servants:
quos pretioso sanquine redemisti.	whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.	Make them to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting.
[added later]	[added later]
Salvum fac populum tuum,	O Lord, save thy people:
Domine, et beneic hereditati tuae.	and bless thine heritage.
Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.	Govern them, and live them up forever.
Per singulos dies benedicimus te;	Day by day we magnify thee;
Et laudamus Nomen tuum in saeculum, et in saeculus saeculi.	And we worship thy Name, ever world without end.
Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire.	Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
Miserere nostri Domine, miserere nostri.	Oh Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
Fiat misericordia tua,	O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us,
Domine, super nos, quemadmodum speravimus in te.	as our trust is in thee.
In te, Domine, speravi:	O Lord, in thee have I trusted:
non confundar in aeternum.	let me never be confounded.

Kodaly's Te Deum

Recordings

===Janos Ferencsik and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra=== This is the most modern recording of the Te Deum; in fact, there is video footage available on YouTube. It is very close to the tone, dynamic level, and style used by Kodály on his own recording. Conductor Ferencsik does a wonderful job of interpreting the piece in the true Hungarian folk style, as Kodály meant for it to be.

===Zoltán Kodály and the Budapest Chorus=== This of course is the most authentic recording of the Te Deum, as it is conducted by Kodály himself. Therefore, it is completely accurate and a delightful experience to hear it performed as it was apparently intended.

Analysis

The first thing to note about this work references a stylistic choice used in all of Kodály’s compositions. Kodály consistently desired to reference the tools used in traditional Hungarian folk music. In this way, he was quite similar to Béla Bartók, who also used these traditional resources in his compositions. The works of these two composers use certain pentatonic groups, isometric strophe structure, and tempo giusto most commonly.

Picture here

It can be seen from this example that most of the Te Deum follows the traditional compositional style of Kodály. Not only does one see stepwise motion in two of the voices (one of the common pentatonic groups he uses), but one also notices the leap of a fourth in the first measure in the bass line. This is a technique of Hungarian folk music that Kodály commonly uses, and continues to use consistently throughout Te Deum, particularly in the bass line.

As is common in Hungarian folk music, he employs verse structure, giving each section of the text its own individual musical style. There are no true or even tonal repeats at all throughout the work. Kodály begins the work in A minor, however he modulates multiple times throughout this lengthy work. He slowly modulates upward by step until the B section, during which he moves to E-flat major. The C section moves to E major. The D section slows down significantly, changing from 4/4 to 3/4 and introduces B-flat major. This is the solo section, and continues on in B-flat major, and it finally returns to E major. The remainder of the work contrasts between E major and E-flat major, ending with a big IV chord in E major. This emphasizes the characteristic use of the interval of a fourth often used by Kodály. The work contains a large amount of dynamic contrast, consistently alternating between forte and piano (or pianissimo). The overall mood of the dynamic seems to start forte and slowly wind down to a pianissimo finish.

Throughout the work, Kodály seems to be less concerned with overall text painting, and seems more focused on portraying the folk music of his country. There are occasions when the dynamic level or the chord structure used doesn’t quite match up. For instance, he uses a strong fortissimo marking with the text “pleni sunt coeli et terra” ("heaven and earth are full of majesty"), which most composers paint in a soft and subtle manner. However, it is a very powerful and influential work with beautiful, folk-style harmonies, intervals, and rhythms. His use of frequent key change, though may seem a bit chaotic at times, is truly unique and beautiful.

1. Eosze, Laszlo. Zoltan Kodaly: His Life and Work. London: Collet’s Holdings Ltd., 1962. 2. Kodaly, Zoltan. Selected Writings of Zoltan Kodaly. London: Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd., 1974. 3. Gray, Cecil. “Zoltan Kodaly.” Tempo, Vol. 3, Issue 63 (1963): 22-27. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Szabolcsi, B. “Zoltan Kodaly.” Studia musicological Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1972): 5-9. doi: 0039-3266. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Martin, Michael. “Te Deum.” Preces-Latinae Thesaurus Online. Accessed on October 28, 2012 at http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Trinitas/TeDeum.html 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. Wikipedia. “Te Deum.” Accessed on November 4, 2012 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Deum. 15. Ferencsik, Janos and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Kodaly: Budavári Te Deum & Missa Brevis. Hungaraton, 1994, CD. 16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVRvAk45cb0 17. Kodály, Zoltán and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Kodaly Conducts Kodaly: Psalmus Hungaricus/Budavári Te Deum/Missa Brevis. Polygram Records, 1990, CD. 18. Wikipedia. “Hungarian Folk Music.” Accessed on November 4, 2012 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_folk_music. 19. Kodály, Zoltán. Te Deum, Choral Score. London: Universal Edition, 1952. 20. Ibid.