Psalm 150 written

On this day in 2002, Psalm 150 was written by John Rutter.

This exuberant festival psalm setting was commissioned for the Golden Jubilee service in June 2002 and first performed in St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. John Rutter made particular use of the spectacular dome of St. Paul’s, in which three boy choristers were placed high above the congregation, singing the first line of the Latin version of Psalm 150, while the main choir below sang the complete text in English.. The sense of celebration and dancing rhythms of the main choir contrast with the reflective, ethereal sections for the three solo sopranos, positioned in the dome at the first performance, to create a work of great effect and power.

Material for both accompaniments is available to hire/rent at the OUP.

This piece is featured on The Gift of Life CD and is available from our web shop.

Stream Psalm 150 on your favourite digital platform.