Darius Milhaud - Trois Psaumes de David, Op. 339 (1954)

Darius Milhaud (4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and Brazilian music and make extensive use of polytonality. Milhaud is considered one of the key modernist composers.

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3 Psaumes de David, Op. 339 (1954)
Psalm LI, Psalm CL, Psalm CXV, Psalm CXVI
Dedication: au Rév. Père David Nicholson O.S.B. et aux Moines Bénédictins de l'Abbaye de Mount Angel (Oregon) et à mon très cher ami le Rév. Clément Jacob O.S.B.

I. Psaume 51 (6e mode) (0:00)
II. Psaume 150 (7e mode) (7:12)
III. Psaume 114 et 115 (Tonus irregularis) (9:25)

Netherlands Chamber Choir conducted by Stephen Layton

This work, composed in 1954, is for mixed choir a cappella and is dedicated to the Reverend Père David Nicholson O.S.B., the Benedictine monks of Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon, and to Milhaud’s friend the Reverend Clément Jacob O.S.B. It sets three Latin psalms — Psalm 51 (6th mode), Psalm 150 (7th mode), and Psalms 114 and 115 (tonus irregularis) — and alternates between Gregorian chant and four‑voice polyphony.

According to a detailed account of his life and works, between October 17 and 21, 1954, Milhaud was in Oakland, California, when he and his companion arrived at the Benedictine Abbey of Mount Angel in Oregon. While there, he met with one of the abbey’s fathers (Fr. David Nicholson) who oversaw Gregorian chant, who had been writing to him for two months urging him to compose a Mass blending free polyphony with Gregorian elements. Milhaud explained that while he found the polyphonic principle fascinating, his personal faith did not allow him to feel it was right for a Mass. Instead, they agreed he would compose Psalms of David for the abbey, using the same Gregorian–polyphony alternation principle.

Father David Nicholson (1919-2009) was a personal friend of mine. I dedicated my Isaiah 53 (2007) to him. He was a specialist in Gregorian Chant. As a choir conductor he won two grammy awards, one for his de Victoria's Requiem recording and one for his Gregorian Chant series on the RCA Victor label with the Mount Angel Abbey Choir, Oregon and the Monsterrat Abbey Choir, Spain.

He also worked as a music/history consultant for the movie Industry. As such he became close friends with Bob and Dolores Hope, Mel Gibson and his family and many others. Darius Milhaud wrote his Trois Psaumes de David for Father David in 1954.
Kenneth Leighton was his teacher and while studying in Oxford and Edinburgh he also met Benjamin Britten and Igor Stravinsky. A close friend of Father David was Maria von Trapp who was a regular visitor of the Abbey. In the early days after the war the whole family would be there.