Psalm 22: My God, My God

This evocative, verbatim psalm is appropriate for use throughout Lent but especially during Holy Week, Palm Sunday in particular. Scored for cantor, SATB choir with descant, and accompanied by piano and guitar, the foursquare rhythm of the melody is paired with a rich harmonic setting, mostly in the Dorian mode, which musically represents the lament topic of the text ("why have you abandoned me?"). The full choral scoring on the refrain and in the fourth verse gives this setting a gravity suitable for use with the Passion Sunday liturgy.