De profundis

De profundis for male choir, percussions ad libitum and organ was completed in Vienna in 1980 after Pärt had left the Soviet Union. The composition is dedicated to the Austrian composer Gottfried von Einem (1918–1996) and was premiered by Vocalensemble Kassel, conducted by Klaus Martin Ziegler. In 2008, the composer arranged the piece for male choir and chamber orchestra.

The basis of the composition is a pilgrimage song, Psalm 130 (129) Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord, which has been composed following the beginning of the psalm: one voice sings the first two verses of the psalm, two voices sing the third and fourth, three voices sing the fifth and sixth, whereas the seventh and eighth psalms are sung by the entire four-part male choir. With t…

De profundis for male choir, percussions ad libitum and organ was completed in Vienna in 1980 after Pärt had left the Soviet Union. The composition is dedicated to the Austrian composer Gottfried von Einem (1918–1996) and was premiered by Vocalensemble Kassel, conducted by Klaus Martin Ziegler. In 2008, the composer arranged the piece for male choir and chamber orchestra.

The basis of the composition is a pilgrimage song, Psalm 130 (129) Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord, which has been composed following the beginning of the psalm: one voice sings the first two verses of the psalm, two voices sing the third and fourth, three voices sing the fifth and sixth, whereas the seventh and eighth psalms are sung by the entire four-part male choir. With this gradual addition of voices, what started as an individual lament ultimately becomes a collective wailing.