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Die Psalm-Variationen Jacob van Eycks: Geschichte, Analyse, Interpretation [abstract] Tibia,
1/90 (1990), 22-32 Jacob van Eyck composed fourteen sets of variations on Genevan psalms and two on related melodies ('Onse Vader in Hemelryck' = the Lord's Prayer, d'Lofzangh Marie = the Magnificat). This means that psalm variations make up ten percent of Der Fluyten Lust-hof. Despite of their prominent position, they belong to the lesser-played pieces nowadays. The tempo problem, the use of rests beween the phrases: van Eyck's psalm variations are not easy to grasp. The Genevan Psalter was the one and only liturgical songbook in the Dutch reformed church of the 17th century. The psalms were sung without organ accompaniment, with musically poor results. In the Netherlands, psalm melodies also sounded from the towers. The automatic chimes of the Utrecht Dom played psalms every full hour. As a carillonneur, Jacob van Eyck had to limit himself to this repertoire on Sunday. The first volume of the Lust-hof starts with the Lord's Prayer and end up with a psalm of praise (150); the second volume begins with Psalm 1 and ends with a psalm of praise (134) too. This points out that van Eyck was led by religious motives. In his psalm variations, the main notes of the theme always return on the strong beats, as a 'cantus firmus', which is quite logical: the melodies consist of half and whole notes only, they give the only hold. Practically all exceptions to this rule point at errors (Psalm 116, Modo 4; Psalm 150, Modo 4). The strong relation between the psalm melodies and the variations is also helpful regarding the application of accidentals (leading notes) in the theme (Psalms 1, 68). The final psalm variation is usually in sixteenth notes. If performers wish to keep up the tempo, this means that the theme is very slow. This was the way they were sung in van Eyck's time! Early in the 18th century, the organist Quirinus van Blankenburg from Gouda considered 67 half notes in one minute as the right tempo. His publisher agreed, but found this too fast for congregational singing. In Der Fluyten Lust-hof, three different types of psalm variations can be perceived: I. Theme and variations without rests between the phrases; II. Theme with rests, variations without; III. Theme and variations with rests. The three types appear in a chronological order. Type I belongs to the psalm variations from 1644 (Onse Vader, Lofzang Marie, Psalms 118, 140, 68 & 103). The second volume of 1646 starts with type II (1, 9, 33, 119, 133, (15) & 116) and marks the transition to type III (101 & 134). Psalm 150, added to the first volume in 1649, also belongs to type III. Analysis
makes clear that the psalm variations of types I and III were meant
as they were printed. In type II, the variations were meant without
rests. The congruency between theme and variations, noticed earlier,
gives reason to ignore the rests when playing
the theme. |