Psalm 96

Peter Bannister
Psalm 96

Choral work (SATB) with organ and orchestra, based on Psalm 96. Commissioned in honor of Elsbeth Shannon, who wanted music to be “a breath of fresh air, something that would bring glory to God and help us to see the beauty of holiness.” Duration: 8 minutes.

World Premiere:
May 6, 2011

Calvin College Capella
Calvin College Campus Choir
Calvin College Orchestra
John Nelson, conductor
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, MI

Family of Elsbeth Shannon
with composer Peter Bannister (right)

Calvin College Covenant Fine Arts Center Auditorium

The closing concert for Calvin College’s Artist Series 2011 on Saturday, May 7, featured the premiere of Peter Bannister’s SDG-commissioned work Psalm 96. This premiere was not only the launch of SDG's three-year pilot program for the Psalms Project, but also a tribute to the late Elsbeth Shannon.

Elsbeth's story (see sidebar) centered on her work in Africa and her fascination with the African rhythms and tonality that she heard emerging in the African church. As Peter Bannister composed this work that would become a tribute to Elsbeth's life, he wrote, "It was clear to me that my setting of Psalm 96 would in some way have to make a reference to Africa." The resulting work for choir, orchestra and organ, complete with clapping and stamping and drumming, was enthusiastically received both at the gala concert on Saturday and at a campus worship service on Sunday for LOFT (Living Our Faith Together), where the congregation joined the choir as participants in the clapping sections.

Conductors John Nelson and Robert Nordling

“Peter Bannister's setting of Psalm 96 is a wonderful piece; challenging to perform yet beautifully crafted. It has ethnic integrity—skillfully referring to the African roots to which it is dedicated—and musical depth. The piece so clearly demonstrates his love of the Psalter. The audience (congregational) participation is approachable enough to help them participate actively in this challenging music for performer and audience alike. We thoroughly enjoyed preparing and performing it.”—Robert Nordling, conductor of the Calvin College Orchestra, on the concert performance, Saturday, May 7, 2011

“I was particularly impressed by the congregational singing and clapping so movingly inserted into Peter’s Psalm setting. This is a fresh dynamic which I hope other composers in our Psalms Project will sign on to.”—John Nelson, conductor, on the LOFT service performance, Sunday, May 8, 2011

Psalm 96:1, 7-9 (ESV*)
1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!

Program Notes by Peter Bannister

“I very much regret that I never had the opportunity to meet Elsbeth in person, but I found the energy and optimism that she showed during our telephone conversations very inspiring, especially given what I had heard about the state of her health. After seeing the materials she sent regarding her interaction with their congregation in Zaire, I realized two things. Firstly, after watching a video of African worship that Elsbeth sent me, I couldn't imagine structuring my setting along the lines of the all-too-frequent model Anglo-American model of a choir singing to a passive congregation; that would be against the spirit of emerging Global Christianity, where worship is nothing if not participatory. Secondly, it was clear to me that my setting of Psalm 96 would in some way have to make a reference to Africa, however oblique.

“I have tried to address both these concerns in my setting. While the piece is performable as a 'straight' concert work without direct congregational participation, it is also intended as a 'liturgical action' which actively involves both choir and congregation. I am delighted to see that both these possibilities will be explored this weekend at Calvin College. As for a nod in the direction of Africa, I thought for quite a while as to the musical form this might take, until one Sunday in my own worshipping community, the American Church in Paris, we were treated to the sight of our large African Fellowship unexpectedly dancing the offertory up to the altar. This made an unforgettable impression on me as an image of the vibrancy of faith in the Global South despite often overwhelming suffering, an image which I kept in mind as I was writing the piece, particularly in terms of its rhythmic dimension. I hope that something of that same vibrancy will be felt in this meeting of African-inspired percussion, orchestra and organ, an instrument which Elsbeth specifically requested.”

—Peter Bannister
SDG Composer-in-Association and Program Director for the Psalms Project

Visit our Psalms Project page to learn more about SDG's Psalms Project.

* Scripture quotation is from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Premiere of Psalm 96

Peter Bannister's Psalm 96, performed at the LOFT (Living Our Faith Together) service at Calvin College, May 8, 2011, with the Calvin College Cappella choir, the Evangelical Choral Society, the Calvin College Orchestra, and the congregation, John Nelson, conductor.

See a complete video of this LOFT service, which includes a presentation from Peter Bannister on the goals of Soli Deo Gloria's Psalms Project. Peter's talk starts at about 8:02, and the performance of the piece begins at 55:00.

The Story of Elsbeth Shannon

"Elsbeth would have loved the drums, the clapping, the organ—the whole thing!"
—Ralph Shannon, husband of the late Elsbeth Shannon, in whose honor Psalm 96 was commissioned

Elsbeth Shannon was a remarkable woman, a missionary and a musician. During the many years she and her husband, Ralph, spent in Africa, she became fascinated with African church music. She saw that missionaries had imported Western hymns, but that local congregations were harmonizing them with African harmonies. She also saw the gradual emergence of an entirely new body of music, as African congregations—particularly the young people—began creating their own worship music.

When an African elder said to her, “I have a vision that some day my children will walk into church and hold in their hands a hymnal of our own songs,” Elsbeth decided to commit herself to the work of transcribing and notating the previously only aural music. She saw her goal of creating a new African hymnal as an expression of Psalm 96: “Sing unto the Lord a NEW song.”

Shortly before Elsbeth’s death in August 2010, Marcia Broucek, SDG’s Communications Manager, spoke with her about the commission of a new musical setting for Psalm 96 in her honor.

Elsbeth Shannon speaking about the Psalm commissioned in her honor.

Elsbeth’s hope for this commission of Psalm 96 was summed up in her statement, “I love the expression, ‘Worship him in the splendor of holiness.’ This is what I’m anticipating: to see a breath of fresh air, something that would really bring glory to God, and that would help us to see the beauty of holiness, and encourage us to a worship of him that is worthy of him.”

Though Elsbeth never saw herself as one for whom a piece of music should be commissioned ("No way. Not me! You only do that for big important people who do great things in life."), her loving family and friends collectively decided that a new piece of music would, in fact, be just the right way to celebrate her life and her love of singing.

The Music's Impact

A member of Calvin College Capella:

"I really loved singing Psalm 96 ... This was one of the first pieces I have ever heard that made modern music accessible to the average congregation member without robbing the music of its depth. Psalm 96 presented a lot of what makes modern music modern, while providing a singable tune and an attractive African "'beat,' making the music enjoyable for all audiences."

A percussion player in the orchestra:

"The rhythm made the worship come alive in my body!"

A member of the Calvin College Music Department Faculty

“The commission to set Psalm 96 was especially challenging because it required synthesizing several disparate concerns, including African percussion and pipe organ; the complexity of concert music drawing hearers into an appropriate attitude for worship; and the languid-but-deliberate flowing motion of an African offertory processional played by a stationary choir and full orchestra.
Peter Bannister effectively melded all these forces together to deliver what the psalm itself calls for: an new song that ascribes God's glory from the perspective of several nations. I can attest that our students grew from learning this music and the theological motivations that produced it.”
—David Fuentes, Professor of Composition and Theory, Calvin College

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