Motet notes - Schütz

Schütz’ setting of the 1st Psalm is for two unequal four-voice choruses. The first chorus is mostly high voices, the second, mostly low. This is a balance that Schütz seldom tries in his Psalmen Davids, and it gives the work an unusual variety and color. The work uncharacteristically begins in triple meter, giving the piece a light and dancing quality. The elaborate metaphor about the tree in the center is, as usual, marvelously illustrated.