Nisi Dominus

Handel's Vesper psalm Nisi Dominus HWV 238, was composed in Rome in 1707 for the Feast of the Madonna del Monte Carmel. It is entirely in the tradition of the polychoral, concertante motet which was cultivated especially in Rome during the late baroque era. In spite of the liturgical brevity required for the individual movements, this setting of Psalm 127, presented here in a new critical edition, is impressive on account of the festive fullness of the sound, the charming contrasts in the alternating scoring and, typical for Handel, the power of the images and the conciseness of the musical material.