Psalm 23 is a three-part piece though each section can be played separately, if desired. The first section, “The Pastorale,” creates the impression of a calm lake in a peaceful green valley by using slow-moving chromatic mediants, meandering harmonies, and descending hexatonic scales. The second section, “The Valley of the Shadow of Death,” ensues with an ominous feeling created by a one-note ostinato in the pedal, an ascending hexatonic scale, fully diminished seventh chords, exploitation of the theme via superimposed major and augmented triads, and a split-third chord that brings that section to its climax. The final section, “Dwelling in the House of the Lord,” bursts into a toccata with the theme in the pedal, and is interspersed with an omnibus. The piece ends with a final statement of the motive in the pedal.
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