O Divine Redeemer, CG 434a (Repentir) [C minor-C Major; original key]: High Voice, Orchestra Accompaniment, Conductor Score

Charles Gounod (1818-1893) composed O Divine Redeemer, CG 434a (Repentir) in April 1893, only six months before his death, originally setting his own French text as Repentir: Scène pour mezzo-soprano et orchestre, sous forme de prière ("Repentance: Scene for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, in the form of a prayer"); the familiar English title O Divine Redeemer designates CG 434a, Alfred William Phillips's English translation of the original CG 434. Written during Gounod's final creative period, the work is an intensely personal sacred meditation in which a penitent soul implores Christ for forgiveness, mercy, and deliverance, reflecting the religious devotion that had remained central to Gounod throughout his life and had become increasingly prominent in his later music. One later account connects its composition with Gounod's grief following the death of a grandson shortly beforehand. The original conception is for mezzo-soprano and orchestra and the well-known voice-and-piano form derives from a transcription by Émile Paladilhe; the English version subsequently circulated widely in arrangements for solo voice and keyboard and, eventually, chorus. Repentir was published in 1894, while Phillips's English adaptation followed separately. Today, O Divine Redeemer remains one of Gounod's best-known sacred songs outside his large-scale liturgical works, particularly valued by soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists and frequently heard in church, recital, and choral settings; its broad melodic lines, dramatic climaxes, and direct devotional character have allowed this final sacred meditation of Gounod's last year to retain a continuing place in the vocal repertoire. Instrumentation: 2.1+1(EH).2.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp: Hp.Org(opt.): Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set): Solo Mezzo-Soprano. This edition of the original version in C minor-C Major has been newly engraved. Versions in B-flat, A, and G are also available from the publisher upon request. The corresponding vocal-piano version is available from LudwigMasters (60810007).