Salvation Is Created

Arranger	Maiden Mueller, Spike
Composer	Tschesnokoff, Pavel
Duration	3
Ensemble	Brass Quartet
Genre	General Sacred, General Worship, Sacred, Worship
Grade	4
Model Number	AOS1838
Category	Brass Quartet - All, Classical

Pavel Tschesnokoff composed Salvation Is Created for a cappella chorus in 1912, one of the last sacred works he completed before being forced by the Soviet government to turn to secular music. Although he never heard the work performed during his lifetime, his children had the opportunity to do so in the years following his death. Its popularity has led to many different versions in both Russian and English, as well as transcriptions for various wind ensembles.

This arrangement is in the original key and preserves, as much as possible, the original chords, voicing, and octave settings. It is unmeasured, as in the original choral score, and performers are encouraged to approach it in a chant-like manner rather than adhering to strict meter or tempo. Barlines are included only to assist with phrasing and ensemble cohesion.

We are proud to make this masterpiece of choral literature available for brass quartet, consisting of two trumpets, horn, and trombone, with an alternate horn part to substitute for the second trumpet and a trombone substitute for the horn part. C trumpet parts are also included for use in place of the B-flat trumpet parts.

The original text translates as follows:

Salvation is created in the midst of the earth, O God. Alleluia.

Performance Note:

Performers will note that this work is unmetered. Tchesnokov intended the piece to be performed in a free, chant-like manner, with no set pulse. At rehearsal letters C and H, there is only one minim in the measure. It is appropriate to pause before this note each time and to insert breaths or pauses elsewhere, but these should not feel measured or “in time.” Rather, they should flow organically from the chant phrase. The care taken to achieve this effect will be well worth the effort in creating the feel of a choral chant.