by Bernstein, “the intention is not one of literalness, but of emotional quality”. The first movement, Prophecy aims to express the feeling of intensity of the prophet’s pleas with is people. The movement is Largamente, opening with a French horn playing a motivic theme that is heard in all three movements in various variations. He also uses the woodwinds to echo this theme and brings forth the piccolo with very high-pitched sounds. The piece builds throughout as if driving toward something with the prophet trying to get through to his people. (Leonard Bernstein: “Jeremiah”)The second movement, Profanation, tries to give a general sense of the destruction and chaos brought on by the pagan (non-believing) dishonesty within the priesthood and the people. The movement is a scherzo played Vivace con brio with the main theme played by the clarinets. This piece is quite different from the other two because the rhythmic variation is intense and becomes stronger and stronger. The dynamics are forceful and more colorful as if pushing, to show the feeling of all the chaos that is developing.The third and final movement, Lamentation is derived from Hebrew verses from the Book of Lamentations. The movement is played Lento in a ballad type of verse as Jeremiah mourns his beloved Jerusalem, ruined, robbed and dishonored after his desperate attempt to save it. The melodic theme comes back again in this piece and is drawn out in different instruments between the verses of the vocal part. The vocal part is sung by a female voice and the following text expresses some of the feeling Jeremiah felt as he looked at his loved city. “How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her.” (Leonard Bernstein: “Jeremiah”)The third movement is the longest...
