Salvation is Created is an original choral work composed by Pavel Tchesnokov in 1912. It was one of the very last sacred works he composed before he was forced to turn to secular arts by the Soviet government. Although he never heard his own composition performed, his children had the opportunity to in the years following his death. Salvation is Created was originally published in 1913 by J. Fischer and Bro. but its popularity drove editors to produce many different versions in both Russian and English. Scored for either six or eight voices (SATTBB or SSAATTBB), the work is a communion hymn based on a synodal Kievan chant melody and Psalm 74 (73 in the Greek version). The original Russian text is as follows:
The keys of B minor and D major are the work’s primary key centers, and it is cast in AA’ or two part strophic form.
Band Setting
Arranged in 1957 by Bruce Houseknecht, the wind band arrangement is considered a standard in the literature. Form, phrasing, and meter are all unaltered in the arrangement, but the key was changed to C minor and E major for playability and intonation purposes.