The full chorus sings the first half of this verse ("Thou turnest man to destruction"). Beginning in unison, as a collective address from mankind to God, the chorus sings the first three words, but then splits apart into a series of cacophonous chords, as in the first verse (a device used frequently in this piece), to align with the text, "to destruction," which is repeated thrice (another thematic gesture), and accompanies the seeming destruction of harmonic convention. A tenor soloist takes the rest of the verse, "and sayest, 'Return, ye children of men.'" The solo voice is most appropriate here because it delineates the voice of God as singular (Spurgeon 1885) and separate from the mass and chaos of mankind.

Date of composition 1924 (1923-1924)
Premiered 1966, April 18th in Los Angeles, CA, United States
Type Psalm
Approx. duration 11 minutes
Instruments Other - Performers
Male Chorus
Bell
Organ
Autotranslations beta Charles Ives: Psalm 90
Charles Ives: Psalm 90
Charles Ives: Psalm 90