Among Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's numerous psalm compositions, those extensive settings in which an orchestra is used in addition to the vocal parts stand out as a separate group of works. The Psalm115 op. 31 MWV A 9, which begins this series of compositions in 1829/1830, is followed by the Psalm 42 op. 42 MWV A 15, the Psalm 95 op. 46 MWV A 16 and the Psalm 114 op. 51 MWV A 17, which were composed between 1837 and 1841. The series concludes with the Psalm 98 MWV A 23, which was composed for the New Year's service in Berlin Cathedral in 1844 and is thus an exception to the previous works, which were not liturgical and rather intended for the concert hall.

The present volume (Series VI/8,3 Psalm Cantatas III) contains the psalms for eight-part choir or double choir and orchestra, the Psalm 114 op. 51 MWV A 17 and the Psalm 98 MWV A 23.

The Psalm 114 was composed during an interruption in the work on the Psalm 95 from the summer of 1839 to the beginning of 1841. A comparison of the final version with the first draft, which was already completed on 9 August 1839, reveals the numerous revisions and additions. The performances took place in different forms in Leipzig on 1 January 1840 and in Birmingham on 25 September 1840; in particular, Mendelssohn changed the structure of the concluding section considerably, modifying it again before printing. The psalm is the only one of the psalms with orchestra to bear a dedication. It is dedicated to the painter Johann Wilhelm Schirmer (1807–1863), with whom the composer was close friends and wth who shared similar ideas regarding their artistic work.

The composition of the Psalm 98 is the only one in the series of large psalm compositions with orchestra whose text was not chosen by the composer, but fitted into a liturgical order. It was composed at the end of December 1843 for the royal court and cathedral choir in Berlin, when Mendelssohn was its artistic director, appointed by Frederick William IV in his capacity as Prussian General Music Director. By composing and performing this psalm at the New Year's Eve service in Berlin Cathedral in 1844, Mendelssohn was attempting to fulfill his contractual duties while at the same time asserting his ideas of appropriate contemporary church music. In contrast to the a cappella choral music desired in the cathedral, he emphatically demonstrated his preference for the composition with orchestra with the Psalm 98. This led to profound disputes with the cathedral clergy and ultimately to Mendelssohn's resignation from his position at Berlin Cathedral. The psalm was not performed again by the composer, nor was it put into print. It wasn’t published until 1851, posthumously and under the unauthorized opus number 91.