This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
An den Wassern zu Babel (Psalm 137), SWV 37
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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An den Wassern zu Babel (Psalm 137), SWV 37 by Heinrich Schütz — Lyrics
Psalmus David, Jeremiae. Super flumina Babylonis illic sedimus et flevimus, dum recordaremur Sion.
In salicibus in medio ejus suspendimus organa nostra:
quia illic interrogaverunt nos, qui captivos duxerunt nos, verba cantionum; et qui abduxerunt nos: Hymnum cantate nobis de canticis Sion.
Quomodo cantabimus canticum Domini in terra aliena?
Si oblitus fuero tui, Jerusalem, oblivioni detur dextera mea.
Adhaereat lingua mea faucibus meis, si non meminero tui; si non proposuero Jerusalem in principio laetitiae meae.
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About An den Wassern zu Babel (Psalm 137), SWV 37
Heinrich Schütz’s An den Wassern zu Babel is a powerful setting of Psalm 137, often known as Psalm 137 or the Lament of the Exiles. Scored for double SATB choir, the work opens with a poignant depiction of the Israelites weeping by the rivers of Babylon. Schütz masterfully uses the two choirs to create a rich, imitative texture, contrasting moments of profound sorrow with passages of dramatic intensity. The text laments the loss of Jerusalem and the longing for home, asking how the songs of Zion can be sung in a foreign land. The motet's Latin and German lyrics convey deep emotion, exploring themes of remembrance, exile, and a plea for divine justice against the oppressors. Its intricate polyphony and expressive harmonic language make it a significant work from the Baroque era.
