This edition was prepared by Douglas Walczak — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Awake, arise, let seeming sleep
Staff Notation • Sacred, Hymns
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Awake, arise, let seeming sleep by William Horsley — Lyrics
In finem. Filiis Core ad intellectum.
Deus, auribus nostris audivimus, patres nostri annuntiaverunt nobis,
opus quod operatus es in diebus eorum, et in diebus antiquis.
Manus tua gentes disperdidit, et plantasti eos;
afflixisti populos, et expulisti eos.
Nec enim in gladio suo possederunt terram,
et brachium eorum non salvavit eos:
sed dextera tua et brachium tuum, et illuminatio vultus tui,
quoniam complacuisti in eis.
Tu es ipsi rex meus et Deus meus, qui mandas salutes Jacob.
In te inimicos nostros ventilabimus cornu, et in nomine tuo spernemus
insurgentes in nobis.
Non enim in arcu meo sperabo, et gladius meus non salvabit me:
salvasti enim nos de affligentibus nos, et odientes nos confudisti.
In Deo laudabimur tota die, et in nomine tuo confitebimur in saeculum.
Nunc autem repulisti et confudisti nos, et non egredieris, Deus, in virtutibus nostris.
Avertisti nos retrorsum post inimicis nostros, et qui oderunt nos, diripiebant sibi.
Dedisti nos tamquam oves escarum, et in gentibus dispersisti nos.
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About Awake, arise, let seeming sleep
William Horsley's anthems for SATB voices are well-crafted, idiomatic settings of sacred texts. This particular anthem sets the opening verses of Psalm 44, a psalm of historical remembrance and confidence in God's deliverance. The text, in Latin and English, recalls God's mighty deeds on behalf of his people in ancient times, emphasizing that their victories were not won by their own strength but by God's right hand. It is a prayer for renewed salvation, a declaration of trust in God's power to overcome enemies. Horsley's setting would have been designed for congregational singing in the parish church, providing a robust and inspiring musical expression of faith and reliance on divine providence.
