This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Babel
Staff Notation • Sacred
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
STB · Barry Johnston
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Babel by Samuel Babcock — 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 Babel
Samuel Babcock’s Babel for STB voices opens with a profound sense of sorrow and longing. The musical setting evokes the desolation of the exiled Israelites, as described in Psalm 137. The choir’s texture shifts between moments of deep lament and determined reflection, mirroring the text’s exploration of remembrance and sorrow in a foreign land. The Latin lyrics paint a vivid picture of weeping by the rivers of Babylon, suspending their instruments and questioning how they can sing the Lord’s song in captivity. This powerful sacred work moves between the ancient Hebrew text and an English translation, offering a poignant reflection on displacement and the enduring hope for Jerusalem.
