This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Babylon (1786)
Staff Notation • Sacred, Hymns
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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.
SATB · Barry Johnston
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Babylon (1786) by Alexander Gillet — 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 Babylon (1786)
These sacred settings of Psalm 137 capture the profound sorrow and longing of the exiled Israelites. The text vividly portrays their despair as they sit by the rivers of Babylon, unable to sing the songs of Zion in their captivity. Alexander Gillet's SATB arrangement, sung in Latin and English, responds to the poignant words that express a deep yearning for their homeland. The music reflects the lament of a people remembering their home and questioning how they can possibly sing in a foreign land, culminating in a powerful imprecation against their oppressors and a blessing for those who will exact justice.
