This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Belfast
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.
SATB · Barry Johnston
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Belfast by Daniel Belknap — Lyrics
Doddridge's Hymn 270, 1755
1. With flowing eyes and bleeding hearts
A blasted world survey!
See the wide ruin sin hath wrought
In one unhappy day!
2. Adam, in God's own image formed
From God and bliss estranged,
And all the joys of paradise
For guilt and horror changed!
3. Ages of labor and of grief
He mourned his glory lost;
At length the goodliest work of heaven
Sunk down to common dust.
4. O fatal heritage bequeathed
To all his helpless race!
Through the thick maze of sin and woe
Thus to the grave we pass.
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About Belfast
Daniel Belknap's setting of Philip Doddridge's hymn text paints a vivid picture of humanity's fallen state. The words describe the devastation wrought by sin, beginning with Adam's estrangement from God and the loss of paradise. They chart the subsequent ages of grief and loss, a "fatal heritage" passed down through generations, leading inexorably to the grave. The music, scored for SATB choir, is likely to reflect the somber mood of this contemplation of sin and its consequences. However, the text offers a turning point, anticipating the "second Adam" and the "celestial gifts" of redemption and holiness, suggesting a musical journey from darkness towards ultimate joy and eternal reign.
