This edition was prepared by Paul Stetsenko — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
By the waters of Babylon
Staff Notation • Sacred
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By the waters of Babylon by V. Krupitsky — 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 By the waters of Babylon
V. Krupitsky sets Psalm 137, the familiar "By the waters of Babylon", in this sacred setting for SATB choir. The text, presented in both Latin and English, speaks of the sorrow of the Israelite exiles in Babylon, their longing for Jerusalem, and their despair at being asked to sing their sacred songs in a foreign land. The composer captures the profound pathos of the text, creating a moving reflection on loss and memory. This piece offers a powerful opportunity for the choir to explore the emotional depths of this ancient psalm, with its vivid imagery of weeping and a profound sense of displacement.
