This edition was prepared by Daniel Lager — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Der 90. Psalm
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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Der 90. Psalm by Matthieu Le Maistre — Lyrics
Oratio Moysi, hominis Dei. Domine, refugium factus es nobis a generatione in generationem.
Priusquam montes fierent, aut formaretur terra et orbis,
a saeculo et usque in saeculum tu es, Deus.
Ne avertas hominem in humilitatem: et dixisti: Convertimini, filii hominum.
Quoniam mille anni ante oculos tuos tamquam dies hesterna quae praeteriit: et custodia in nocte
quae pro nihilo habentur, eorum anni erunt.
Mane sicut herba transeat;
mane floreat, et transeat; vespere decidat, induret, et arescat.
Quia defecimus in ira tua, et in furore tuo turbati sumus.
Posuisti iniquitates nostras in conspectu tuo; saeculum nostrum in illuminatione vultus tui.
Quoniam omnes dies nostri defecerunt, et in ira tua defecimus.
Anni nostri sicut aranea meditabuntur;
dies annorum nostrorum in ipsis septuaginta anni.
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About Der 90. Psalm
Matthieu Le Maistre’s setting of Psalm 90 is a substantial SSATTB motet suitable for use in services of prayer or contemplation. The composer draws upon a rich tradition of polyphony to explore the profound text of Moses’s prayer. The work opens by invoking God as an eternal refuge, contrasting divine timelessness with the brevity of human life. The Latin verses speak of our frailty, likening our years to a passing day or grass that flourishes briefly before withering. The composer’s response to this solemn reflection on mortality is to set the text with gravitas and emotional depth, reflecting the penitential and supplicatory nature of the psalm. Le Maistre’s intricate vocal writing provides opportunities for expressive and dynamic choral performance.
