This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Despair
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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Despair by Walter Janes — Lyrics
Oratio pauperis, cum anxius fuerit, et in conspectu Domini effuderit precem suam.
Domine, exaudi orationem meam,
et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Non avertas faciem tuam a me:
in quacumque die tribulor, inclina ad me aurem tuam;
in quacumque die invocavero te, velociter exaudi me.
Quia defecerunt sicut fumus dies mei,
et ossa mea sicut cremium aruerunt.
Percussus sum ut foenum, et aruit cor meum,
quia oblitus sum comedere panem meum.
A voce gemitus mei adhaesit os meum carni meae.
Similis factus sum pellicano solitudinis;
factus sum sicut nycticorax in domicilio.
Vigilavi, et factus sum sicut passer solitarius in tecto.
Tota die exprobrabant mihi inimici mei,
et qui laudabant me adversum me jurabant:
quia cinerem tamquam panem manducabam,
et potum meum cum fletu miscebam,
a facie irae et indignationis tuae:
quia elevans allisisti me.
Dies mei sicut umbra declinaverunt,
et ego sicut foenum arui.
Tu autem, Domine, in aeternum permanes,
et memoriale tuum in generationem et generationem.
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About Despair
Walter Janes' Despair for SATB voices opens with a sense of profound desolation, its musical lines weaving a complex web of sorrow. The Latin text, drawn from the Psalms, speaks of a soul in anguish, crying out to God in times of tribulation. The music mirrors this supplication, with moments of intense pleading juxtaposed against passages of utter weariness and despair. As the text progresses, the composer vividly depicts the speaker's isolation, comparing himself to a solitary bird and lamenting the loss of comfort. This challenging setting requires expressive singing from the choir, capturing the raw emotion of the ancient words and translating them into a powerful musical experience. The inclusion of English translation allows for a deeper understanding of the text's profound spiritual struggle.
