This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Dissolution
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.
STB · Barry Johnston
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Dissolution by Walter Janes — 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 Dissolution
Walter Janes’ setting of Dissolution draws on the ancient words of Moses, the man of God. The text reflects on the transient nature of human life, contrasting it with the eternal, unchanging nature of God. It paints a vivid picture of human frailty, likening our days to grass that flowers in the morning and withers by evening. The composer’s STB voicing responds to the profound theological and emotional weight of the Latin text, moving from a sense of supplication to an acknowledgement of divine justice and mercy. This sacred work offers a powerful meditation on humanity’s place in the face of eternity.
