This edition was prepared by Mick Swithinbank — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Domine exaudi
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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Domine exaudi by Jacquet de Mantua — 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 Domine exaudi
This motet from Jacquet de Mantua sets a poignant Latin text from the Psalms, expressing the lament of a humble soul overwhelmed by troubles. The composer vividly portrays the raw emotion of a prayer offered in deep distress, where the suppliant feels abandoned and their strength fading like smoke. The music reflects this anguish through its texture and the expressive quality of the five-part writing for STTTB voices. As the prayer unfolds, the plea for divine attention becomes more urgent, asking that God not turn away but hasten to hear the cry of the afflicted. The depth of the text's despair is matched by the earnestness of the musical setting.
