This edition was prepared by Eric Esparza — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Domine Probasti Me
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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Domine Probasti Me by Francesco Cavalli — Lyrics
In finem, Psalmus David. Domine, probasti me, et cognovisti me;
tu cognovisti sessionem meam et resurrectionem meam.
Intellexisti cogitationes meas de longe;
semitam meam et funiculum meum investigasti:
et omnes vias meas praevidisti,
quia non est sermo in lingua mea.
Ecce, Domine, tu cognovisti omnia, novissima et antiqua.
Tu formasti me, et posuisti super me manum tuam.
Mirabilis facta est scientia tua ex me; confortata est, et non potero ad eam.
Quo ibo a spiritu tuo? et quo a facie tua fugiam?
Si ascendero in caelum, tu illic es; si descendero in infernum, ades.
Si sumpsero pennas meas diluculo, et habitavero in extremis maris,
etenim illuc manus tua deducet me, et tenebit me dextera tua.
Et dixi: Forsitan tenebrae conculcabunt me; et nox illuminatio mea in deliciis meis.
Quia tenebrae non obscurabuntur a te, et nox sicut dies illuminabitur:
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About Domine Probasti Me
The text of this motet is drawn from Psalm 139, a profound meditation on God's all-encompassing knowledge and presence. The opening lines express a deep sense of awe and perhaps trepidation as the psalmist acknowledges that God knows his every thought, action, and intention, from his rising to his resting, even those hidden from others. The Latin lyrics explore the impossibility of escaping divine awareness, whether ascending to heaven or descending to the deepest abyss. Francesco Cavalli sets this searching text for SAB voices, creating a rich and intimate devotional experience. The composer's skill in weaving together the three vocal lines brings out the weight and wonder of the words, offering a compelling musical reflection on divine omniscience.
