This edition was prepared by Mick Swithinbank — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Etans assis aux rives aquatiques
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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5 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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Etans assis aux rives aquatiques by Claude Goudimel — Lyrics
Psalmus David, Jeremiae. Super flumina Babylonis illic sedimus et flevimus, dum recordaremur Sion.
In salicibus in medio ejus suspendimus organa nostra:
quia illic interrogaverunt nos, qui captivos duxerunt nos, verba cantionum; et qui abduxerunt nos: Hymnum cantate nobis de canticis Sion.
Quomodo cantabimus canticum Domini in terra aliena?
Si oblitus fuero tui, Jerusalem, oblivioni detur dextera mea.
Adhaereat lingua mea faucibus meis, si non meminero tui; si non proposuero Jerusalem in principio laetitiae meae.
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About Etans assis aux rives aquatiques
Claude Goudimel's setting of the text "Super flumina Babylonis" presents the sorrowful lament of the Israelites exiled in Babylon. The Latin words, drawn from Psalm 137, describe their profound grief and longing for Jerusalem as they hang their harps on willow trees, unable to sing their sacred songs in a foreign land. Goudimel's SATB arrangement captures this poignant atmosphere, moving between the French translation of the text and the original Latin. The music reflects the deep sense of loss and the fervent plea for remembrance, creating a powerful and moving devotional experience for the choir and listeners alike.
