This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Fitchburg
Staff Notation • Sacred, Hymns
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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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Fitchburg by William Billings — Lyrics
mm
In finem, pro iis qui commutabuntur. David.
Salvum me fac, Deus,
quoniam intraverunt aquae usque ad animam meam.
Infixus sum in limo profundi et non est substantia.
Veni in altitudinem maris, et tempestas demersit me.
Laboravi clamans, raucae factae sunt fauces meae;
defecerunt oculi mei, dum spero in Deum meum.
Multiplicati sunt super capillos capitis mei qui oderunt me gratis.
Confortati sunt qui persecuti sunt me inimici mei injuste;
quae non rapui, tunc exsolvebam.
Deus, tu scis insipientiam meam;
et delicta mea a te non sunt abscondita.
Non erubescant in me qui exspectant te, Domine, Domine virtutum;
non confundantur super me qui quaerunt te, Deus Israël.
Quoniam propter te sustinui opprobrium;
operuit confusio faciem meam.
Extraneus factus sum fratribus meis,
et peregrinus filiis matris meae.
Quoniam zelus domus tuae comedit me,
et opprobria exprobrantium tibi ceciderunt super me.
Et operui in jejunio animam meam,
et factum est in opprobrium mihi.
Et posui vestimentum meum cilicium;
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About Fitchburg
This four-part setting by William Billings opens with a Latin text from Psalm 69, a plea for divine intervention in times of distress and persecution. The composer then transitions to an English text, likely his own adaptation, which offers a message of faith and perseverance. The Latin sections speak of being overwhelmed and seeking refuge in God, while the English verses articulate a profound trust and reliance on divine strength. The SATB voicing allows for rich harmonic textures and contrasts, suitable for a choir seeking to explore both the dramatic pleas of the Psalms and the resolute affirmations of faith within a single, cohesive work.
