This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Give the king thy judgments
Staff Notation • Sacred, Anthems, Verse anthems
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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.
SSATB,SSTTB · Jonathan Goodliffe
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Give the king thy judgments by William Boyce — Lyrics
Psalmus, in Salomonem.
Deus, judicium tuum regi da, et justitiam tuam filio regis;
judicare populum tuum in justitia, et pauperes tuos in judicio.
Suscipiant montes pacem populo, et colles justitiam.
Judicabit pauperes populi, et salvos faciet filios pauperum, et humiliabit
calumniatorem.
Et permanebit cum sole, et ante lunam, in generatione et generationem.
Descendet sicut pluvia in vellus, et sicut stillicidia stillantia super terram.
Orietur in diebus ejus justitia, et abundantia pacis, donec auferatur luna.
Et dominabitur a mari usque ad mare, et a flumine usque ad terminos orbis terrarum.
Coram illo procident Aethiopes, et inimici ejus terram lingent.
Reges Tharsis et insulae munera offerent; reges Arabum et Saba
dona adducent:
et adorabunt eum omnes reges terrae; omnes gentes servient ei.
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About Give the king thy judgments
William Boyce's Give the king thy judgments sets a significant biblical text, Psalm 72, which prays for righteous rule and justice for the poor. This setting for SSATB and SSTTB voices, with both Latin and English texts, reflects the tradition of grand verse anthems within the Anglican church. The music would have been intended for a large-scale liturgical occasion, the rich choral forces of the double choir enhancing the declamatory and devotional nature of the psalm. The text speaks of peace and justice flowing from righteous leadership, a theme amplified by the sonorous textures Boyce employs.
