This edition was prepared by Richard Mix — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
I will love thee, Z 67
Staff Notation • Sacred, Verse anthems
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I will love thee, Z 67 by Henry Purcell — Lyrics
In finem. Puero Domini David, qui locutus est Domino verba cantici hujus,
in die qua eripuit eum Dominus de manu omnium inimicorum ejus, et de manu Saul,
et dixit:
Diligam te, Domine, fortitudo mea.
Dominus firmamentum meum, et refugium meum, et liberator meus. Deus meus adjutor meus, et sperabo in eum; protector meus, et cornu salutis meae, et susceptor meus.
Laudans invocabo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.
Circumdederunt me dolores mortis, et torrentes iniquitatis conturbaverunt me.
Dolores inferni circumdederunt me; praeoccupaverunt me laquei mortis.
In tribulatione mea invocavi Dominum, et ad Deum meum clamavi:
et exaudivit de templo sancto suo vocem meam; et clamor meus in conspectu ejus introivit in aures ejus.
Commota est, et contremuit terra; fundamenta montium conturbata sunt, et commota sunt: quoniam iratus est eis.
Ascendit fumus in ira ejus, et ignis a facie ejus exarsit;
carbones succensi sunt ab eo.
Inclinavit caelos, et descendit, et caligo sub pedibus ejus.
Et ascendit super cherubim, et volavit; volavit super pennas ventorum.
Et posuit tenebras latibulum suum; in circuitu ejus tabernaculum ejus, tenebrosa aqua in nubibus aëris.
Prae fulgore in conspectu ejus nubes transierunt; grando et carbones ignis.
Et intonuit de caelo Dominus, et Altissimus dedit vocem suam: grando
et carbones ignis.
Et misit sagittas suas, et dissipavit eos; fulgura multiplicavit, et conturbavit eos.
Et apparuerunt fontes aquarum, et revelata sunt fundamenta orbis terrarum, ab increpatione tua, Domine, ab inspiratione spiritus irae tuae.
Misit de summo, et accepit me; et assumpsit me de aquis multis.
Eripuit me de inimicis meis fortissimis, et ab his qui oderunt me. Quoniam confortati sunt
super me;
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About I will love thee, Z 67
Purcell's I will love thee, Z 67 is a verse anthem for SATB voices, drawing on a text that blends Latin and English. The Latin Psalm 18 forms the foundation, its words expressing profound trust and thanksgiving to God as a protector and deliverer from enemies and the pangs of death. This sacred work is set in a style typical of English verse anthems, where solo passages are interspersed with choral sections, allowing for dramatic contrast and expressive depth. The text's journey from tribulation to confident prayer and invocation of the Lord's strength provides a powerful narrative arc, rendered with Purcell's characteristic blend of emotional intensity and musical ingenuity. This is a significant work within the English sacred music tradition.
