This edition was prepared by André Vierendeels — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
An Wasserflüssen Babylon a 4v
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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An Wasserflüssen Babylon a 4v by Benedictus Ducis — 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 An Wasserflüssen Babylon a 4v
This motet for four voices (STTB) sets Psalm 137, the text of the Lament over Babylon. The choir would often sing this at times of penitence or reflection, perhaps during Lent, as it expresses the sorrow of the exiled Israelites longing for Zion. Benedictus Ducis, a composer active in the mid-16th century, crafts a sensitive setting of these poignant words, which speak of the difficulty of singing joyful songs in a foreign land. The motet moves between the Latin of the psalm and a German translation, reflecting the language practices of the time and place where it was composed.
