This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Asia
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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Asia by William Billings — Lyrics
In finem. Psalmus David.
Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei, et opera manuum ejus annuntiat firmamentum.
Dies diei eructat verbum, et nox nocti indicat scientiam.
Non sunt loquelae, neque sermones, quorum non audiantur voces eorum.
In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum, et in fines orbis terrae verba eorum.
In sole posuit tabernaculum suum; et ipse tamquam sponsus procedens de thalamo suo.
Exsultavit ut gigas ad currendam viam;
a summo caelo egressio ejus. Et occursus ejus usque ad summum ejus;
nec est qui se abscondat a calore ejus.
Lex Domini immaculata, convertens animas; testimonium Domini fidele,
sapientiam praestans parvulis.
Justitiae Domini rectae, laetificantes corda; praeceptum Domini lucidum,
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About Asia
William Billings, a self-taught American composer of the colonial period, wrote music that is direct and powerful. His SATB setting of Asia draws on the Latin text of Psalm 19, which famously proclaims the glory of God through creation and the perfection of his law. Billings pairs this with an English translation that emphasizes the heavens' declaration of God's handiwork and the spreading of his word throughout the earth. The music is characterized by its bold harmonies and rhythmic drive, reflecting the text's majestic themes and Billings's distinctive New England style.
