This edition was prepared by Wim Looyestijn — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Assis le long des eaux
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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Assis le long des eaux by Didier Poncet — 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 Assis le long des eaux
This motet for SSATTB voices, Assis le long des eaux, is settings from Psalm 137. The text describes the sorrow of the Israelites exiled in Babylon, weeping as they remember Jerusalem. It speaks of their despair, hanging their harps on the trees, and their refusal to sing the songs of Zion in a foreign land. The composer sets this profound text in a rich harmonic language, with the Latin words of the psalm interspersed with a French refrain that directly translates the lament.
This piece would be suitable for a Lenten or Advent programme, reflecting on themes of exile, longing, and remembrance. The intricate vocal writing offers a rewarding challenge for a skilled choir, allowing for a deeply expressive performance of this biblical text.
