This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Athens
Staff Notation • Sacred
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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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Athens by Jacob French — Lyrics
1. Happy the feet that shining truth has led
With her own hand to tread the path she please,
To see her native luster round her spread,
Without a veil, without a shade,
All beauty and all light, as in herself she is.
2. Our senses cheat us with the pressing crowds
Of painted shapes they thrust upon the mind:
The truth they show lies wrapped in sevenfold shrouds;
Our senses cast a thousand clouds
On unenlightened souls, and leave them doubly blind.
3. I hate the dust that fierce disputers raise,
And lose the mind in a wild maze of thought:
What empty triflings, and what subtle ways,
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About Athens
This SATB setting of an English text offers a thoughtful musical exploration of truth. The opening movement moves with a graceful, flowing character, where the voices often entwine in imitative passages, reflecting the 'shining truth' described in the text. Later movements might adopt a more declamatory style to contrast the clarity of truth with the 'painted shapes' and 'empty triflings' of the deluded mind. The composer Jacob French crafts music that seeks to illuminate the poetic sentiments, moving from serene contemplation to a more energetic dismissal of intellectual vanity in favour of divine wisdom. The SATB voicing allows for rich harmonic textures and dynamic contrast, supporting the text's journey towards spiritual understanding.
