This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Babylon
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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Babylon by Jacob French — 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 Babylon
Jacob French's Babylon offers a poignant reflection on exile and longing, drawing from Psalm 137. This sacred motet for SATB voices masterfully moves between Latin and English texts, capturing the profound sorrow of the Israelites in Babylonian captivity. The choir will evoke the desolation of weeping by the rivers of Babylon, their instruments silenced, and their captors demanding songs of Zion. The music shifts to express the deep ache of remembrance and the despair of being so far from home.
With its bilingual text, Babylon is particularly suited for services or concerts exploring themes of loss, hope, and spiritual homecoming. The motet's emotional arc, from lament to a plea for remembrance, provides a powerful vehicle for choral expression, allowing directors to showcase both technical skill and profound interpretive depth.
