This edition was prepared by Pothárn Imre — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Circumdederunt me
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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Circumdederunt me by Orlando di Lasso — Lyrics
In finem. Puero Domini David, qui locutus est Domino verba cantici hujus,
in die qua eripuit eum Dominus de manu omnium inimicorum ejus, et de manu Saul,
et dixit:
Diligam te, Domine, fortitudo mea.
Dominus firmamentum meum, et refugium meum, et liberator meus. Deus meus adjutor meus, et sperabo in eum; protector meus, et cornu salutis meae, et susceptor meus.
Laudans invocabo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.
Circumdederunt me dolores mortis, et torrentes iniquitatis conturbaverunt me.
Dolores inferni circumdederunt me; praeoccupaverunt me laquei mortis.
In tribulatione mea invocavi Dominum, et ad Deum meum clamavi:
et exaudivit de templo sancto suo vocem meam; et clamor meus in conspectu ejus introivit in aures ejus.
Commota est, et contremuit terra; fundamenta montium conturbata sunt, et commota sunt: quoniam iratus est eis.
Ascendit fumus in ira ejus, et ignis a facie ejus exarsit;
carbones succensi sunt ab eo.
Inclinavit caelos, et descendit, et caligo sub pedibus ejus.
Et ascendit super cherubim, et volavit; volavit super pennas ventorum.
Et posuit tenebras latibulum suum; in circuitu ejus tabernaculum ejus, tenebrosa aqua in nubibus aëris.
Prae fulgore in conspectu ejus nubes transierunt; grando et carbones ignis.
Et intonuit de caelo Dominus, et Altissimus dedit vocem suam: grando
et carbones ignis.
Et misit sagittas suas, et dissipavit eos; fulgura multiplicavit, et conturbavit eos.
Et apparuerunt fontes aquarum, et revelata sunt fundamenta orbis terrarum, ab increpatione tua, Domine, ab inspiratione spiritus irae tuae.
Misit de summo, et accepit me; et assumpsit me de aquis multis.
Eripuit me de inimicis meis fortissimis, et ab his qui oderunt me. Quoniam confortati sunt
super me;
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About Circumdederunt me
Orlando di Lasso's motet Circumdederunt me sets a deeply personal and dramatic text from the Psalms. Sung in Latin by a six-part choir (SAATBB), the piece explores themes of divine protection amidst intense suffering. The opening verses express profound trust in the Lord as a refuge and deliverer, while later sections vividly portray the overwhelming 'pains of death' and the snares of the grave. Lasso's masterful setting captures the raw emotion of the text, moving from declarations of faith to anguished cries for help, ultimately finding solace in God's answered prayer from His holy temple. This motet is a powerful example of Renaissance sacred polyphony.
