This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Complaint
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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Complaint by Asahel Benham — Lyrics
In finem, in carminibus. Intellectus David.
Exaudi, Deus, orationem meam, et ne despexeris deprecationem meam:
intende mihi, et exaudi me. Contristatus sum in exercitatione mea, et conturbatus sum
a voce inimici, et a tribulatione peccatoris. Quoniam declinaverunt in me iniquitates,
et in ira molesti erant mihi.
Cor meum conturbatum est in me, et formido mortis cecidit super me.
Timor et tremor venerunt super me, et contexerunt me tenebrae.
Et dixi: Quis dabit mihi pennas sicut columbae, et volabo, et requiescam?
Ecce elongavi fugiens, et mansi in solitudine.
Exspectabam eum qui salvum me fecit a pusillanimitate spiritus, et tempestate.
Praecipita, Domine; divide linguas eorum: quoniam vidi iniquitatem et contradictionem in civitate.
Die ac nocte circumdabit eam super muros ejus iniquitas; et labor in medio ejus,
et injustitia: et non defecit de plateis ejus usura et dolus.
Quoniam si inimicus meus maledixisset mihi, sustinuissem utique.
Et si is qui oderat me super me magna locutus fuisset,
abscondissem me forsitan ab eo.
Tu vero homo unanimis, dux meus, et notus meus:
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About Complaint
This setting opens with a rich SATB texture, moving through the deeply felt Latin text of Psalm 55. The music directly reflects the emotional journey of the text, from distress and fear to a plea for deliverance and peace. The composer Asahel Benham shapes the music with compelling melodic lines and harmonies that capture the anguish and hope of the psalmist. The translation into English maintains the devotional character of the original, making it accessible for a wide range of choirs. This hymn offers a profound musical meditation on faith and resilience in the face of adversity.
