This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Dissolution
Staff Notation • Sacred, Hymns
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Dissolution by Philo Sherman — Lyrics
Psalmus Asaph. Deus deorum Dominus locutus est, et vocavit terram a solis ortu usque
ad occasum.
Ex Sion species decoris ejus:
Deus manifeste veniet: Deus noster, et non silebit. Ignis in conspectu ejus exardescet;
et in circuitu ejus tempestas valida.
Advocabit caelum desursum, et terram, discernere populum suum.
Congregate illi sanctos ejus, qui ordinant testamentum ejus super sacrificia.
Et annuntiabunt caeli justitiam eius, quoniam Deus judex est.
Audi, populus meus, et loquar; Israël, et testificabor tibi:
Deus, Deus tuus ego sum.
Non in sacrificiis tuis arguam te; et holocausta autem tua
in conspectu meo sunt semper.
Non accipiam de domo tua vitulis, neque de gregibus tuis hircos;
quoniam meae sunt omnes ferae silvarum, jumenta in montibus, et boves.
Cognovi omnia volatilia caeli, et pulchritudo agri mecum est.
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About Dissolution
Philo Sherman’s setting of Dissolution opens with a powerful and evocative musical statement, moving from a restrained opening to passages of considerable dramatic force. The texture shifts between homophonic declamation and more contrapuntal writing, making full use of the SATB choir with optional treble countertenor parts. The composer navigates between Latin and English texts, drawing from Psalm 149 (in the Vulgate numbering of the Latin opening) which speaks of God’s judgment and the gathering of His people. The music effectively conveys the awe and authority of the divine pronouncements, with moments of both immense power and solemn reflection.
