This edition was prepared by Klaas Spijker — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Exaudi Domine
Staff Notation • Sacred, Canons
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Exaudi Domine by Thomas Ravenscroft — Lyrics
Oratio pauperis, cum anxius fuerit, et in conspectu Domini effuderit precem suam.
Domine, exaudi orationem meam,
et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Non avertas faciem tuam a me:
in quacumque die tribulor, inclina ad me aurem tuam;
in quacumque die invocavero te, velociter exaudi me.
Quia defecerunt sicut fumus dies mei,
et ossa mea sicut cremium aruerunt.
Percussus sum ut foenum, et aruit cor meum,
quia oblitus sum comedere panem meum.
A voce gemitus mei adhaesit os meum carni meae.
Similis factus sum pellicano solitudinis;
factus sum sicut nycticorax in domicilio.
Vigilavi, et factus sum sicut passer solitarius in tecto.
Tota die exprobrabant mihi inimici mei,
et qui laudabant me adversum me jurabant:
quia cinerem tamquam panem manducabam,
et potum meum cum fletu miscebam,
a facie irae et indignationis tuae:
quia elevans allisisti me.
Dies mei sicut umbra declinaverunt,
et ego sicut foenum arui.
Tu autem, Domine, in aeternum permanes,
et memoriale tuum in generationem et generationem.
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About Exaudi Domine
Thomas Ravenscroft’s Exaudi Domine sets a poignant prayer from the Psalms, the lament of a soul in deep distress turning to God. The text expresses utter desolation, with days passing like smoke and bones left dry. The music, written for four equal voices in canon, reflects this spiritual urgency and sorrow. The contrapuntal texture builds intensity as the voices interweave, mirroring the supplicant’s fervent plea for divine attention. This sacred Latin motet offers a powerful musical setting of profound human need, a testament to Ravenscroft’s skill in capturing emotional depth through intricate voice leading.
