This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Hear my prayer, O Lord
Staff Notation • Sacred, Anthems
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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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Hear my prayer, O Lord by William Billings — Lyrics
Psalmus David, quando persequebatur eum Absalom filius ejus.
Domine, exaudi orationem meam; auribus percipe obsecrationem meam in veritate tua; exaudi me in tua justitia.
Et non intres in judicium cum servo tuo, quia non justificabitur in conspectu tuo omnis vivens.
Quia persecutus est inimicus animam meam; humiliavit in terra vitam meam; collocavit me in obscures, sicut mortuos saeculi.
Et anxiatus est super me spiritus meus; in me turbatum est cor meum.
Memor fui dierum antiquorum; meditatus sum in omnibus operibus tuis:
in factis manuum tuarum meditabar.
Expandi manus meas ad te; anima mea sicut terra sine aqua tibi. [diapsalma]
Velociter exaudi me, Domine; defecit spiritus meus. Non avertas faciem tuam a me, et similis ero descendentibus in lacum.
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About Hear my prayer, O Lord
William Billings crafts a powerful setting of Psalm 143, a penitential prayer for deliverance. The SATB choir moves with fervent energy, the voices often intertwined in close imitation before swelling to moments of bold homophony. The text, presented in both Latin and English, expresses deep anguish and a plea for divine mercy, particularly as the psalmist feels hounded and overwhelmed. Billings captures the raw emotion of the text, building from introspection to a desperate cry for help. This anthem is a stirring example of American sacred music from the colonial period, demonstrating a direct and compelling musical response to profound spiritual distress.
