Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Worcester, Protestant Cathedral: "Like As The Hart"

Worcester, Protestant Cathedral: "Like As The Hart" - YouTube

A wonderful Herbert Howells anthem; text from Psalm 42.



Here's the Coverdale version of the Psalm; this piece uses just the first 3 verses:

Psalm 42. Quemadmodum
LIKE as the hart desireth the water-brooks : so longeth my soul after thee, O God.
2. My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God : when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
3. My tears have been my meat day and night : while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God?
4. Now when I think thereupon, I pour out my heart by myself : for I went with the multitude, and brought them forth into the house of God;
5. In the voice of praise and thanksgiving : among such as keep holy-day.
6. Why art thou so full of heaviness, O my soul : and why art thou so disquieted within me?
7. Put thy trust in God : for I will yet give him thanks for the help of his countenance.
8. My God, my soul is vexed within me : therefore will I remember thee concerning the land of Jordan, and the little hill of Hermon.
9. One deep calleth another, because of the noise of the water-pipes : all thy waves and storms are gone over me.
10. The Lord hath granted his loving-kindness in the day-time : and in the night-season did I sing of him, and made my prayer unto the God of my life.
11. I will say unto the God of my strength, Why hast thou forgotten me : why go I thus heavily, while the enemy oppresseth me?
12. My bones are smitten asunder as with a sword : while mine enemies that trouble me cast me in the teeth;
13. Namely, while they say daily unto me : Where is now thy God?
14. Why art thou so vexed, O my soul : and why art thou so disquieted within me?
15. O put thy trust in God : for I will yet thank him, which is the help of my countenance, and my God.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is one of my favorites and I think Howells perfectly captures the Psalm, more than any other setting that I know.

bls said...

It's really beautiful. Interestingly, Howells may have been influenced by American Blues music; you can hear it in a lot of his pieces. He wrote a lot of pieces in various modes, too.

Here's an article about him from around 20 years ago in the UK Independent.

Anonymous said...

Very cool! Thank you!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...