Saturday, June 20, 2009

Missa pro Defunctis: Requiem aeternam (Graduale)

This is the Gradual from the Gregorian Requiem Mass, sung by the Alfred Deller Consort:




Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine;
In memoria æterna erit justus,
ab auditione mala non timebit.


Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
He shall be justified in everlasting memory,
and shall not fear evil reports.







The text for the Gradual ("In memoria æterna erit justus, ab auditione mala non timebit") is taken from Psalm (111/)112, verses 6-7 (although in some renderings of the Psalm, it's verse 7 alone); here's the whole Psalm in English:
1   Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
2   His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3   Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4   Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5   It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6   For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
7   He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8   His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9   He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.
10   The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish!

In the original, Psalm 112 is one of the acrostic Psalms; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Here are links to posts on this blog, for all the movements of the Requiem mass:


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