Dear all,
I have just completed a new 5-part (SSATB) unaccompanied anthem that I am giving away for free to all who want it for Tenebrae/Passion week/Passiontide. Difficulty level: Expert. The text comes from the Vulgate translation of Lamentations 1:2 (Part) “She (Jerusalem) weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks.” In the piece, I have symbolized the tears of the woman as she begins to cry: the tears begin to fall, sparse at first, and then flowing freely. The setting of the word “lacrimae” in the tenor on “la” begins a falling chromatic motion that resembles the sound of a wail. The waxing of the tempo towards the middle signifies the increased panic and desperation felt within her as she aimlessly wanders through the night crying, and the waning of the tempo at the end marks her moment of complete resignation and despair.
Here is the text, in Latin:
Plorans ploravit in nocte et lacrimae ejus in maxillis ejus.
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