Sacred Songs
lyrics & translations
Over 250 years of musical history condensed into a timeless and universal programme: from wistful prayers to jubilant hymns, from the early Baroque to the late Romantic period – from Schütz to Brahms.
Follow along with the lyrics during the Cantiones Sacrae concert.
Heinrich Schütz · Arise, my beloved, SWV 498
Arise, my friend,
my devout one, my sister,
my dear bride, and come here!
For behold, winter has passed,
the rain has gone and is past,
the flowers have sprung up in the land,
spring has arrived,
and the turtle dove can be heard
in our land,
the fig tree has budded
the vines have budded
and give off their fragrance.
Arise, my beloved,
my beauty, my dove,
my beloved bride, and come here!
Behold, my beloved, you are beautiful; you are
the fairest of all, and there is no blemish upon you;
you have stolen my heart.
Kiss me with the kiss of your lips.
Arise, my beloved,
my beloved, my sister,
my beloved bride, and come here!
There is honey and milk beneath your tongue.
Show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your form is lovely.
Arise, my beloved,
my devout one, my sister,
my dear bride, and come here!
--
Arise, my love,
my fair one, my undefiled,
my dove, my sister,
my spouse, and come away.
For, behold, the winter is past,
the rain has ceased and is gone;
the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the birds’ singing has come,
and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;
the fig tree brings forth its green figs,
and the vines with their tender grapes
give off a lovely scent.
Arise, my love,
my fair one, my undefiled one,
my dove, my sister,
my bride, and come away.
Behold, thou art fair, my love,
thou art all fair, there is no blemish in thee.
Thou hast captivated my heart.
Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth.
Arise, my love,
my fair one, my undefiled,
my dove, my sister,
my bride, and come away.
Honey and milk are beneath thy tongue.
Let me see thy countenance,
let me hear thy voice;
for sweet is thy voice,
and your countenance is lovely.
Arise, my love,
my fair one, my undefiled,
my dove, my sister,
my bride, and come away.
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber · Sonata No. 1 C.90 ‘L’Annonciation’
instrumental
Heinrich Schütz · Quid commisisti, SWV 56
Quid commisisti, O sweetest youth,
that you should be judged thus, O most loving youth, that you should be treated so?
What is your crime, what is your fault,
what is the cause of your death, what the reason for your damnation?
I am the scourge of your sorrow, the cause of your death,
I am the cause of your death, the shame of your vengeance,
I am the wound of your suffering, the torment of your agony.
I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord,
I will fulfil my vows to you, O Lord, before all your people,
and I shall sing of your mercies for ever.
--
What have you done, O sweetest boy,
That you are judged thus; O most lovely youth, that you have come to this?
What is your offence, what is your crime, what is the cause of your death,
What is the reason for your condemnation?
I am the blow that causes you pain, the one responsible for your death,
I deserve your death, the shame of your punishment,
I am the wound that made you suffer, the evil that led to your crucifixion.
I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord,
I will fulfil my vows to you, Lord, in the presence of all your people,
and I will sing of your mercies for ever.
Heinrich Schütz · O lieber Herre Gott, SWV 381
O dear Lord God,
awaken us, that we may be ready
when your Son comes,
to welcome him with joy,
and to serve you with a pure heart,
through that same beloved Son of yours,
Jesus Christ. Amen.
--
O dear Lord God,
awaken us, so that we may be ready,
when your Son comes,
to welcome him with joy
and to serve you with a pure heart,
through him, your beloved Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
Amen.
Heinrich Schütz · Mit dem Amphion zwar, SWV 501 (Verses 1, 6, 8, 11)
Though with Amphion, my organ and my harp
Tuned quite correctly a short while ago
And harmonised with the utmost precision and clarity;
But oh, what a torment!
Now it is out of tune
In a single moment
such harmony is now out of tune, all the chords are out of tune,
my harp a lament,
my flute a torment,
And a torrent of hot tears has now become.
O Magdlen, faithful wife, I cannot forget you,
I love you more and more:
May your death squeeze the red sap from my very body;
if only God would let me be with you!
Now I repent
my marital fidelity,
so that you might love me as no other person ever has,
which, with the greatest pain,
whenever I think of it, day and night.
You have left me two dearest little daughters,
in whom I found all my joy
and joy of heart beyond measure,
because I knew you were there.
But when I
see them now,
it wounds me deeply in my heart,
For in both of them
your likeness
I see and am forced to think of my deep sorrow.
--
Though with Amphion my organ and my harp were
once well-tuned and played chords precisely and perfectly;
but oh, alas, the pain! Now, in an instant, such harmony is lost,
all the chords are out of tune, my harp a disgrace, my pipe a vexation,
and hot tears are now flowing.
O maiden, dearest wife, I cannot forget you; I love you more and more:
Your death would squeeze the red juice from my body; I pray to God to be with you! Now I regret the sincere faithfulness with which
you loved me as no one else could love,
which now causes my heart the greatest pain
grieves night and day whenever I think of it.
You have left me two dearest little daughters;
they were all my joy and my heart’s delight beyond measure,
because I knew you. But when I look at them now, my heart is bitterly grieved, for in both of them I see your likeness and am forced to reflect on my profound sorrow.
Johann Christoph Bach · Fear Not, JCB 9
Fear not, for I have redeemed you,
I have called you by name,
you are mine.
Truly, I tell you:
today you will be with me in Paradise.
O Jesus, you,
my help and my rest,
I beg you with tears:
Help me, that until my death
I may long for you until I reach the grave.
--
Fear not,
For I have redeemed you,
I have called you by your name:
You are mine.
Truly, truly, I say to you:
Today you will be with me in Paradise.
O Jesus, my help and my rest,
I implore you with tears:
Help me, that even unto the grave
I might long for you.
Johann Sebastian Bach · Komm Jesu, komm, BWV 229
Come, Jesus, come, my body is weary,
my strength is fading more and more,
I long for your peace;
this bitter path is becoming too hard for me.
Come, come, I wish to surrender myself to you;
you are the true way, the truth and the life.
So I place myself in your hands
and bid the world good night!
Even if my life’s journey draws to a close,
my spirit is well at rest.
Let it soar to its Creator,
for Jesus is and always will be
the true way to life.
--
Come, Jesus, come
My body is weary,
My strength fails me more and more,
I long for your peace;
The bitter path is becoming too hard for me!
Come, I shall give myself to you;
You are the way, the truth and the life.
Therefore I place myself in your hands
And bid the world farewell!
If my life’s journey draws to a close,
My soul is then well prepared.
It will rise up to be with its Creator
For Jesus is and remains
The true way to life.
Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Sonata BWV 1017: Siciliano
instrumental
Felix Mendelssohn · Warum toben die Heiden, Op. 78
Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the land are rebelling, and the rulers are conspiring against the Lord and his Anointed One:
Let us break their bonds, and cast off their cords!
But He who dwells in heaven laughs at them, and the Lord mocks them.
He will one day speak to them in his wrath,
and with His fury He will terrify them.
But I have installed my King on my holy mountain, Zion.
I will proclaim this message, for the Lord has said to me:
‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession.
You shall shatter them with an iron sceptre; you shall break them like potsherds:
So take heed now, you kings, and be instructed, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling!
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry,
or you will perish on the way, for his anger will soon flare up.
But blessed are all who trust in him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen!
--
Why do the heathen rage, and the peoples waste their breath?
The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his Anointed One, saying:
‘Let us tear their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us.’
But he who dwells in the heavens laughs at them,
and the Lord mocks them.
Then he shall speak to them in his wrath,
and with his fierce anger he will strike fear into their hearts.
Yet I have enthroned my King upon my holy mountain of Zion.
I will proclaim what the Lord has said to me:
‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your own.
You shall crush them with an iron sceptre; like clay pots, you shall smash them to pieces.
Now therefore, take heed, you kings, and be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry,
and you perish whilst walking in righteousness, for his wrath is easily kindled.
Blessed are all who place their trust in him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen!
Johannes Brahms · Fest- und Gedenksprüche, Op. 109
Our fathers placed their hope in you,
and because they hoped, you came to their aid.
They cried out to you and were saved;
they placed their hope in you, and were not put to shame.
The Lord will give strength to his people,
the Lord will bless his people with peace.
When a mighty warrior guards his palace,
his own shall remain at peace.
But any kingdom that turns against itself
will be laid waste, and one house will fall upon another.
Where is there such a glorious people,
to whom the gods draw so near as the Lord, our God, whenever we call upon him.
Take care, then, and guard your soul well,
lest you forget the history
which your eyes have seen,
and that it may not depart from your heart all the days of your life.
And you shall make it known to your children and your children’s children. Amen.
--
Our father trusted in thee:
they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
They cried out to thee, and were delivered:
they trusted in thee, and were not put to shame.
The Lord will give strength to his people;
the Lord will bless his people with peace.
When a strong, armed man guards his palace,
his possessions are secure.
But: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to ruin;
and a house divided against itself falls.
For what nation is there so great,
whose God is so near to them as the Lord our God is in all the matters for which we call upon him?
Only take heed to thyself, and guard thy soul diligently,
lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen,
and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life:
but teach them to your sons and to your sons’ sons. Amen.