Lord accet these rayers of sighs and contrition As you inhale the scent of this sacrifice of words king of heaven. Bless and sanctify the letters of this book of lamentation And set your seal uon it a testament of truth. it stand before you forever may it echo in your ears it be the water of my will ouring forth the milk of my tears. it be soken by mouths of your angels may it be reached to all eoles it rise if alive and in erson may it recount the sins I have confessed Though I shall die a mortal may I live through the reservation of this book. This book will cry out in my lace with my voice if it were me It will reveal the unseen and dislay the shae of what is hidden my burden be my broken soul and my deserted mind and may they tell of my sins. This book will truet out my faults without break without end for all to hear This book will document those words I hold most dear It will lament what I have done and extol what h been lost So at the time of eternal life on the day of renewed slendor At the dawning of the sring the first sring light My soul might stir with your salvation with the hoe held out in your insired Scritures I bloom become green and blossom shoots of goodness that will never dry out. Amen. - From Prayer 88 in St. Gregory of Narek s Book of Lamentations. Translated by Thom J. Samuelian. Abridged and adated by the cooser. From the cooser The works of Saint Gregory of Narek (91-100) occuy an iortant osition in the develoment of the language literature and Orthodox religion of Armenia. Written near the end of his life Narek s Book of Lamentations is a collection of ninety-four intensely ersonal rayers each beginning with the hre Seaking with God from the Deths of the Heart. In Prayer 88 the text of this setting Narek offers a sionate lea for forgiveness and recognition after his own death. It is a rofoundly human work that struggles to reconcile the fallibilities and conceits of human nature with the beauty and goodness of God. I wrote the music of greatest anguish first: This book will cry out in my lace with my voice if it were me... The text of this setting h been significantly rearranged and reworked from the original rayer in order to fit into a coherent musical structure. Yet each hre each individual lament remains unaltered from the beautiful translation ublished by Dr. Thom J. Samuelian. I encourage the discerning conductor erformer and listener to read the original rayer in its colete form which may be found online. I am very grateful to Dr. Samuelian for his ermission to use his work. Book of Lamentations w commissioned and remiered on 1 01 by the Canadian Men s Chorus. My deeest thanks goes to the chorus and conductor Gregory Rainville for bringing this iece to life. Permission granted to use translation of the text.
Adated from St. Gregory of Narek Tenor 1 Tenor Bs 1 Bs Piano (rehearsal only) b b b b Lord b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b Commissioned and Premiered on 1 01 by the Canadian Men's Chorus Greg Rainville Artistic Director Toronto Ontario Canada. Book of Lamentations Teo rubato ma non troo lento h = Patrick Murray ac -cet these rayers of sighs and con - tri - tion Lord Lord ac ac ac - cet these rayers of sighs and con - tri - tion - cet these rayers of sighs and con - tri - tion - cet these rayers of sighs and con - tri - tion you in - hale the scent of this sac - ri - fice of you in - hale the scent of this sac - ri - fice of you in - hale the scent of this sac - ri - fice of b b b b you in - hale in hale - the scent of this sac - ri - fice of
Book of Lamentations 10 b b b b w words king of heav - en Bless and sanc b b b b b words king of heav en b b b b b w b b b b b b b b b 1 b b b b w fy this book And set your seal u - b b b b () b n let - ters of this book of la - men - ta - tion set u - () b b b b b b b b b w - Bless b b w - ti - and sanc - ti - fy the words king of heav - en the words king of heav - en and sanc - ti - b let - ters of this book of la - men - ta - tion set u - b fy this book of la - men - ta - tion () b b w b b w And set your seal u - n b b b b
Book of Lamentations b b b b on a tes ta b b b b 18 1 Poco iu mosso h = 60 b b b b -on it a tes ta on a tes on it a tes oco rit. # w - - ment of truth. oco rit. - - ment of truth. oco rit. # nw - ta - ment of truth. oco rit. - ta - ment of truth. oco rit. b n n w w w it stand for - ev - er # # # # w it stand be - fore you for - ev - er # b b n # # b # # w it stand be - fore you for - ev - er # nw # nw n# w # # w # # # w # # # # it stand for - ev - er # # w
Book of Lamentations # # # may it e - cho in your ears # # # # # # may it ech o - may it ech - o ech - o in your ears # # # # # # may it ech - o in your ears # # may it ech - o in your ears # # # # # # # # # 9 # # # # it be the wa - ter of my it be the wa - ter of my will # # # # # # # it be the wa - ter of my will be # # # w the wa - ter of my will # # # # # # # # # # # w
Book of Lamentations b nw b will n n the milk of my tears oco rit. b b b b oco rit. our - ing forth the milk the milk of my tears oco rit. our b n n - ing forth the milk of my tears oco rit. n b b oco rit. b b the b milk of my tears 7 Con moto h.= animando Con moto h.= animando it be so - ken by an - gels b b b b b n it be so ken animando animando b b b - by mouths of your an - gels it be reached to b b b it be so - ken by an - gels it be animando b b b b b b b b b b it be so - ken b b b b b b b b bb b b n n n