Psalm 42

Composed by Andrew Bleckner
Voicing: SATB a cappella
Catalog number: AMP 0747
Price: $1.70

K'ayal ta'arog al afikei mayim
Kein nafshi ta'arog eilecha, Elohim.
Tsamah nafshi leilohim l'eil chai,
Matai avo v'eiraýeh p'nei Elohim?

Ma tishtochachi, nafshi?
Ooma tehemi alai?
Hochili leilohim!
Ki od odenu,
Yeshuot panav, Elohai.

As a deer longs for flowing streams
So my soul longs for you O Beloved, the living God.
My soul thirsts for you O Beloved, the living God.
When Shall we meet face to face?

Why are you so desolate, my soul?
Why so distraught within me?
Hope in the divine source of all!
For I shall praise the Holy One.
My ever present saviour, My God

Hebrew Transliteration Guide
a - as in 'papa' (short) or 'father'
e - as in 'get' or 'the' (sheva)
i - as in 'machine'
o - as in 'low'
u - as in 'rule'
ai - as in 'aisle'
oi - as in 'boil'
ei< - as in 'veil'
g - as in 'get' (hard)
ch - as in Scottish 'loch' or German 'ach'
k' - as in 'Kevin'

All Hebrew words receive their accent on the last syllable except where indicated by underscoring. An apostrophe such as in K' or l' of v' at the beginning of the word should be sung as “eh,” or “uh” if the sound is very short. In speech, these are unaccented quick syllables.

Composer's Notes
In setting Psalm 42, I selected two paragraphs of text which I feel express the essence of the Psalm. The speaker, ruminating from a place of spiritual alienation, cries aloud to the divine, sharing her thirst for intimacy with God. In the course of her ruminations, her faith is restored, and she comes face to face once again with her living God The music mirrors this transcendent journey of inner faith from longing and alienation to divine connection and inner peace.

recording performed by The Atlanta Singers,
David Morrow, Artistic Director
The recording can be found on their CD Deep River.

Click here to see a sample.

Click here to listen to a recording (MP3).



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