Like as the Hart

For the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Westminster Abbey requested that I set to music the first seven verses of Psalm 42, "Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks: so longeth my soul after thee, O God".

The words and music speak at first of the soul's great sadness and thirst for God's reassurance; but as the psalm progresses, the mood becomes calmer and more resolved, culminating in consolation, with the words "Put thy trust in God".

The Queen’s strong faith in, and support of, Anglican worship was an inspiration for me when setting this psalm to music.

Judith Weir September 2022