I am singing "Thou art gone up on high" from MESSIAH at a church this
Sunday, and it dawned on me that I haven't got the slightest idea what
this aria is talking about. I've read Psalm 68, from which the text is
derived, and I'm even less clear after reading the Psalm than I was
before.
Does anyone who has sung this aria - or who is a Biblical scholar - have
some guidance they can give me before Saturday night. Specifically, WHO is
the "Thou" described:
"Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast
received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God
might dwell among them."
If the "Thou" is God, then what are the "gifts for men" referred to? If
the "Thou" is not God, who is it that is ascending "on high", and is
"high", in this case, "the hill which God desireth to dwell in"?
I'm thoroughly confused. It's a lovely aria, but the text is, to me,
impenetrable. And I hate singing words I don't understand!
KM
............................
NEIL SHICOFF, TENORE SUPREMO
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/shicoff/shicoff.html
My Own Website
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
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+ I sing hymns with my spirit, +
+ but I also sing hymns with my mind. +
+ - 1 Corinthians 14:15 +
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