S'una sol lagrima (Zelenka/Orlinski)

If every penitent heart

would render me but one repentant tear,

how contented would I die!

If every loving soul in man contrite

would render me but one sign of love,

then all the heavy grief that grips my heart

would melt away.

The original text by composer Jan Dismas Zelenka in Italian:

S’una sol lagrima di pentimento

mi desser tutti di cor pentito,

quanto contento io morirei !

Se amante aogni anima nell’uom contrito

mi desse un solo segno d’amore,

Tutto il gran duolo che m’ange il core

sciolto vedrei.

--Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745),

Aria di Gesù al Calvario

This aria, performed by Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orlinski, imagines Christ in the midst of the Passion on the Cross, praying for a response from those for whom he has sacrificed his life.  Its quiet and beautiful repetition, punctuated by acute string accents, makes for a fitting meditation for Good Friday afternoon. To hear it, click on the video below.  To purchase Orlinski’s remarkable CD Anima Sacra, click here.

 

Image source: Zachary Roesemann, Franciscan Cross.  To read the artist's reflections on this piece:  
https://www.holytrinity-nyc.org/franciscan-icon

Video source