Abun D'bash'maiyo

For SATB divisi chorus a cappella. Since the dawn of the first century the text from the gospel of Matthew 6:9-13 known as the Lords Prayer has inspired many musicians across the globe. Perhaps the most unheralded version comes from the Beth Gazo; a collection of liturgical chants and hymns of the Eastern Syriac Orthodox Church. The Abun dbashmaiyo (Our Father) is one such chant that has survived. When I set out to compose the Lords Prayer for my Compline I wanted to try something different. I searched until I came across this version from the Peshitta text in Syriac one of the dialects of old Aramaic.