℗ and © 1984 and 2010 Frank DiGiacomo.
Photography by Elizabeth DiGiacomo.

Written in 1984, these tone poems gave Frank DiGiacomo a wonderful opportunity to express his personal feelings and views. Each Psalm was chosen to communicate a message that was dear to him and his chosen life path. The sound pictures he painted to express his meditations give us the gift of his emotional and intellectual insights. This is music made free. Let each listener explore and be inspired.

 Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, Copyright © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd., and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission

 Psalm 133 - Brotherly love

Song of Ascents   Of David

How good, how delightful it is
    for all to live together like brothers:

fine as oil on the head,
    running down the beard,
running down Aaron’s beard
    to the collar of his robes:

copious as a Hermon dew
    falling on the heights of Zion,
    where Yahweh confers his blessing,
    everlasting life.

Psalm 47 - Yahweh, king of Israel, lord of the world

For the choirmaster   Of the sons of Korah   Psalm

Clap your hands, all you peoples.
acclaim God with shouts of joy;
for Yahweh, the Most High, is to be dreaded,
the great king of the whole world.

He brings the peoples under our dominion,
he puts the nations under our feet:
for us he chooses our heritage---
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.

God rises to shouts of acclamation,
Yahweh rises to a blast of trumpets,
let the music sound for our God, let it sound,
let the music sound for our king, let it sound!

God is king of the whole world:
play your best in his honour!

God is king of the nations,
he reigns on his holy throne.

The leaders of the nations rally
to the people of the God of Abraham.
Every shield in the world belongs to God.
He reigns supreme.

Psalm 4 - Evening Prayer

For the choirmaster   For strings   Psalm   Of David

God, guardian of my right, you answer when I call,
    when I am in trouble, you come to my relief;
    now be good to me and hear my prayer.

You men, why shut your hearts so long,
loving delusions, chasing after lies.                Pause

Know this, Yahweh works wonders for those he loves.
Yahweh hears me when I call to him.

    Tremble: give up sinning,
spend your night in quiet meditation.                Pause
Offer sacrifice in a right spirit, and trust Yahweh.

“Who will give us sight of happiness?” many say.
Show us the light of your face, turned towards us!

Yahweh, you have given more joy to my heart
than others ever knew, for all their corn and wine.

In peace I lie down, and fall asleep at once,
since you alone, Yahweh, make me rest secure.

Psalm 46 - God is on our side

For the choirmaster   Of the sons of Korah   For oboe   Song

God is our shelter, our strength, ever ready to help in time of trouble,
so we shall not be afraid when the earth gives way,
when mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
and its waters roar and seethe, the mountains tottering as it heaves.

There is a river whose streams refresh the city of God,
and it sanctifies the dwelling of the Most High.

God is inside the city, she can never fall, at crack of dawn God helps her;
to the roaring of nations and tottering of kingdoms,
when he shouts the world disintegrates.

    Yahweh Sabaoth is on our side,
    our citadel, the God of Jacob!                Pause

Come, think of Yahweh’s marvels,
the astounding things he has done in the world:
all over the world he puts an end to wars,
he breaks the bow, he snaps the spear,
he gives shields to the flames.
“Pause a while and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted over the earth!”

    Yahweh Sabaoth is on our side,
    our citadel, the God of Jacob!                Pause

Psalm 123 - Prayer of the distressed

Song of Ascents

I lift my eyes to you,
    to you who have your home in heaven,
eyes like the eyes of slaves
    fixed on their master’s hand;

like the eyes of a slave-girl
    fixed on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are fixed on Yahweh our God,
    for  him to take pity on us;

pity us, Yahweh, take pity on us,
    we have had more than our share of scorn,
more than our share
    of jeers from the complacent,
    of scorn from the proud.

Psalm 72 - The promised king

Of Solomon

God, give your own justice to the king,
    your own righteous to the royal son,

so that he may rule your people rightly
    and your poor with justice.

Let the mountains and hills
    bring a message of peace for the people.
Uprightly he will defend the poorest,
he will saved the children of those in need,
    and crush their oppressors.

Like the sun and moon he will endure,
    age after age,
welcome as rain that falls on the pasture,
    and showers to thirsty soil.

In his days virtue will flourish,
    a universal peace till the moon is no more;
his empire shall stretch from sea to sea,
    from the river to the ends of the earth.

The Beast will cower before him
    and his enemies grovel in the dust;
the kings of Tarshish and of the islands
    will pay him tribute.

The kings of Sheba and Seba
    will offer gifts;
all kings will do him homage,
    all nations become his servants.

He will free the poor man who calls to him,
    and those who need help,
he will have pity on the poor and feeble,
    and save the lives of those in need;

he will redeem their lives from exploitation and outrage,
    their lives will be precious in his sight.

Prayer will be offered him constantly,
    blessings invoked on him all day long.

Grain everywhere in the country,
    even on the mountain tops,
abundant as Lebanon its harvest,
    luxuriant as common grass.

Blessed be his name forever,
    enduring as long as the sun!
May every race in the world be blessed in him,
    and all the nations call him blessed!

Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,
who alone performs these marvels!
Blessed for ever be his glorious name,
may the whole world be filled with his glory!
    Amen. Amen!

End of the prayers of David, son of Jesse.

Psalm 2 - The messianic drama

Why this uproar among the nations?
why this impotent mutterings of pagans---
kings on earth rising in revolt,
princes plotting against Yahweh and his Anointed,
“Now let us break their fetters!
Now let us throw off the yoke!”

The One whose throne is in heaven sits laughing,
Yahweh derides them.
Then angrily he address them,
in a rage he strikes them with panic,
“This is my king, installed by me
on Zion, my holy mountain”.

    Let me proclaim Yahweh’s decree:
he has told me, “You are my son,
today I have become your father.
Ask and I will give you the nations for your heritage,
the ends of the earth for your domain.
With iron sceptre you will break them,
shatter them like potter’s ware.

So now, you kings, learn wisdom,
earthly rulers, be warned:
serve Yahweh, fear him,
tremble and kiss his feet,
or he will be angry and you will perish,
for his anger is very quick to blaze.

Happy all who take shelter in him.

Psalm 148 - Cosmic hymn of praise

Alleluia!

Let heaven praise Yahweh:
praise him, heavenly heights,
praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his armies!

Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, shinning stars,
praise him, highest heavens,
and waters above the heavens!

Let them all praise the name of Yahweh,
at whose command they were created:
he has fixed them in their place for ever,
by an unalterable statute.

Let earth praise Yahweh:
sea-monsters and all the deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
gales that obey his decree,

mountains and hills,
orchards and forests,
wild animals and farm animals,
snakes and birds,

all kings on earth and nations,
princes, all rulers in the world,
young men and girls,
old people, and children too!

Let them all praise the name of Yahweh,
for his name and no other is sublime,
transcending earth and heaven in majesty,
raising the fortunes of his people,
to the praises of the devout,
of Israel, the people dear to him.