"Let my people live!"

In this triple-meter Aria, Esther appears before king Xerxes to plead for the life of her people, and identifies herself as a Jewess by asking the king to spare her life.

The world premiere of this piece took place on Purim (3/21/08) at the Beth-El Synagogue Center in New Rochelle, New York. The following video is a performance by Mezzo Soprano Valeria Girardi, and Diane Guernsey at the piano. (See related performance of Esther's Prayer)

You can also listen to version 1.23 of this piece; this mp3 file was created with strings used for accompaniment, and a warm pad setting to simulate the vocal part.

The lyrics of this piece were based on the Biblical text in Esther 7:3-4.

Measures: 57

Approx. time: 3 min 34 sec

Latest version: 1.24

Latest revision date: 4/27/07

Lyrics:

Oh King, if I'm your favored one, and if this pleases thee,
then this is my petition: "Oh let my people live!"
My people are in grave distress, their lives have been sold.
My people and your Queen were sold, by order from thy court.
To be destroyed and to be slain, to perish with no mercy;
the women and the children, are all condemned to die!
The enemy has sold us to perish and extinction.
If we were sold as slaves, I would have kept my peace.

Oh King, if I'm your favored one, and if this pleases thee,
then this is my petition: "Oh let my people live!"
My people are in grave distress, their lives have been sold.
My people and your Queen were sold, by order from thy court.
If we were sold as slaves perhaps, I would have kept my peace.
Let my people live! Spare my life!

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