The text is drawn primarily frm two places in Genesis: chapters 29-30 and 49. Chapters 29-30 deal with the births of each of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel), and is presented from the point of view of the mothers, Leah (and her handmaiden Zilpah) and Rachel (and her handmaiden Bilhah). This material forms the basis for the narrations. Chapter 49 presents Jacob's last words and blessings to his twelve sons. Sometimes harsh, sometimes praising, sometimes tender, they are all powerful and, on occasion, enigmatic. This chapter supplies the material for the baritone soloist and chorus.

There is some additonal text taken from Deuteronomy, in which Moses blesses the twelve tribes descended from the sons. This is used to further expand Jacob's comments. This and the earlier material is woven together to form an ongoing narrative, dealing with each son in the order of his birth.

The King James translation of the Bible was the basic source, but commentaries on these passages, ranging from Talmudic scholars to John Knox, were examined to provide further clarificaton and alternate translations. The final text is a compilation and modification of several sources which work together and complement each other.

The melodic material comes from three melodic ideas, one for each parent:

• Jacob (Israel):

  

• Leah:

  

• Rachel:

  

Each of the twelve sons is represented by an individual section, and is connected to his mother melodically. In addition, each section is based upon a hexachord, six notes in an arrangement of whole-steps and non-adjacent half-steps. The are twelve distinctly different hexachords possible, one for each son. Similarities in the brothers are represented with similar meters; for example, Judah, Joseph, and Benjamin (the "favorite" sons) are all portrayed in compound meters.

Sung text:

Part I

Prologue

The name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and thou hast prevailed. (Genesis 32:28)
Gather yourselves together, O sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel, your father. (Genesis 49:2)

Reuben

Reuben thou art, my first born son,
My might, and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of pride, and the excellency of power.
Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel,
Because thou went up to thy father's bed;
He went up to my couch and betrayed it.
(Genesis 49:3-4)

Simeon and Levi

Simeon and Levi are brethren,
Weapons of violence are in their means.
O my soul, hear not their council,
O mine honor, join not their assembly,
For in their anger they slew men,
And in their selfwill they maimed cattle.
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce,
And their wrath, for it was cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob,
And scatter them in Israel.
(Genesis 49:5-7)

Judah

Judah, thou art he whom they brethren shall praise;
Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies,
Thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
Judah is a lion's cub;
From the prey,my son, thou hast arisen.
He stoops down, he couches up as a lion.
And, as a lioness, who shall rouse him up?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the law from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And unto him shall be the obedience of the people.
He binds his foal unto the vine.
And his ass's colt to the choice vine;
He washes his cloak in wine,
His robes in the blood of the grapes;
His eyes shall be darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.
(Genesis 49:8-12)

Part II

Dan

Dan shall judge his people
As one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a serpent by the road,
A viper in the path,
That bites the herse's heels,
So that his rider falls backwards.
(Genesis 49:16-17)

Prayer I

I have waited for they salvation, O God.
(Genesis 49:18)

Naphtali

Naphtali is a deer let loose,
He is a spreading oak tree,
Who gives forth beautiful fawns,
Which spreads its lovely boughs.
(Genesis 49:21)

Gad

Gad, a troop shall overcome him,
But he shall raid at their heels.
(Genesis 49:19)

Prayer II

I have waited for they salvation, O God.
(Genesis 49:18)

Asher

Asher shall have rich food daily,
And he shall yield dishes fit for a king.
(Genesis 49:20)

Issachar

Issachar is a strong beast,
Crouching down between two burdens;
And he saw that rest was good,
And the land was pleasant,
And bowed his shoulder to bear,
And became a servant unto tribute.
(Genesis 49:14-15)

Zebulun

Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea:
And he shall be a haven for ships,
And his borders shall be to Sidon.
(Genesis 49:13)

Anthem

Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out;
Rejoice, Issachar, in they tents.
They shall call the people unto the mountains;
There they shall offer righteous sacrifices,
For they shall pull abundance from the seas,
And draw hidden treasures from the sand.
(Deuteronomy 33:18-19)

Part III

Joseph

Joseph is a fruitful tree.
A fruitful bough by a spring;
His branches run over the wall.
The archers have sorely grieved him,
They shot at him, and hated him;
Yet his bow remained strong,
And by his arms were made strong,
By the hands of the mighty God of Jacob,
Called Shepherd, Rock of Israel;
By the God of they father, who shall help thee,
By the God Almighty who will bless thee,
With blessings of heaven above,
With blessings of the deep that lieth under,
With blessings of breast and womb.
The blessings of thy father have prevailed,
Above the blessings of the mountains,
Beyond the bounties of the hills;
They shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of him separate above his brethren.
(Genesis 49:22-26)

Benjamin

Benjamin shall hunt as a wolf;
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
And at night he shall divide the spoils.
(Genesis 49:27)
The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him,
And the Lord shall cover him all the day long,
And he shall dwell between his shoulders.
(Deuteronomy 33:12)

Epilogue

Israel then shall dwell in safety,
The children of Jacob shall live,
On a land of grain and wine,
Where the heavens shall drop down dew.
Happy art though, O Israel!
Who is like unto thee, people saved by the Lord,
The shield of thy help, the sword of thy triumph.
Thine enemies shall bow before thee,
And thou shalt tread upon their high places.
(Deuteronomy 33:28-29)

Amen.