Seen and heard today at Divine Service: "Thou Visitest the Earth"

Maurice Greene's beautiful "Thou Visitest the Earth," his composition based on today's  Psalm 65. Here it's sung (exquisitely!) by the Choir of New College, Oxford.  (Listen to more from this great choir here, at their webcast page.)



The Communion Hymn was St. Thomas Aquinas' beautiful Adoro te devote ("Humbly I adore Thee, verity unseen").  The English words of the hymn (#314 in the 1982 Hymnal) are copyright, but here's a version in Latin - sung by "The Cathedral Singers, Richard Proulx (conductor)" - with a metrical English translation below:

Adoro te devote, latens Deitas,
Quæ sub his figuris vere latitas;
Tibi se cor meum totum subjicit,
Quia te contemplans totum deficit.

Visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur,
Sed auditu solo tuto creditur.
Credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius;
Nil hoc verbo veritátis verius.

O memoriale mortis Domini!
Panis vivus, vitam præstans homini!
Præsta meæ menti de te vívere,
Et te illi semper dulce sapere.

Pie Pelicane, Jesu Domine,
Me immundum munda tuo sanguine:
Cujus una stilla salvum facere
Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere.

Jesu, quem velatum nunc aspicio,
Oro, fiat illud quod tam sitio:
Ut te revelata cernens facie,
Visu sim beátus tuæ gloriæ. Amen



    Prostrate I adore Thee, Deity unseen,
    Who Thy glory hidest 'neath these shadows mean;
    Lo, to Thee surrendered, my whole heart is bowed,
    Tranced as it beholds Thee, shrined within the cloud.

    Taste, and touch, and vision, to discern Thee fail;
    Faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil.
    I believe whate'er the Son of God hath told;
    What the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold.

    On the Cross lay hidden but thy Deity,
    Here is hidden also Thy Humanity:
    But in both believing and confessing, Lord,
    Ask I what the dying thief of Thee implored.

    Thy dread wounds, like Thomas, though I cannot see,
    His be my confession, Lord and God, of Thee,
    Make my faith unfeigned ever-more increase,
    Give me hope unfading, love that cannot cease.

    O memorial wondrous of the Lord's own death;
    Living Bread, that giveth all Thy creatures breath,
    Grant my spirit ever by Thy life may live,
    To my taste Thy sweetness never-failing give.

    Pelican of mercy, Jesus, Lord and God,
    Cleanse me, wretched sinner, in Thy Precious Blood:
    Blood where one drop for human-kind outpoured
    Might from all transgression have the world restored.

    Jesus, whom now veiled, I by faith descry,
    What my soul doth thirst for, do not, Lord, deny,
    That thy face unveiled, I at last may see,
    With the blissful vision blest, my God, of Thee. Amen

Today's lovely collect is this one:

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This is another very ancient one; from the 6th Century at least, given the reference in Hatchett to the Leonine Sacramentary.  His (Hatchett's) Commentary says that:

The prayer is among a series for use at Vespers in the Leonine sacramentary (no.598).  The Gelasian appoints it as the initial prayer of the eighth of the sixteen Sunday Masses (no. 1209), and the Gregorian supplement has it as the collect (no. 1168) for the fourteenth Sunday after (the) Pentecost (octave).  The Sarum missal and earlier Prayer Books associate it with the fourteenth Sunday after Trinity.  The message is clear and forthright:  only if we love what God commands can we render cheerful obedience, and for this we need the gifts of faith, hope, and charity.  The Latin form as "that we may deserve to obtain what you promise," but Cranmer eliminated any idea of merit from the collect.

Good old Cranmer, emphasizing Grace above all - and that's a good idea, too, in my view.   That theme goes very well with the motet above as well, which exalts the good gifts of God.  It's also perfect for the Gospel reading for today, the story of the Publican and the Pharisee; that one's entirely about the centrality of Grace.

I was thinking about "gratitude" today; it's normal to want to express it for the beauty of the world, and for other good and pleasing things (including Maurice Greene's musical talent!).

My dog and I took a nice long walk in the hills today, and got our blood rushing and our cheeks all rosy - and then we went to the dog park, where we saw a Jack Russell Terrier and a German Shepherd, both puppies, chasing 2 Italian greyhounds around the place.  (They never came close to catching them.)  A Bernese Mountain Dog got into the act, too, and a couple of mutts, including mine.

It was a beautiful day, and the dogs were loving it too.   Easy to understand the Psalmist's desire to thank God for "crowning the year" with such a day.....

O Sacrum Convivium VI: Tomás Luis de Victoria

O sacrum convivium is the Antiphon upon Magnificat at Second Vespers of Corpus Christi; it's a beautiful, mystical hymn in praise of the Blessed Sacrament.  St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) wrote the text, which has been set by many composers.  The Gregorian melody is particularly lovely; listen to it in the 2nd video below. 

Here's a wonderful O Sacrum Convivium for 6 voices, by Tomás Luis de Victoria:

 

O sacrum convivium!
in quo Christus sumitur:
recolitur memoria passionis ejus:
mens impletur gratia:
et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur.
Alleluia.

O sacred banquet!
in which Christ is received,
the memory of his Passion is renewed,
the mind is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory to us is given.
Alleluia.

Here, the Belgian chant group Psallentes sings the splendid Gregorian antiphon - no less beautiful than any polyphonic setting!  They include this note: "The antiphon O sacrum convivium, from a sixteenth century Turnhout processionale (Flanders, ca. 1550)."




HT Luis Henriques.

An antiphon for Eastertide: Surrexit Dominus Vere

We've been singing this lovely fraction anthem at the Eucharist during Eastertide; it's S167 in the 1982 Hymnal.  The setting cited there is "Mode 6 melody, adapt. Mason Martens (b. 1933)."   The parts in italics below are congregational; the other lines are sung by a soloist in the choir.

The disciples knew the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
The bread which we break, alleluia, is the communion of the body of Christ.
The disciples knew the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
One body are we, alleluia, for though many we share one bread.
The disciples knew the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

I searched for audio or video of this online, but to no avail.  Then, I happened to stumble upon the Easter antiphon Surrexit Dominus Vere - I can't remember how or why - and lo and behold:  this is the very same melody sung by the soloists in the fraction anthem above. (The congregational response is very beautiful, but not part of this antiphon, apparently.)  Here Giovanni Vianini sings it:



Fisheaters mentions the original verse/response on their Easter page:

On this, the holiest day of the entire year, and for the entire Octave of Easter, Latin Catholics greet each other with the words of Luke 24:34, "Surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia!" ("The Lord is risen indeed!"). The person so greeted responds, "Et apparuit Simoni, alleluia!" ("And hath appeared unto Simon!"). Catholics may even answer their telephones with this greeting. An old Ukrainian legend relates that, after His Resurrection, Christ threw Satan into a deep pit, chaining him with twelve iron chains. When Satan has chewed through each of the twelve chains, the end of the world will come. All year long, the Evil One gnaws at the iron, getting to the last link in the last chain -- but too late, for it is Easter, and when the people cry "Christ is risen!" all of Satan's efforts are reversed. When the faithful stop saying the Easter acclamation, the end of time has come...

Searching on "Et apparuit Simoni" brought up this page at Cantus database - and the numerous links to the phrase in various manuscripts, including a few images.  The Verse/Response was used at many different offices throughout at least the Octave of Easter - although DivinumOfficium has it used mainly, as far as I can tell, as the Verse/Response before the first reading at Matins in early Eastertide.  (Searching just "Surrexit Dominus vere" brings up lots of citations - this one, for example - but we're interested in including the "Simoni" ("Simon") language, since that does seem to be part of this antiphon in particular.   The reference for all of these is from Luke, and "Surrexit Dominus vere," with or without "Simoni," is used frequently throughout Eastertide, as you can imagine.)

For instance, this is from the Antiphonarium Massiliense 1201-1300 (a book from Marseille, France):

And this is from Fribourg/Freiburg, Couvent des Cordeliers/Franziskanerkloster: (an "Antiphonary for Franciscan use")

Here, the Schola Cantorum de Regina Pacis (Klaipeda, Lithuania) sings it:

Surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia, alleluia. Et apparuit Simoni, alleluia, alleluia. Glória Patri, et Fíllio, et Spirítui Sancto.

Viešpats tikrai prisikėlė, aleliuja, aleliuja. Ir pasirodė Simonui, aleliuja, aleliuja. Garbė Dievui Tėvui, ir Sūnui, ir Šventajai Dvasiai.

FIlmuota 2010 m. balandžio 25 d. Klaipėdos šv. Kazimiero bažnyčioje.

Schola Cantorum de Regina Pacis choir is based in the church of St. Mary, Queen of Peace (Klaipeda, Lithuania)

More info: www.regina-pacis.org

It seems several composers have set the text; here are the words from Jacquet de Bechem's setting.  He includes the text from the Gradual for Easter Day, Haec dies:

Alleluia. Quia surrexit Dominus vere,
et apparuit Simoni, alleluia.
Exultemus et laetemur
dies ista laetitiae.
Haec dies, quam fecit Dominus
Exultemus et laetemur in ea.
Alleluia.

Alleluia. The Lord has truly risen
and appeared to Simon, alleluia.
Let us rejoice on this day of joy,
which the Lord has made;
let us rejoice in it.

And there's a Taize Surrexit dominus vere, also:

Dilexisti iustitiam: The Introit for The Baptism of Our Lord (January 13)

I'm very happy to post this terrific video of "the Choristers of St. Paul's Church Harvard Square" singing the Introit. They're really good!



The text for the Introit comes from Psalm (44/)45, verse 8 and then verse 2. Here's a translation from CPDL:

Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness.

Here's the chant score:

Here's the full complement of today's propers, including links to chant scores and audio files, from the Brazilian Benedictines. 

In Baptismate Domini
Introitus: Ps. 44, 8 et 2 Dilexisti iustitiam (2m43.2s - 1117 kb) 
Ad aspersionem aquæ benedictæ (In dominicis extra tempus paschale): 
                                Ps. 50, 9 et 3 Asperges me (I) (1m31.0s - 623 kb) 
Graduale: Ps. 71, 18. V. 3 Benedictus Dominus (3m48.5s - 1563 kb) 

                         vel Ps. 44, 8 Dilexisti iustitiam (not yet available)
Alleluia: Ps. 117, 26 Benedictus qui venit (2m19.2s - 952 kb)

                      vel Ps. 88, 21 Inveni David servum meum (not yet available)
Offertorium: Ps. 117, 26.27 Benedictus qui venit (2m01.2s - 830 kb) 
Communio: Gal. 3, 27 Omnes qui in Christo baptizati estis (47.4s - 325 kb) 

I'm not sure why they are making a point to include the Asperges Me here; it seems to me to be no different from the usual "Outside of Paschal Time" sprinkling-of-water chant (and is labeled that way besides).  Perhaps the idea is that this is to be done on this particular day, even in parishes that don't ordinarily do the Asperges?   I guess I should check the rubrics (although I'm not sure how to do it for the Catholic Church!).

I'm also not sure why the score includes the "T.P. Alleluia alleluia"  measures (not sung here).  I'm assuming "T.P." is Tempus Paschale - Easter time, which explains the Alleluias;  to me this implies that this chant is used again during Easter season at some point.  I'll have to check that.

Psalm (44/)45 is a love song (the note to the choirmaster - not in the BCP version below - says "To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil^[a] of the Sons of Korah; a love song."), and one of my favorites; I especially always like that reference to "cloth-of-gold."

Psalm 45 Eructavit cor meum

1	My heart is stirring with a noble song; let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; * my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.
2	You are the fairest of men; * grace flows from your lips, because God has blessed you for ever.
3	Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior, * in your pride and in your majesty.
4	Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth * and for the sake of justice.
5	Your right hand will show you marvelous things; * your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.
6	The peoples are falling at your feet, * and the king's enemies are losing heart.
7	Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, * a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom; you love righteousness and hate iniquity.
8	Therefore God, your God, has anointed you * with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
9	All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, * and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.
10	Kings' daughters stand among the ladies of the court; * on your right hand is the queen, adorned with the gold of Ophir.
11	"Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; * forget your people and your father's house.
12	The king will have pleasure in your beauty; * he is your master; therefore do him honor.
13	The people of Tyre are here with a gift; * the rich among the people seek your favor."
14	All glorious is the princess as she enters; * her gown is cloth-of-gold.
15	In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; * after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.
16	With joy and gladness they are brought, * and enter into the palace of the king.
17	"In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; * you shall make them princes over all the earth.
18	I will make your name to be remembered from one generation to another; * therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever."

Of course, the Gospel for today is Christ's baptism in the Jordan by John the Forerunner - this year from Luke:

3:15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,

3:16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,

3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Interesting, too, that the reading from Isaiah includes this verse:

43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

It seems to me that what John says in Luke's gospel about fire and water may hearken back directly to Isaiah; will be looking at this.

This is the collect:

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

I couldn't find a Baptism image I liked, but here's a good one of John pointing out Christ to Andrew: "San giovanni che indica il Cristo a Sant'Andrea."  This is Ottavio Vannini, who painted it sometime in the first half of the 17th Century.  Dramatic - and a great John and Andrew.

O sacrum convivium V (T.L. de Victoria)

O sacrum convivium is the Antiphon upon Magnificat at Second Vespers of Corpus Christi; and is a hymn in praise of the Blessed Sacrament.  The Gregorian melody is very beautiful (see the 2nd video below), and the text has been set by many composers; this version is by Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611):

O sacrum convivium!
in quo Christus sumitur:
recolitur memoria passionis ejus:
mens impletur gratia:
et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur.
Alleluia.

O sacred banquet!
in which Christ is received,
the memory of his Passion is renewed,
the mind is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory to us is given.
Alleluia.

Here, the Belgian chant group Psallentes sings the Gregorian antiphon, and they include this note: "The antiphon O sacrum convivium, from a sixteenth century Turnhout processionale (Flanders, ca. 1550)."

O Sacrum Convivium IV

This hymn in praise of the Blessed Sacrament seems to give rise to very beautiful polyphonic compositions - and this piece by the Lithuanian composer Vytautas Miskinis is no exception.



This comes from the YouTube page:

The Stanford Chamber Chorale, under the direction of Stephen M. Sano, performs "O Sacrum Convivium" by Lithuanian composer Vytautas Miskinis (b. 1954). The video is taken from the Chorale's fall 2011 concert, "There is Sweet Music Here," on December 3, 2011 in Stanford Memorial Church. For more information on the Chorale, please visit our website: http://chorale.stanford.edu/

And here again is the lovely text, from Wikipedia:

O Sacrum Convivium is a Latin prose text honoring the Blessed Sacrament. It was written by Saint Thomas Aquinas. It was included in the Latin Catholic liturgy as an antiphon on the feast of Corpus Christi. Its sentiments express the profound mystery of the Eucharistic miracle: "O sacred banquet at which Christ is consumed, the memory of his Passion is recalled, our souls are filled with grace, and the pledge of future glory is given to us."

Original Latin (punctuation from Liber Usualis):

O sacrum convivium!
in quo Christus sumitur:
recolitur memoria passionis ejus:
mens impletur gratia:
et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur.
Alleluia.

Translation of original Latin:

O sacred banquet!
in which Christ is received,
the memory of his Passion is renewed,
the mind is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory to us is given.
Alleluia.

HT Saturday Chorale.

O Sacrum Convivium III

Here's Thomas Tallis' version of this Eucharistic hymn, sung by the Choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.



Here's Olivier Messaien's setting (which the choir at St. Mary the Virgin sang this morning at the Feast of the Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi); this is The Cambridge Singers, with John Rutter conducting:



The text was written by St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th Century; below are the Latin and English words.

O sacrum convivium! in quo Christus sumitur: recolitur memoria passionis eius: mens impletur gratia: et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur. Alleluia.

O sacred banquet! in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory to us is given to us. Alleluia.

Here, Psallentes sings the Gregorian antiphon, and they include this note: "The antiphon O sacrum convivium, from a sixteenth century Turnhout processionale (Flanders, ca. 1550)."



And here's Giovanni Viannini's Ambrosian chant version:



This is from the YouTube page:

O Sacrum convivium, Inno, Sallenda ambrosiana, nella liturgia della chiesa milanese, Studio del canto ambrosiano; Giovanni Vianini, Schola Gregoriana Mediolanensis, 02 70.104.245, www.cantoambrosiano.com, Milano, Italia

Maundy Thursday: Pange Lingua, gloriosi

Written by St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th Century, the hymn extols the Eucharist and Christ's sacrifice in giving it. Below are the words, in Latin and the glorious, glorious English translation by Edward Caswall, a 19th-Century Anglican clergyman and hymn writer (who later converted to Roman Catholicism).

Listen to a stunningly beautiful version of it here, an mp3 of the St. Thomas Fifth Avenue Solemn Maundy Thursday Eucharist, sung to the hymn tune Grafton. I love the plainsong version - but this is really so lovely and loving that it's difficult to listen to, in its context, without tears welling in the eyes. The hymn, with organ accompaniment, starts at around 1:43:30; at the moment I think it's the loveliest hymn ever written. There are long pauses between verses as the Sacrament is taken in procession to the Altar of Repose. (The whole service is very worth listening to; you'll hear the crotalus used at the consecration, and the sound of palm branches scrubbing the altar as it's stripped at the very end of the service, during the chanting of Psalm 22. Here's the service leaflet, in PDF; here's Coverdale Psalm 22, the version they're singing.)

Pange, lingua, gloriosi
Corporis mysterium,
Sanguinisque pretiosi,
quem in mundi pretium
fructus ventris generosi
Rex effudit Gentium.

Nobis datus, nobis natus
ex intacta Virgine,
et in mundo conversatus,
sparso verbi semine,
sui moras incolatus
miro clausit ordine.

In supremae nocte coenae
recumbens cum fratribus
observata lege plene
cibis in legalibus,
cibum turbae duodenae
se dat suis manibus.

Verbum caro, panem verum
verbo carnem efficit:
fitque sanguis Christi merum,
et si sensus deficit,
ad firmandum cor sincerum
sola fides sufficit.

Tantum ergo Sacramentum
veneremur cernui:
et antiquum documentum
novo cedat ritui:
praestet fides supplementum
sensuum defectui.

Genitori, Genitoque
laus et jubilatio,
salus, honor, virtus quoque
sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
compar sit laudatio.

Amen. Alleluja.

NOW, my tongue, the mystery telling
Of the glorious Body sing,
And the Blood, all price excelling,
Which the Gentiles’ Lord and King,
Once on earth among us dwelling,
Shed for this world’s ransoming.

Given for us, and condescending
To be born for us below,
He with men in converse blending
Dwelt, the seed of truth to sow,
Till he closed with wondrous ending
His most patient life of woe.

That last night at supper lying
Mid the twelve, his chosen band,
Jesus, with the Law complying,
Keeps the feast its rites demand;
Then, more precious food supplying,
Gives himself with his own hand

Word-made-flesh, true bread he maketh
By his word his Flesh to be,
Wine his Blood; when man partaketh,
Though his senses fail to see,
Faith alone, when sight forsaketh,
Shows true hearts the mystery.

Therefore we, before him bending,
This great Sacrament revere;
Types and shadows have their ending,
For the newer rite is here;
Faith, our outward sense befriending,
Makes our inward vision clear.

Glory let us give and blessing
To the Father and the Son,
Honor, thanks, and praise addressing,
While eternal ages run;
Ever too his love confessing
Who from both with both is One.

Amen. Alleluia.

The Sarum Corpus Christi Office

Continuing my updating of the Daily Office hymnody schedule:  From Hymn melodies for the whole year, from the Sarum service-books, office hymns to be sung at Corpus Christi - the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, and this year on June 23 - are:

On the Feast of Corpus Christi & during the Octave :

Evensong:  Sacris solemniis ... ... ... ... 51
Mattins:  Pange, lingua, gloriosi Corporis ... ... 36
Lauds:   Verbum supernum prodiens, Nec ... ... 41

Follow along with the office here, at Breviary Offices, from Lauds to Compline Inclusive (Society of St. Margaret, Boston, 1885).    I'll link-in via iFrame at the bottom of the post too.

Here's a bit about Sacris solemniis from Thesaurus Precum Latinarum, along with the words in Latin and English:

This is one of the five beautiful hymns St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) composed in honor of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at specific request of Pope Urban IV (1261-1264) when the Pope first established the Feast of Corpus Christi in 1264. Today Sacris Solemniis is used as a hymn for the Office of the Readings for Corpus Christi. The last two stanzas are the text for the hymn Panis Angelicus.

Sacris solemniis
iuncta sint gaudia,
et ex praecordiis
sonent praeconia;
recedant vetera,
nova sint omnia,
corda, voces, et opera.

Noctis recolitur
cena novissima,
qua Christus creditur
agnum et azyma
dedisse fratribus,
iuxta legitima
priscis indulta patribus.

Post agnum typicum,
expletis epulis,
Corpus Dominicum
datum discipulis,
sic totum omnibus,
quod totum singulis,
eius fatemur manibus.

Dedit fragilibus
corporis ferculum,
dedit et tristibus
sanguinis poculum,
dicens: Accipite
quod trado vasculum;
omnes ex eo bibite.

Sic sacrificium
istud instituit,
cuius officium
committi voluit
solis presbyteris,
quibus sic congruit,
ut sumant, et dent ceteris.

Panis angelicus
fit panis hominum;
dat panis caelicus
figuris terminum;
O res mirabilis:
manducat Dominum
pauper, servus et humilis.

Te, trina Deitas
unaque, poscimus:
sic nos tu visita,
sicut te colimus;
per tuas semitas
duc nos quo tendimus,
ad lucem quam inhabitas.

At this our solemn feast
let holy joys abound,
and from the inmost breast
let songs of praise resound;
let ancient rites depart,
and all be new around,
in every act, and voice, and heart.

Remember we that eve,
when, the Last Supper spread,
Christ, as we all believe,
the Lamb, with leavenless bread,
among His brethren shared,
and thus the Law obeyed,
of all unto their sire declared.

The typic Lamb consumed,
the legal Feast complete,
the Lord unto the Twelve
His Body gave to eat;
the whole to all, no less
the whole to each did mete
with His own hands, as we confess.

He gave them, weak and frail,
His Flesh, their Food to be;
on them, downcast and sad,
His Blood bestowed He:
and thus to them He spake,
"Receive this Cup from Me,
and all of you of this partake."

So He this Sacrifice
to institute did will,
and charged His priests alone
that office to fulfill:
to them He did confide:
to whom it pertains still
to take, and the rest divide.

Thus Angels' Bread is made
the Bread of man today:
the Living Bread from heaven
with figures dost away:
O wondrous gift indeed!
the poor and lowly may
upon their Lord and Master feed.

Thee, therefore, we implore,
O Godhead, One in Three,
so may Thou visit us
as we now worship Thee;
and lead us on Thy way,
That we at last may see
the light wherein Thou dwellest aye.

The page also notes: "Latin from the Liturgia Horarum. English translation is a cento based upon a translation by John David Chambers (1805-1893)."  Here's the chant score as per Hymn melodies for the whole year:

Here's a lovely version of this hymn, although it uses a completely different tune:



As you can see, the last two verses of the hymn make up the famous "Panis Angelicus" text that has been set by numerous composers of polyphony. Here's Bocelli singing the Cesar Franck version:



I've posted about Pange Lingua ("Sing, my tongue") before - but that was the Venatius Fortunatus version, composed in the year 570.   Thomas Aquinas wrote another version in 1254, specifically for the newly-created Feast of Corpus Christi - but he seems to have used the original tune (mp3 here), which is the quite familiar one Hymn melodies prescribes:

Here are the words, in Latin and English:

Pange, lingua, gloriosi
Corporis mysterium,
Sanguinisque pretiosi,
quem in mundi pretium
fructus ventris generosi
Rex effudit Gentium.

Nobis datus, nobis natus
ex intacta Virgine,
et in mundo conversatus,
sparso verbi semine,
sui moras incolatus
miro clausit ordine.

In supremae nocte coenae
recumbens cum fratribus
observata lege plene
cibis in legalibus,
cibum turbae duodenae
se dat suis manibus.

Verbum caro, panem verum
verbo carnem efficit:
fitque sanguis Christi merum,
et si sensus deficit,
ad firmandum cor sincerum
sola fides sufficit.

Tantum ergo Sacramentum
veneremur cernui:
et antiquum documentum
novo cedat ritui:
praestet fides supplementum
sensuum defectui.

Genitori, Genitoque
laus et jubilatio,
salus, honor, virtus quoque
sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
compar sit laudatio.

Amen. Alleluja.

Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory,
of His flesh the mystery sing;
of the Blood, all price exceeding,
shed by our immortal King,
destined, for the world's redemption,
from a noble womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
born for us on earth below,
He, as Man, with man conversing,
stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
then He closed in solemn order
wondrously His life of woe.

On the night of that Last Supper,
seated with His chosen band,
He the Pascal victim eating,
first fulfills the Law's command;
then as Food to His Apostles
gives Himself with His own hand.

Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature
by His word to Flesh He turns;
wine into His Blood He changes;
what though sense no change discerns?
Only be the heart in earnest,
faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,
This great Sacrament we hail,
Over ancient forms of worship
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith will tell us Christ is present,
When our human senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son who made us free
And the Spirit, God proceeding
From them Each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might and endless majesty.
Amen. Alleluia.

I've written about Verbum Supernum Prodiens on the blog before, too - and once again  there are two hymns with this name.  The first was written sometime before the 10th Century, and again Thomas Aquinas tweaked it in 1254 for Corpus Christi.  It's the second one we're talking about here, of course.  Here's the score prescribed by Hymn Melodies:

Here is an mp3 file of this hymn melody (courtesy of the Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood) as used for the Ascension hymn "O Eternal Monarch" (in Latin, Eterne Rex altissime).  Simply use this melody, substituting in the words to Verbum Supernum Prodiens, below.

Again, these are the words of Aquinas' version of the hymn. As you can see, again the last two verses make up the text for one of the very famous hymns sung about the Holy Eucharist; this time it's O Salutaris Hostia ("O Saving Victim"):   

Verbum supernum prodiens,
Nec Patris linquens dexteram,
Ad opus suum exiens,
Venit ad vitæ vesperam.

In mortem a discipulo
Suis tradendus æmulis,
Prius in vitæ ferculo
Se tradidit discipulis.

Quibus sub bina specie
Carnem dedit et sanguinem;
Ut duplicis substantiæ
Totum cibaret hominem.

Se nascens dedit socium,
Convescens in edulium,
Se moriens in pretium,
Se regnans dat in præmium.

O salutaris hostia,
Quæ cæli pandis ostium,
Bella premunt hostilia;
Da robur, fer auxilium.

Uni trinoque Domino
Sit sempiterna gloria:
Qui vitam sine termino
Nobis donet in patria.

The heavenly Word proceeding forth,
Yet leaving not his Father's side,
And going to His work on Earth,
Has reached at length life's eventide.

By false disciple to be given
To foemen for His blood athirst,
Himself, the living bread from heaven,
He gave to his disciples first.

In twofold form of sacrament,
He gave His flesh, He gave His blood,
That man, of soul and body blent,
Might wholly feed on mystic food.

In birth man's fellow-man was He,
His meat while sitting at the board;
He died, our ransomer to be,
He reigns to be our great reward.

O saving Victim, opening wide
The gates of heaven to man below;
Our foes press hard on every side,
Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.

All praise and thanks to thee ascend
For evermore, blessed One in Three;
O grant us life that shall not end,
In our true native land with Thee. 

Here's Giovanni Vianini's rendition of an Ambrosian version of this hymn (not the same tune as in the chant score above):





So: these three hymns for Corpus Christi, all written by Thomas Aquinas, have become his lasting legacy to Eucharistic adoration. The last two verses of each hymn make up some of the most famous texts of all - and all are sung throughout the year at various occasions (including weekly, at Evensong & Benedcition).


Here's that peek-in to the SSM Breviary for this feast:

O Salutaris Hostia - Cantilene

Here's something kind of odd, and oddly interesting, too:



Remember that this is a eucharistic hymn, sung at Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament! This setting is from G. Rossini; here are the words:

O salutaris Hostia,
Quae caeli pandis ostium:
Bella premunt hostilia,
Da robur, fer auxilium.

Uni trinoque Domino
Sit sempiterna gloria,
Qui vitam sine termino
Nobis donet in patria.
Amen.

O saving Victim, opening wide
The gate of Heaven to us below;
Our foes press hard on every side;
Your aid supply; Your strength bestow.

To your great name be endless praise,
Immortal Godhead, One in Three.
O grant us endless length of days,
In our true native land with thee.
Amen.