October 18: St. Luke Evangelist, Part 2

From Part 1:

Hymn Melodies for the whole year from the Sarum service books lists a variety of hymns to be sung on the feast days of Apostles and Evangelists, and the LLPB provides two mp3s that match up with Hymn Melodies for the whole year. First, the hymn listed for Lauds and Evening Prayer (using two different tunes): "Let the Round World With Songs Rejoice" (mp3), which in Latin is Exultet caelum laudibus. Here is the chant score for this melody, the one listed for Evensong:




And here are the words used here:

Let the round world with songs rejoice;
let heaven return the joyful voice;
all mindful of the Apostles' fame,
let heaven and earth their praise proclaim.

Ye servants who once bore the light
of Gospel truth o'er heathen night,
still may your work that light impart,
to glad our eyes and cheer our heart.

O God, by whom to them was given
the key that shuts and opens heaven,
our chains unbind, our loss repair,
and grant us grace to enter there;

for at thy will they preached the word
which cured disease, which health conferred:
O may that healing power once more
our souls to grace and health restore:

that when thy Son again shall come,
and speak the world's unerring doom,
he may with them pronounce us blessed,
and place us in thy endless rest.

To thee, O Father; Son, to thee;
to thee, blessed Spirit, glory be!
So was it ay for ages past,
so shall through endless ages last.

Second, "The Eternal Gifts of Christ the King" (mp3); in Latin, this is Aeterna Christi Munera. I've linked to the St. David's Compline Choir version of this before; here it is again. Here's the chant score:




The words used on this mp3 are in the 1982 Hymnal at #233, and originally come from the 1940 hymnal, it says; here's a translation by J.M. Neale of the original words from Ambrose; this isn't the exact version used on the audio file.

The eternal gifts of Christ the King,
the apostles' glory, let us sing,
and all, with hearts of gladness, raise
due hymns of thankful love and praise.

For they the Church's princes are,
triumphant leaders in the war,
in heavenly courts a warrior band,
true lights to lighten every land.

Theirs is the steadfast faith of saints,
and hope that never yields nor faints;
and love of Christ in perfect glow
that lays the prince of this world low.

In them the Father's glory shone,
in them the will of God the Son,
in them exults the Holy Ghost,
through them rejoice the heavenly host.

To thee, Redeemer, now we cry,
that thou wouldst join to them on high
thy servants, who this grace implore,
for ever and for evermore.

Here is the version from my sources, which I had not been able to identify until now - but in fact, this is Annue, Christe, the hymn listed at Hymn melodies for the whole year for Mattins and 1st Evensong:



I don't have an audio file for this one, but you can hear a bit of it at this page, listed as #6. It's very pretty, and if I find an mp3 I'll certainly come back and post it.

For more, see Hymnody: Apostles and Evangelists

Here are the mass chants from the Brazilian Benedictines:

S. Lucæ, Evangelistæ
Introitus: Ps. 138, 17 et 1 Mihi autem (1m04.7s - 1017 kb) 
Graduale: Ps. 18, 5. V. 2 In omnem terram (2m39.2s - 1089 kb MONO) 
Alleluia: Io. 15, 16 Ego vos elegi (3m31.1s - 3301 kb) 
Offertorium: Ps. 138, 17 Mihi autem nimis (1m32.8s - 1457 kb) 
Communio: Mt. 19, 28 Vos qui secuti estis me (22.9s - 359 kb)
                         vel
                  Mt. 19, 28 Vos qui secuti estis me (altera melodia) (not yet available)
 

Now, for something a  bit different:   this is Peter Abelard's hymn for Lauds of Evangelists:

Eunt cum illis euntibus
Atque stant rotae cum stantibus,
Levantur cum se levantibus,
Cum iis vitae sit spiritus.

Pedes eorum pedes recti,
Plantaque pedis ut vituli,
Tamquam ex aere sint candenti,
Scintillae visae sunt progredi.

Carbonum instar ardentium,
Lampadum habent splendentium,
In modum visa micantium
Ire, redire sunt fulgurum.

Gloria patri et filio
Spirituique paraclito,
Uni tam Deo quam Domino,
Cum sint personae tres numero.

Google Translate says:

They went with them as they were going
And are standing with wheels that stand
To lift up with themselves,
With them is the spirit of life.

Their feet are upright feet;
Plantaque foot to the calf,
As being of bronze shining,
Sparks were seen advancing.

As coal blazing,
Their lamps are radiant
It seemed like the glittering
To return lightnings.

Glory to the Father and the Son
Spirit Comforter;
One in both the Lord and the Lord,
Since there are three persons in number.

Three hymns for 3 Nocturnes of Matins are also listed - I may look at these in another post - and as always, I wish I knew what music there might have been for them.

Here are the texts for versions of the Troparion and Kontakion for St. Luke from this page at the OCA site:

Apostle and Evangelist Luke

Troparion - Tone 5

Let us praise with sacred songs the holy Apostle Luke,
the recorder of the joyous Gospel of Christ
and the scribe of the Acts of the Apostles,
for his writings are a testimony of the Church of Christ:
He is the physician of human weaknesses and infirmities.
He heals the wounds of our souls,
and constantly intercedes for our salvation!

Kontakion - Tone 2

Let us praise the godly Luke:
he is the true preacher of piety,
the orator of ineffable mysteries
and the star of the Church;
for the Word, Who alone knows the hearts of men,
chose him, together with wise Paul, to be a teacher of the gentiles!

Unfortunately, I can't find music online for these; really too bad.  If I come up with something, I'll be back to add it.

There are a couple of chant scores (PDF) from the AOCANA site - here ("Troparion sung on October 18th.  This is a special troparion in Tone 5 for St. Luke himself.") and here ("Troparion sung on October 18th.  This is the traditional troparion in Tone 3 for the Apostles.")

And here's a lovely video from St. Luke's College of Nursing in Quezon City, Philippines. ("The St. Luke's Hymn of St. Luke's College of Nursing, Trinity University of Asia (formerly known as St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing during the early 1900's).")



Here's a fantastic St. Luke by Simone Martini (c. 1284–1344)!

The Marian Antiphons: Salve Regina

Salve Regina is the Marian antiphon sung at Compline from the day after Pentecost Sunday until the first Sunday of Advent. From "Singing the Four Seasonal Marian Anthems," by Lucy Carroll, published in Adoremus:

Visitors to our Carmelite monastery sometimes ask why we do two hymns at the end of Mass. We don’t; one is the seasonal Marian anthem, the other is a recessional hymn.

....

The four great seasonal Marian antiphons come from the Divine Office, office of Compline, the last of the sung hours of the day. At the close of Compline, one of the four seasonal Marian prayers was sung: Alma Redemptoris Mater, Ave Regina Caelorum, Regina Caeli, or Salve Regina.

Today the Divine Office is known as the Liturgy of the Hours, and Compline has become “Night Prayer”. Today there is the choice of those four hymns or a few others, including the Hail Mary. Traditionally, at Compline, the Latin anthem was followed by seasonal declamations and a prayer. When sung at the conclusion of Mass, only the anthem is sung.

In a Marian house, the seasonal anthem is sung on Sundays and Marian feasts throughout the year at the conclusion of Mass. At our monastery, the nuns, choir, and congregation all join in the Latin chant.

This custom is retained in many churches and cathedrals on Christmas (Alma Redemptoris) and Easter (Regina Caeli), as was seen in the Masses at the Vatican this past year.

Each anthem has a beautiful text, each chant is quite melodic. This is a tradition we at Carmel very much treasure. While we sing the traditional chant melodies at Carmel, these texts have been set to music for choirs by many composers over the ages, most notably Palestrina.

At the present moment, the Marian Anthem is Salve Regina.   Here's a video of the Simple Tone version of the antiphon, sung by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos; chant score is from the Liber Usualis (1961), p 279.



Here's the chant score of the Simple Tone version, from the Liber Usualis:

And this is the Solemn Tone, sung by the Schola of the Hofburgkapelle Vienna (1984); chant score is from the Liber Usualis (1961), p 276.



Here's the chant score of the Solemn Tone version, from the Liber Usualis:

Here are links to posts about all four antiphons on Chantblog:

• The Marian Antiphons: Alma Redemptoris Mater (sung from the first Sunday of Advent until the Feast of the Purification on February 2)
• The Marian Antiphons: Ave, Regina Caelorum (sung from after Purification (February 2 or Candlemas) until Easter Vigil) 
• The Marian Antiphons: Regina Caeli (sung from Easter Eve until Pentecost)
• The Marian Antiphons: Salve Regina (sung from the day after Pentecost Sunday until the first Sunday of Advent)

 Here's more from the article linked above.

The Salve Regina has also been credited to Herimann the Lame (Hermanus Contractus), monk of Reichenau, but it is also attributed to Adhemar de Monteil (+1098) and Saint Bernard (+1153). It has become a traditional Carmelite hymn, sung at Carmelite events throughout the world. It is sung as a seasonal anthem from the day after Pentecost Sunday until the first Sunday of Advent. As a spoken prayer, it has also been added to the conclusion of the rosary, so it is perhaps the most familiar of these four texts to Catholics.

Salve Regina, mater misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra salve. Ad te clamamus, exules filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes, in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia ergo, advocate nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos, ad nos converte. Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O Clemens, o pia, o dulcis virgo Maria.

This early translation is by the Reverend Adrian Fortescue, 1913:

Hail holy queen, mother of mercy, hail our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us. And after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary.

While parishes may not include the seasonal anthem each Sunday, it is to be recommended that the Regina Caeli be sung at Easter, and the Alma Redemptoris at Christmas Mass, and that the anthems be sung by choir and congregation sometime during the seasons.

This is Raphael's Madonna dell Granduca, from around 1505:

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)."

Poulenc: Salve Regina

It's:

Francis Poulenc's setting of Salve Regina. Performed at the Solemn Mass on Christmas Eve 2011 by the choir of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, New York City. James Kennerley, Organist and Music Director.

Lovely!

Here are the words in Latin and English from CPDL (which notes that "Salve Regina are the opening words of one of the four Breviary anthems of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is said from the First Vespers of Trinity Sunday until None of the Saturday before Advent."):

Salve Regina, Mater Misericordiae,
Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, Salve!
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii [H]evae,
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes,
In hac lacrimarum valle.
Eja ergo, Advocata nostra,
Illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
Nobis, post hoc exilium, ostende,
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy,
[Hail] our life, our sweetness and our hope!
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve,
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this, our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

St. Francis of Assisi: "Canticle of Brother Sun"

In celebration of his feast day, today. Wikipedia has the orginal text and an English translation  (and notes that 'the "Canticle of the Sun" is first mentioned in the Vita Prima of Thomas of Celano, in 1228' - which would have been only two years after Francis' death in 1226):

Original text in Umbrian dialect:

Altissimu, onnipotente bon Signore,
Tue so le laude, la gloria e l'honore et onne benedictione.
Ad Te solo, Altissimo, se konfano,
et nullu homo ène dignu te mentouare.

Laudato sie, mi Signore cum tucte le Tue creature,
spetialmente messor lo frate Sole,
lo qual è iorno, et allumini noi per lui.
Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore:
de Te, Altissimo, porta significatione.

Laudato si, mi Signore, per sora Luna e le stelle:
in celu l'ài formate clarite et pretiose et belle.

Laudato si, mi Signore, per frate Uento
et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo,
per lo quale, a le Tue creature dài sustentamento.

Laudato si, mi Signore, per sor'Acqua,
la quale è multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.

Laudato si, mi Signore, per frate Focu,
per lo quale ennallumini la nocte:
ed ello è bello et iucundo et robustoso et forte.

Laudato si, mi Signore, per sora nostra matre Terra,
la quale ne sustenta et gouerna,
et produce diuersi fructi con coloriti fior et herba.

Laudato si, mi Signore, per quelli ke perdonano per lo Tuo amore
et sostengono infirmitate et tribulatione.
Beati quelli ke 'l sosterranno in pace,
ka da Te, Altissimo, sirano incoronati.

Laudato si mi Signore, per sora nostra Morte corporale,
da la quale nullu homo uiuente pò skappare:
guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali;
beati quelli ke trouarà ne le Tue sanctissime uoluntati,
ka la morte secunda no 'l farrà male.

Laudate et benedicete mi Signore et rengratiate
e seruiteli cum grande humilitate.

NOTE: so=sono, si=sii (you are), mi=mio, ka=perché, u replaces v, sirano=saranno

English Translation:

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord!
All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing.
To you, alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day; and you give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars;
in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
and clouds and storms, and all the weather,
through which you give your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water;
she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you brighten the night.
He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth,
who feeds us and rules us,
and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you;
through those who endure sickness and trial.
Happy those who endure in peace,
for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whose embrace no living person can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing your most holy will.
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,
and serve him with great humility.

Sing Iste Confessor (mp3) today; Iste Confessor is the Sarum hymn at First Vespers on the Feast of a Confessor (and this is the Sarum melody); the audio file comes from the website of the Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood.

He, whose confession God of old accepted,
Whom through the ages all now hold in honor,
Gaining his wages this day came to enter
Heaven’s high portal.

God-fearing, watchful, pure of mind and body,
Holy and humble, thus did all men find him,
While, through his members, to the life immortal
Mortal life called him.

Thus to the weary, from the life enshrinèd,
Potent in virtue, flowed humane compassion;
Sick and sore laden, howsoever burdened,
There they found healing.

So now in chorus, giving God the glory,
Raise we our anthem gladly to his honor,
That in fair kinship we may all be sharers
Here and hereafter.

Honor and glory, power and salvation,
Be in the highest unto Him Who reigneth
Changeless in Heaven over earthly changes
Triune, eternal.

Or, if you'd prefer, sing it in Latin, to a different tune:



You can also sing Jesu, Redemptor Omnium today; this is the Sarum hymn for Lauds and 2nd Vespers of a Confessor. Unfortunately, I don't have a recording in English (the English words are here), and this is not any of the tunes used in the Sarum Office, but here it is in Latin using another tune.



Here's a Francis page on Chantblog.

Catholicity and Convent today posts this quote, about the circumstances surrounding the composition of "Canticle of Brother Sun," from Augustine Thompson's biography of Francis of Assisi:

As winter drew on, Francis stayed in a little hut of reed mats attached to the church of San Damiano.  The cold hastened his decline in health.  Brother Elias pressed him to get medical treatment and move to a place where his convalescence could be better managed.  Francis's eyes were now severely affected by light, even at night, but it was "not the season" for eye surgery, which would have to wait until warmer weather in the spring.  So for fifty days, probably until late March of 1225, Francis stayed in his drafty hut day and night.  It appears that he was suffering from trachoma or perhaps conjunctivitis, in addition to the malaria he had contracted in Egypt and malnutrition from his fast on Mount La Verna.  The squalor attracted vermin and mice, which attacked him as he tried to sleep at night.  By day they infested and defiled his food.  Francis became convinced that they were no ordinary vermin, but a trial sent by the devil himself.


Francis identified his temptations with the trials of Christ and told the brothers that he wanted to compose new "praises of God" expressing his will to rejoice in the tribulations ... Francis, in this great composition, paid homage to the Sun, to Light, and to Fire, the very forces that caused him the greatest physical pain.  In it he addressed God the Father as subject of all praise.  Christ and his Cross recede into the background but are taken for granted.

(Augustine Thompson O.P. Francis of Assisi: A New Biography, p. 122f.)

Here's a detail of a Cimabue St. Francis:

It's a detail from this fresco, "Madonna enthroned with the child, four angels, and St. Francis":

According to the Web Gallery of art,

The fresco is located in the right transept of the Lower Church [at San Francesco, Assisi]. It is one of the most problematic works of Cimabue concerning its datation and its condition after the 19th century repaintings. Considering its datation, it is generally accepted from stylistic reasons that it is later than Cimabue's frescoes in the Upper Church or the Madonna in the Musée du Louvre.

Cimabue (Bencivieni di Pepo (Benvenuto di Giuseppe) Giovanni Cimabue) was born in Florence around 1251 and died in Pisa in 1302.  For some perspective:  St. Francis was born in 1181 and was only 45 years old at the time of his death in 1226.

Still more for St. Michael and All Angels: Duo seraphim clamabant, Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599)

A gorgeous version of this motet sung by The Choir of Westminster Cathedral.



Here is the text and translation from CPDL; the texts come from Isaiah 6:3 and 1 John 5:7:

Duo seraphim clamabant alter ad alterum:
Sanctus Dominus Deus Saboath.
Plena est omnis terra gloria ejus.
Tres sunt, qui testimonium dant in coelo:
Pater, Verbum et Spiritus Sanctus:
et hi tres unum sunt.
Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Plena est omnis terra gloria ejus.


Two seraphim cried to one another:
Holy is the Lord God of Sabaoth.
The whole earth is full of his glory.
There are three who bear witness in heaven:
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit:
and these three are one.
Holy is the Lord God of Sabaoth.
The whole earth is full of his glory.

More for St. Michael and All Angels: Faire is the Heaven

This beautiful piece for double choir by William Harris (1883-1973) takes its text from Edmund Spenser (1552-1599). Here it's sung by the University of London Chamber Choir at Ely Cathedral.

FAIRE is the heaven, where happy soules have place
In full enjoyment of felicitie;
Whence they doe still behold the glorious face
Of the Divine, Eternall Majestie;
Yet farre more faire be those bright Cherubins,
Which all with golden wings are overdight.
And those eternall burning Seraphins,
Which from their faces dart out fiery light;
Yet fairer than they both and much more bright,
Be the Angels and Archangels, which attend
On God’s owne person without rest or end.
These then in faire each other farre excelling,
As to the Highest they approach more neare,
Yet is that Highest farre beyond all telling,
Fairer than all the rest which there appeare.
Though all their beauties joyned together were;
How then can mortall tongue hope to expresse
The image of such endlesse perfectnesse?

  - Edmund Spenser