Let All On Earth Their Voices Raise / Exultet Coelum Laudibus / Exsultet Orbis Gaudiis

Re-Echoing Heaven's Triumphant Praise

Let All On Earth Their Voices Raise is a translation of the 10th century Latin hymn, Exultet Coelum Laudibus. In 1632, accordance with revisions made to the hymns of the Divine Office by Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644), it was altered and changed to Exultet Orbis Gaudiis.  In the Roman Breviary it is sung with the Common of Apostles. Both versions are shown below.  It was translated into English by the Anglican Priest and poet, Richard Mant (1776-1848) and published as part of his 1837 collection, Ancient Hymns: From the Roman Breviary. It is often sung to the tune, Rex Glor­i­o­se Mar­tyr­um, first published in the Ca­thol­ische Geist­liche Ge­säsange of 1608. It can also be sung to Tallis' Canon, as shown in the 1st video. In the Divine Office, Let All On Earth Their Voices Raise is used with Morning and Evening Prayer.


Tune: Tallis' Canon

LET ALL ON EARTH THEIR VOICES RAISE by Richard Mant, 1837 (Public Domain)

1. Let all on earth their voices raise,
Re-echoing Heav’n’s triumphant praise
To Him, who gave th’apostles grace
To run on earth their glorious race.

2. Thou, at Whose word they bore the light
Of Gospel truth o’er heathen night,
To us that heav’nly light impart,
To glad our eyes and cheer our heart.

3. Thou, at Whose will to them was giv’n
To bind and loose in earth and Heav’n,
Our chains unbind, our sins undo,
And in our hearts Thy grace renew.

4. Thou, in Whose might they spake the word
Which cured disease and health restored,
To us its healing power prolong,
Support the weak, confirm the strong.

5. And when the thrones are set on high
And judgment’s awful hour draws nigh,
Then, Lord, with them pronounce us blest,
And take us to Thine endless rest.


Exultet Coelum Laudibus performed by Giovanni Vianini

EXULTET COELUM LAUDIBUS

1. Exultet coelum laudibus
 resultet terra gaudiis
 apostolorum gloriam
 sacra canunt solemnia.

 2. Vos saecli justi judices
 et vera mundi lumina
 votis precamur cordium
 audite preces supplicum.

 3. Qui caelum verbo clauditis
 serasque ejus solvitis
 nos a peccatis omnibus
 solvite jussu, quaesumus.

 4. Quorum praecepto subditor
salus et languor omnium:
sanate aegros moribus
nos reddentes virtutibus.

 5. Ut cum judex advenerit
 Christus in fine saeculi
 nos sempiterni gaudii
 faciat esse compotes.

 6. Deo Patri sit gloria
ejusque soli Filio,
cum Spiritu Paracleto,
et nunc et in perpetuum.


Exsultet Orbis Gaudiis performed by Giovanni Vianini

EXSULTET ORBIS GAUDIIS (1632 Revision)

1. Exsultet orbis gaudiis:
Cælum resúltet láudibus:
Apostolórum glóriam
Tellus et astra concinunt.

2. Vos sæculórum iúdices,
Et vera mundi lúmina:
Votis precámur córdium,
Audíte voces súpplicum.

3. Qui templa cæli cláuditis,
Serásque verbo sólvitis,
Nos a reátu noxios
Solvi iubete, quæsumus.

4. Præcépta quorum protinus
Languor salusque sentiunt:
Sanáte mentes languidas:
Augete nos virtútibus.

5. Ut, cum redibit arbiter
In fine Christus sæculi,
Nos sempitérni gáudii
Concedat esse cómpotes.

6. Patri, simúlque Fílio,
Tibique Sancte Spíritus,
Sicut fuit, sit iúgiter
Sæclum per omne glória. Amen.


Setting of Exsultet Orbis Gaudiis by Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676)

God, Who Made the Earth

Who If I Lean On Him, Will Care For Me

God, Who Made the Earth was written by Sarah Betts Rhodes (1829-1904). The wife of a Sheffield merchant, she was a sculptor and head of a school for girls. She composed both the lyrics and the original melody of God, Who Made the Earth for the local Sheffield School Union Whitsuntide Festival of 1870. Today it is sung to a variety of tunes including: Sommerlied, Cura Dei, Beechwood, or Caldwell Church. It is a popular choice for children's hymnals. In the Divine Office it is used in Morning and Evening Prayer.

GOD, WHO MADE THE EARTH by Sarah Betts Rhodes (Public Domain)

1. God, Who made the earth,
The air, the sky, the sea,
Who gave the light its birth,
He cares for me.

2. God, Who made the grass,
The flow’r, the fruit, the tree,
The day and night to pass,
He cares for me. God,

3. Who made the sun,
The moon, the stars, is He
Who, when life’s clouds come on,
He cares for me.

4. God, Who made all things,
On earth, in air, in sea,
Who if I lean on Him,
Will care for me.

5. When in Heav’n’s bright land
I all His loved ones see,
I’ll sing with that blest band,
“God cared for me.”

Maiden, Yet A Mother

Hope, It's Living Fountain

Maiden, Yet A Mother is a translation of a poem by Durante (Dante) degli Alighieri (c.1265–1321). It is based upon the opening verses of Canto 33 of the Paradiso from his Divine Comedy in which St. Bernard of Clairvaux, (1090–1153) praises and prays to the Virgin Mother on behalf of Dante. It was translated from the original Italian into English by the Catholic convert, Monseigneur Ronald A. Knox (1888-1957). Common settings of his text are to the tunes: Grace Soit Rendue and Une Vaine Crainte. A MP3 sample of Une Vaine Crainte can be found in the Adoremus Hymnal (#540). In the Divine Office, Maiden, Yet A Mother is used with Morning and Evening Prayer.

O Sacred Heart

Our Trust Is All In Thee

O Sacred Heart was written Fr. Francis Stanfield (1835-1914). He is also the author of Sweet Sacrament Divine. During the 1880's Fr. Stanfield was Parish Priest at the 'Actor's Church', Corpus Christi in London's West End. It was the first Catholic Church dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament after the Reformation and had only recently opened a sanctuary dedicated to it's Adoration before Fr. Stanfield had been posted there. It is in this same time period that O Sacred Heart first appeared in hymnals. In the following video is set to a tune composed by Sir Richard R. Terry (1865-1938). In the Divine Office it is used on the Feast of the Sacred Heart and with Morning and Evening Prayer.



O SACRED HEART by Francis Stanfield (Public Domain)

1. O Sacred Heart, our home lies deep in thee;
on earth thou art an exile’s rest,
in heav’n the glory of the blest,
O Sacred Heart.

2. O Sacred Heart, thou fount of contrite tears;
where’er those living waters flow,
new life to sinners they bestow,
O Sacred Heart.

3. O Sacred Heart, our trust is all in thee,
For though earth’s night be dark and drear,
thou breathest rest where thou art near,
O Sacred Heart.

4. O Sacred Heart, when shades of death shall fall,
receive us ‘neath thy gentle care,
and save us from the tempter’s snare,
O Sacred Heart.

5. O Sacred Heart, lead exiled children home,
where we may ever rest near thee,
in peace and joy eternally,
O Sacred Heart.

Love of the Father, Love of the Son

In Whom Was All Begun

Love of the Father, Love of God the Son is a translation of an anonymous 12th century Latin poem, Amor, Patris et Filii, Veri Splendor. Manuscripts of the poem have been uncovered in a various locations including one originating from Thame Ab­bey, a Cistercian abbey in Oxfordshire, UK that was dissolved in 1539. In 1899 it was translated into English by poet and playwright, Ro­bert S. Bridg­es (1844-1930). His words are set to the tune: Song 22, composed in 1623 by the English composer Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625). An example of the melody can be heard in the following video at the 3:35 min mark. In the Divine Office, Love of the Father, Love of the Son is used with Morning and Evening Prayer.


Tune: Song 22 (starts at the 3:35 min mark)

LOVE OF THE FATHER, LOVE OF THE SON by Ro­bert Bridg­es, 1899 (Public Domain)

1. Love of the Father, Love of God the Son,
from whom all came, in whom was all begun;
who formest heavenly beauty out of strife,
creation's whole desire and breath of life:

2. Thou the All-holy, thou supreme in might,
thou dost give peace, thy presence maketh right;
thou with thy favor all things dost enfold,
with thine all-kindness free from harm wilt hold.

3. Hope of all comfort, splendor of all aid,
that dost not fail nor leave the heart afraid:
to all that cry thou dost all help accord,
the angels' armor and the saints' reward.

4. Purest and highest, wisest and most just,
there is no truth save only in thy trust;
thou dost the mind from earthly dreams recall,
and bring, through Christ, to him for whom are all.

5. Eternal Glory, all men thee adore,
who art and shalt be worshiped evermore:
us whom thou madest, comfort with thy might,
and lead us to enjoy thy heavenly light.

Come Down, O Love Divine

Seek Thou, This Soul Of Mine

Come Down, O Love Divine is a translation of the Italian poem, Di­scen­di, Amor San­to (The Holy Spirit Desired) by Bi­an­co of Si­e­na (c.1350-1434). He was an early member of the Jesuates, a penitent lay order founded by Giovanni Colombini (c.1300-1367) in 1360. Bi­an­co da Si­e­na wrote some 92 poems called laudi spirituali. He knew Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) and sent her one of these poems along with a lengthy letter. In 1867 Di­scen­di, Amor San­to was translated into English by the Anglo-Irish clergyman and writer, Dr. Richard Frederick Littledale (1833–1890). In 1906 Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) composed the tune, Down Ampney specifically for the text. It is named after his birthplace of Down Ampney. In the Divine Office, Come Down, O Love Divine is used during Morning and Evening Prayer.


Tune: Down Amp­ney

COME DOWN, O LOVE DIVINE by Ri­chard Lit­tle­dale, 1867 (Public Domain)

Come down, O love divine,
seek Thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with Thine own ardor glowing.
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
And kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
til earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let Thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace,
till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling.

Come, O Creator Spirit Blest / Ve­ni Cre­at­or Spir­it­us

Make Our Hearts O’erflow With Love

Come, O Creator Spirit Blest is a translation of the 9th century Latin Hymn, Ve­ni Cre­at­or Spir­it­us (see 2nd video) at­trib­ut­ed to Rha­ban­us Mau­rus (766-856). A Benedictine monk and theologian, he eventually became the Archbishop of Mainz and is considered one of the most important writers of the Carolingian Age. In 1849, the ancient Latin text was translated into English by Fr. Edward Caswall (1814-1878). It was included in his seminal work, the Lyra Ca­thol­i­ca: his collected translations of hymns from the Roman Breviary and Missal. The tune most associated with it is Lambillotte, written by the Belgium Jesuit, Fr. Louis Lambillotte (1797-1855). He was a composer and palaeographer of Church music. His efforts in palaeography involved the study, restoration, and standardizing of Gregorian Chant. Another translation of Ve­ni Cre­at­or Spir­it­us also used in the Liturgy of the Hours is Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, Come.


Tune: Lambillotte

COME, O CREATOR SPIRIT BLEST by Edward Caswall, 1849 (Public Domain)

1. Come, O Creator Spirit blest,
And in our souls take up Thy rest;
Come, with Thy grace and heavenly aid,
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

2. Great Comforter, to Thee we cry;
O highest gift of God most high,
O Fount of life, O Fire of love,
And sweet anointing from above!

3. The sacred sevenfold grace is Thine,
Dread finger of the hand divine;
The promise of the Father Thou,
Who dost the tongue with power endow.

4. Kindle our senses from above,
And make our hearts o’erflow with love;
With patience firm, and virtue high,
The weakness of our flesh supply.

5. Far from us drive the foe we dread,
And grant us Thy true peace instead;
So shall we not, with Thee for guide,
Turn from the path of life aside.

6. O may Thy grace on us bestow
The Father and the Son to know,
And evermore to hold confessed
Thyself of each the Spirit blest.

Gregorian Chant

VENI, CREATOR SPIRITUS - Rabanus Maurus, 9th century (Public Domain)

1. Veni, creator Spiritus
mentes tuorum visita,
imple superna gratia,
quae tu creasti pectora.

2. Qui diceris Paraclitus,
altissimi donum Dei,
fons vivus, ignis,
caritas et spiritalis unctio.

3. Tu septiformis munere,
digitus paternae dexterae
tu rite promissum
Patris sermone ditans guttura.

4. Accende lumen sensibus,
infunde amorem cordibus,
infirma nostri corporis,
virtute firmans perpeti. 

5. Hostem repellas longius
pacemque dones protinus;
ductore sic te praevio
vitemus omne noxium.

6. Per te sciamus da Patrem
noscamus atque Filium,
te utriusque Spiritum
credamus omni tempore.

7. Deo Patri sit gloria,
et Filio qui a mortuis
Surrexit, ac Paraclito,
in saeculorum saecula. Amen.

Liturgical Guide: Sacred Heart

The hymns selected from the Liturgy of the Hours for use on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reflect the theme of God's merciful love for mankind. Although this feast day had been celebrated locally in France as far back as 1670, it was not made part of the liturgical calendar of the Universal Church until 1856. Over the next century popular Devotion to the Sacred Heart spread, but in recent decades it has declined. In the following video, Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B. of Salt+Light TV presents the case for a renewal of the devotion. Just as Devotion to the Sacred Heart in the 17th and 18th century had helped the Church see it's way through the crisis of Jansenism's severity and sectarianism; this practice of selfless love is needed now, more than ever to counter our individualistic and self-gratifiying modern world that gives little thought to eternity. This urgent need is best expressed in Christ's revelation given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: "Behold the Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing...and in return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrilege."



LITURGY OF THE HOURS (1975)
40. Love Divine All Loves Excelling
136. O Christ, Redeemer of Mankind
137. Heart of Christ
138. To Christ, the Prince of Peace
139. Come to Me
140. Shepherd of Souls, in Love Come, Feed Us

DIVINE OFFICE (1974)
All Ye Who Seek a Comfort Sure
The Love of God was Shown to Man