Sing My Tongue of Warfare Ended / Pange Lingua, Gloriosi Proelium Certaminis / + Crux Fidelis

Painting by Gerard David - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Sing My Tongue of Warfare Ended is a translation by Monsignor Ronald A. Knox (1888 - 1957) of the opening 5 verses (+ doxology) of the 6th century Latin hymn: Pange Lingua Gloriosi Proelium Certaminis by Venantius Fortunatus (c.530-c.600/609). As poet of the Merovingian Court, he composed the hymn for the procession that brought a relic of the True Cross to Queen Radegund in 570. In the Mass, this hymn has been traditionally chanted during the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday. In the Roman Breviary it has been divided into shorter hymns (eg. Crux Fidelis - see 2nd video) which are used during Holy Week. It is believed that Fortunatus' work inspired St. Thomas Aquinas to write his great hymn for the Feast of Corpus Christi: Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium. In the Divine Office (1974), Fr. Knox's translation: Sing My Tongue of Warfare Ended is sung on Good Friday with the Office of Readings. The Divine Office recommends the tune: Mannheim by Friedrich Filitz (1804-1876). An alternative tune that can also be used is Picardy, as featured in the following video.


Alternative Tune: Picardy

PANGE, LINGUA, GLORIOSI PROELIUM CERTAMINIS

1. Pange, lingua, gloriosi
proelium certaminis,
et super Crucis trophaeo
dic triumphum nobilem,
qualiter Redemptor orbis
immolatus vicerit.

2. De parentis protoplasti
fraude Factor condolens,
quando pomi noxialis
morte morsu corruit,
ipse lignum tunc notavit,
damna ligni ut solveret.

3. Hoc opus nostrae salutis
ordo depoposcerat,
multiformis proditoris
ars ut artem falleret,
et medelam ferret inde,
hostis unde laeserat.

4. Quando venit ergo sacri
plenitudo temporis,
missus est ab arce Patris
natus, orbis, Conditor,
atque ventre virginali
carne factus prodiit.

5. Vagit infans inter arcta
conditus praesepia:
membra pannis involuta
Virgo Mater alligat:
et manus pedesque et crura
stricta cingit fascia.

6. Lustra sex qui iam peracta
tempus implens corporis,
se volente, natus ad hoc,
passioni deditus,
Agnus in crucis levatur
immolandus stipite.

7. En acetum, fel, arundo,
sputa, clavi, lancea:
mite corpus perforatur,
Sanguis, unda profluit
terra, pontus, astra, mundis,
quo lavantur flumine!

8. Crux fidelis,
inter omnes
arbor una nobilis;
nulla talem silva profert,
flore, fronde, germine.
Dulce lignum, dulci clavo,
dulce pondus sustinens!

9. Flecte ramos, arbor alta,
tensa laxa viscera,
et rigor lentescat ille,
quem dedit nativas,
ut superni membra Regis
miti tendas stipite.

10. Sola digna tu fuisti
ferre saeculi pretium,
atque portum praeparare
nauta mundo naufrago,
quem sacer cruor perunxit,
fusus Agni corpore.

11. Aequa Patri Filioque,
inclito Paraclito,
sempiterna sit beatae
Trinitati gloria,
cuius alma nos redemit
atque servat gratia. Amen.
 

Crux Fidelis (Drawn from verses: 8, 1-3, 11 above)

CRUX FIDELIS

1. Crux fidelis,
inter omnes
arbor una nobilis;
nulla talem silva profert,
flore, fronde, germine.
Dulce lignum, dulci clavo,
dulce pondus sustinens!

2. Pange, lingua, gloriosi
proelium certaminis,
et super Crucis trophaeo
dic triumphum nobilem,
qualiter Redemptor orbis
immolatus vicerit.

3. De parentis protoplasti
fraude Factor condolens,
quando pomi noxialis
morte morsu corruit,
ipse lignum tunc notavit,
damna ligni ut solveret.

4. Hoc opus nostrae salutis
ordo depoposcerat,
multiformis proditoris
ars ut artem falleret,
et medelam ferret inde,
hostis unde laeserat.

4. Quando venit ergo sacri
plenitudo temporis,
missus est ab arce Patris
natus, orbis, Conditor,
atque ventre virginali
carne factus prodiit.

5. Aequa Patri Filioque,
inclito Paraclito,
sempiterna sit beatae
Trinitati gloria,
cuius alma nos redemit
atque servat gratia. Amen.

Remember Those, O Lord

For Them We Humbly Pray

Remember Those, O Lord was written by the Scottish Jesuit Priest, Fr. James J. Quinn (1919-2010). In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung at Morning Prayer in the Office for the Dead. It is set to the tune: Franconia, by the German composer Johann Balthasar König (1691-1758).


Tune: Franconia

Proclaim His Triumph, Heaven and Earth

1558 Painting - Courtesy of Wikipedia 

Proclaim His Triumph, Heaven and Earth is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974) it is included among the optional hymns for Eastertide sung up until Ascension Day. It is set to the 1628 tune: Eisenach by the early Baroque composer, Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630). An accomplished and innovative composer of both secular and sacred music, the relatively small number of hymns which he composed were mostly written on the occasions of the deaths of friends or family, which included the loss of seven children and his first wife.


Tune: Eisenach

O Light Serene of God the Father's Glory

Evening Star, at Hour of Sunset

O Light Serene of God the Father's Glory is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974) it is used for Sunday Evening Prayer I (Week 1) and for Sunday Evening Prayer I (Week 3). The Divine Office does not recommend any tune for this hymn, which is written in the rarely used meter of 11.6.11.4. Likewise, I too have not been unable to locate any tune that I could suggest as an alternative.

O God, Creator of Us All

From Whom We Come, To Whom We Go

O God, Creator of Us All is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974) it is one of the optional hymns used during Lent. The recommended tune in the Divine Office is Severn View. An alternative tune that can also be used is the Old Hundredth, as featured in the following video.

Alternative Tune: Old 100th

O Peter, Who Were Named by Christ

Painting by Carlo Crivelli - Courtesy Wikipedia

O Peter, Who Were Named by Christ is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung on February 22, the Feast of the See of Saint Peter. It is set to the 1918 tune: Gonfalon Royal, by Percy Carter Buck (1871-1947).

Tune: Gonfalon Royal

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith

Fresco by Johann Georg Unruhe - Courtesy of Wikipedia

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung at Morning Prayer in the Common of Apostles. It is set to the anonymous tune associated with the 7th century Latin hymn: Creator Alme Siderum, as featured in the following video.


Tune: Creator Alme Siderum

O Fair is Our Lord's Own City

Sts. Patrick and Germanus - Courtesy of Wikipedia

O Fair is Our Lord's Own City is a translation of a poem by Donough O'Daly (d.1244). Also referred to as Donnchadh Mór Ó Dálaigh, he came from a family of celebrated Irish poets, and is thought by some historians to have been the Abbot of Boyle Abbey, where he is believed to be buried. He wrote as many as 30 lengthy poems, mostly of religious nature. O Fair is Our Lord's Own City was translated from the original Gaelic by the Rev. Canon Coslett Quin (1907-1995), a priest in the Church of Ireland. In the Divine Office (1974), it is sung at Evening Prayer I on the Solemnity of All Saints. The recommended tune in the Divine Office is Attracta. An alternative tune that can also be used is Christus Der Ist Mein Leben, as featured in the following video.


Alternative Tune: Christus Der Ist Mein Leben (with introduction)

O Christ the Light of Heaven

You Come in All Your Radiance

O Christ the Light of Heaven is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung at Tuesday (Week 1) Morning Prayer. The recommended musical setting in the Divine Office is the tune: Narenza, first published in the Hymnologium of 1584 . An alternative tune that can also be used is Christus Der Ist Mein Leben, as featured in the following video.


Alternative Tune: Christus Der Ist Mein Leben (with introduction)

O Blessèd Lord, Creator God

You are the Light of Endless Days

O Blessèd Lord, Creator God (p. 148) is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung at Sunday Daytime Prayer (Week 1). The Divine Office recommends the tune: O Mensch Sieh, first published in the Bohemian Brethren's Kirchengesänge of 1566. An alternative tune that can also be used is Holy Sepulchre (Thorne), as featured in the following video.


Alternative Tune: Holy Sepulchre (Thorne)

More Ancient than the Primal World

Painting by Carl Bloch - Courtesy of Wikipedia

More Ancient than the Primal World is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung at Morning Prayer on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, August 6th. It is set to the anonymous tune associated with the 7th century Latin hymn: Creator Alme Siderum, as featured in the following video.


Tune: Creator Alme Siderum

Lord God, Your Light Which Dims the Stars

All that Springs to Life in You, Your Glory Sings

Lord God, Your Light Which Dims the Stars is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974), it is sung at Wednesday Morning Prayer (Week 1). The suggested musical setting in the Divine Office is the hymn tune: Providence. I have not been able to locate any alternative tune that I can recommend.

In the Beginning God Created Heaven

His Spirit Moved Across the Sombre Waters

In the Beginning God Created Heaven is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974), In the Beginning God Created Heaven is used as an alternative hymn for Sunday (Week 1) Evening Prayer II. It is written using the rarely used hymn metre of 11.6.11.6.. The Divine Office does not recommend a specific tune for this hymn; likewise, I have not been able to locate any alternative musical setting that I can suggest.

His Cross Stands Empty

Painting by James Tissot - Courtesy of Wikipedia

His Cross Stands Empty is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974), it is used with the Office of Readings on Holy Saturday. The suggested musical setting in the Divine Office is the 1861 tune: Eventide by William Henry Monk (1823-1889), as featured in the following video. Curiously, Eventide's hymn meter (10.10.10.10) does not match the meter of His Cross Stands Empty (11.8.11.8). The Divine Office makes note of this and has likely recommended Eventide because the words can be adapted to fit this melody, and (because 11.8.11.8 is so rarely used) there are very few 11.8.11.8 meter tunes that could otherwise be used.

Tune: Eventide (Meter: 10.10.10.10)

God, of Thy Pity, Unto Us Thy Children / Aures Ad Nostras Deitatis Preces

Pour on Our Souls the Radiance of Thy Presence

God, of Thy Pity, Unto Us Thy Children is a translation by Alan G. McDougall (1895-1964) of the Latin hymn: Aures Ad Nostras Deitatis Preces. It was first published in 1916 as part of his collection of 29 translations: Pange Lingua - Breviary Hymns of Old Verses with an English Rendering. Of Aures Ad Nostras Deitatis Preces, the book adds this comment: "Found in ante-Tridentine Roman Breviaries, this hymn has now been superseded by O sol salutes, intimis. It's loss is much to be regretted, as it is one of the most beautiful examples of mediaeval hymnody." God, of Thy Pity, Unto Us Thy Children is set to the the 1630 German tune: Herzliebster Jesu by the Lutheran minister, Johann Heermann (1585-1647) and adapted by Johann Crüger (1598-1662). In the Divine Office (1974) it is used as an optional hymn for Lent.


Tune: Herzliebster Jesu

GOD, OF THY PITY, UNTO US THY CHILDREN tr. by Alan G. McDougall, 1916 (Public Domain)*

1. God, of thy pity, unto us thy children
Bend down thine ear in thine own lovingkindness,
And all thy people's prayers and vows ascending
Hear, we beseech thee.

2. Look down in mercy from thy seat of glory.
Pour on our souls the radiance of thy presence,
Drive from our weary hearts the shades of darkness,
Lightening our footsteps.

3. Free us from sin by might of thy great loving,
Cleanse thou the sordid, loose the fettered spirit,
Spare every sinner, raise with thine own right hand
All who have fallen.

4. Reft of thy guiding we are lost in darkness,
Drowned in the great wide sea of sin we perish,
But we are led by thy strong hand to climb the
Ascents of Heaven

5. Christ, very light and goodness, life of all things,
Joy of the whole world, infinite in kindness,
Who by the crimson flowing of thy life-blood
From death hast saved us,

6. Grant to our souls a holy fount of weeping,
Grant to us strength to aid us in our fasting,
And all the thousand hosts of evil banish
Far from thy people.


AURES AD NOSTRAS DEITATIS PRECES*

1. Aures Ad Nostras Deitatis Preces
Deus inclina pietate sola,
Supplicum uota suscipe precamur
Famuli tui.

2. Respice clemens solio de sancto.
Vultu sereno lampades illustra,
Lumine tuo tenebras repelle
Pectore nostro.

3. Crimina laxa pietate multa
Ablue sordes, uincula disrunpe,
Parce peccatis, releua iacentes
Dextera tua.

4. Te sine tetro mergimur profundo,
Labimur alta sceleris sub unda;
Brachio tuo trahimur ad clara
Sidera coeli.

5. Christe lux uera bonitas et uita
Gaudium mundi pietas immensa
Qui nos a morte roseo salvasti
Sanguine tuo.

6. Insere tuum petimus amorem
Mentibus nostris fidei refunde
Lumen aeternum charitatis auge
Dilectionem.

7. Tu nobis dona fontem lacrymarum
Ieiuniorum fortia ministra,
Uitia carnis millia retunde
Framea tua.

*Reprinted from pages 18-19 from Pange Lingua - Breviary Hymns of Old Verses with an English Rendering.

God Called Great Prophets to Foretell

Painting by Aleksander Ivanov - Courtesy of Wikipedia

God Called Great Prophets to Foretell is by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. It is set to the 1792 tune: Richmond, by the author, physician, and Anglican Priest Thomas Haweis (1734-1820). In the Divine Office God Called Great Prophets to Foretell is used with Evening Prayer I on Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, as well as for Morning Prayer on the Memorial of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist.


Tune: Richmond

Battle is O'er / Finita Iam Sunt Proelia

Painting by Fra Angelico - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Battle is O'er is a translation by Monsignor Ronald A. Knox (1888 - 1957) of Finita Jam Sunt Praelia, an anonymous Latin hymn first published in the 1695 Jesuit collection: Symphonia Sirenum Selectarum, Cologne. In 1936, Knox was appointed to a committee that oversaw the revision of the Westminster Hymnal. Published in 1939, the revised edition featured 4 original hymns by Monsignor Knox, as well as 47 of his translations, which included Battle is O'er. In the Divine Office (1974), the recommended musical setting is to the tune: Surrexit. An alternative melody that can also be used is O Filii et Filiae, as shown in the following video. In the Divine Office, Battle is O'er is one of the optional hymns to be sung during Eastertide up until Ascension Sunday.


Alternative Tune: O Filii et Filiae

FINITA IAM SUNT PROELIA - Anonymous, 1695 (Public Domain)

1. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Finita iam sunt proelia,
Est parta iam victoria:
Gaudeamus et canamus, Alleluia.

2. Post fata mortis barbara
Devicit Jesus tartara:
Applaudamus et psallamus, Alleluia.

3. Surrexit die tertia
Caelesti clarus gratia
nsonemus et cantemus, Alleluia.

4. Sunt clausa stygis ostia
Et caeli patent atria:
Gaudeamus et petamus, Alleluia.

5. Per tua, Jesu, vulnera
Nos mala morte libera,
Ut vivamus et canamus, Alleluia.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Father Most Holy, Gracious and Forgiving

Fresco by Luca Rossetti da Orta - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Father Most Holy, Gracious and Forgiving was written by Monsignor Ronald A. Knox (1888 - 1957).  In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung at Morning Prayer on Trinity Sunday. The Divine Office recommends the tune: Theophila, for it's musical setting. An alternative tune that can also be used is Christe Sanctorum, as featured in the following video.


Alternative Tune: Christe Sanctorum

Christ Whose Blood for All Men Streamed

Modern Stained Glass - Courtesy of Wikipedia

In the Divine Office (1974), Christ Whose Blood for All Men Streamed is used as an optional hymn throughout the Christmas season up until Epiphany. The suggested musical setting in the Divine Office is to the folk tune: Greystones. An alternative melody that can also be used is Culbach, as featured in the following video.

Alternative Tune: Culbach

Christ the True Light of Us

Thou All the Night Our Guardian Be

Christ the True Light of Us is a translation by Walter H. Shewring (1906–1990) of an 8th century text. A convert to the Catholic Faith, Shewring was professor of classics for nearly 60 years at Ampleforth, a Benedictine College in the UK. Christ the True Light of Us is set to the tune, O Amor Quam Exstaticus. An alternative tune that can also be used is Winchester New, as featured in the following video. In the Divine Office (1974), Christ the True Light of Us is one of the optional hymns for Night Prayer (Compline).


Alternative Tune: Winchester New

A Mighty Wind Invades the World

Painting by Jean II Restout - Courtesy of Wikipedia 

A Mighty Wind Invades the World is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. It is set to the traditional English melody: Herongate, as featured in the following video. In the Divine Office (1974), A Mighty Wind Invades the World is sung at Morning Prayer on Pentecost Sunday.


Tune: Herongate

All Creation was Renewed

Painting by Bartolome Murillo - Courtesy Wikipedia 

All Creation was Renewed is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. It is set to the tune, Gott Sei Dank (Lubeck) by the Lutheran pastor and theologian, Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen (1670-1739). His Geistreiches Gesangsbuch of 1704 (also known as Freylinghausen's Songbook), in which Gott Sei Dank was first published, is considered an importatant advancement in the development and organization of hymnals. In the Divine Office (1974), All Creation was Renewed is used with Evening Prayer I on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.


Tune: Gott sei dank (Lübeck)

Angels of God, You See the Father's Face

13th Century Byzantine Icon - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Angels of God, You See the Father's Face was written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. It is set to the tune: Trisagion, written in 1868 by the English composer and organist Henry Thomas Smart (1813-1879). An alternative tune that can also be used is Eventide, as featured in the following video. In the Divine Office (1974), Angels of God, You See the Father's Face is sung at Morning Prayer on the Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael; Archangels.


Alternative Tune: Eventide

Joy Fill Your Heart, O Queen Most High

Painting of Coronation of Mary - Wikipedia

Joy Fill Your Heart, O Queen Most High was written by the Scottish Jesuit Priest, Fr. James Quinn (1919-2010). It is set to the tune Lasst Uns Erfreuen, first published in the Jesuit hymnal: Ausserlesene Catlwlische Geistliche Kirchengesänge of 1623. In the Divine Office (1974), Joy Fill Your Heart, O Queen Most High is sung after Night Prayer (Compline) as an antiphon - a final anthem to the Blessed Virgin Mary.


Tune: Lasst Uns Er­freu­en

Forth From on High the Father Sends

Jesus in Form of Bread and Wine

Forth From on High the Father Sends was written by the Scottish Jesuit Priest, Fr. James Quinn (1919-2010). It is sung to the tune: Melcombe, by the English composer Samuel Webbe (1740-1816). Initially published in 1782 as an anonymous chant tune in An Essay on the Church Plain Chant, it was ascribed to Webbe in later hymnals after 1791. In the Divine Office (1974), Forth From on High the Father Sends is used with Morning Prayer on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).


Tune: Melcombe

Easter Glory Fills the Sky

Christ Now Lives, No More To Die

Easter Glory Fills the Sky was written by the Scottish Jesuit Priest, Fr. James Quinn (1919-2010). In the Divine Office (1974) the recommended tune is Francois. Two alternative tunes that can also be used are Llanfair and Gwalchmai, as featured in the following videos. In the Divine Office (1974), Easter Glory Fills the Sky is used during the Easter season up until Ascension.

Tune: Llanfair (3 Verses)
 

Tune: Gwalchmai

A Noble Flower of Juda

Painting by Gerard van Honthorst - Courtesy of Wikipedia

A Noble Flower of Juda is a paraphrased adaption by Anthony G. Petti of an anonymous 15th century Marian hymn: Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen (A Rose Has Spring Up). The original words of the German carol are of anonymous authorship and were first published in 1599 along with the traditional folk tune commonly associated with it: Es ist ein Ros, then later adapted in 1609 by the German composer, Michael Praetorius (1571-1621). In the Divine Office (1974), A Noble Flower of Juda is sung at Evening Prayer I on Christmas Eve, and is also used as an optional hymn from Christmas up until Epiphany.


Tune: Es ist ein Ros entsprungen

Blessed Be the Lord Our God

With Joy, Let Heaven Ring

Blessed Be the Lord Our God was written by the Scottish Jesuit Priest, Fr. James Quinn (1919-2010). In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung with Sunday Evening Prayer I (Week 2). It is set to the tune: Corona, as featured the following video. An alternative tune that can also be used is the more well known: Diademata.


Tune: Corona


Alternative Tune: Diademata

Nunc Dimittis (Canticle of Simeon)

Painting by Aert de Gelder - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Nunc Dimities (Canticle of Simeon) is sung at Compline in the Roman Breviary. The text is taken from St. Jerome's (c.347-420) Latin Vulgate translation of Luke 2:29-32. Simeon sang this when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for the ceremony of consecration of the firstborn son (the Presentation), after the time of Mary's purification of at least 40 days after the birth. Like other devout Jews before him throughout Salvation History, the old Levitical Priest, Simeon has waited and watched for the coming of the Savior, and now nearing the end of his life, prays to be dismissed from his faithful service. Likewise, we too, at the end of our day of labour as servants of the Lord, pray not only to be dismissed from the day's service for a night of rest, but (mindful of our own mortality) pray also for a peaceful death.



NUNC DIMMITTIS (with Antiphon)

Antiphon: Salva nos, Domine, vigilantes,
                 custodi nos dormientes,
                 ut vigil emus cum Christo
                 et requiescamus in pace.

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace:
Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum
Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:
Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.