On Hymn Translation

I have an article on hymn translation in the January issue of Usus Antiquior. It was a bit difficult to write, until one evening, pulling into the Texaco station, I heard a radio announcer praising a great Doctor of the Church, St. Bernard of Clairvaux. This incident gave me the introduction, which sort of pulled everything together.

Cheers!

From The Incarnation by St. John of the Cross

When the time had come
for Him to be born
He went forth like the bridegroom
from his bridal chamber,
embracing His bride,
holding her in His arms,
Whom the gracious Mother
laid in a manger
among some animals
that were there at that time.

Men sang songs
and angels melodies
celebrating the marriage
of Two such as these.

But God there in the manger
cried and moaned;
and those tears were jewels
the bride brought to the wedding.
The Mother gazed in sheer wonder
on such an exchange:
In God, man's weeping,
and in man, gladness;
to the one and the other
things usually so strange.

St. John of the Cross

An Advent Calendar of Hymn Tune Propers

I hope that some parishes will find this Advent Calendar useful. It is designed for parishes that have little familiarity with the proper texts of the liturgy, and especially with chant.

The hymn-tune format allows Pastors and Music Directors to make an easy initial transition towards the singing of the propers. Anyone can sing these texts to already-established hymn tunes in Long Meter, such as Creator Alme Siderum (Creator of the Stars of Night), Old 100th (All People That on Earth Do Dwell), Duke Street (Jesus Shall Reign), or Jesu Dulcis Memoria (O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine).

I have found the proper texts of the Mass to be nourishing, and am happy to provide this for anyone's use.

Christmastide Hymn Tune Propers

The Hymn Tune Propers project continues, this time with the Introits for the festivals of Christmas.

The Christmas Vigil and Christmas Midnight introits are in a shorter meter (6.6.8.6.) than the others (8.8.8.8.), in order to express anticipation.

Christmas Vigil

Today, you know the Lord
Will come to set us free.
And when the morning comes at last,
You shall His glory see.

Christmas Midnight

The Lord has said to me:
Today, you are my son.
Today I have begotten you.
I have begotten you.

Christmas Mass at Dawn

Light shines today; the Lord is born:
The wondrous God, the Prince of Peace,
The Father of all future times:
Dominion that shall never cease.

Christmas Mass during the Day

A Child is born for us today.
To us today is giv'n a Son.
Upon His shoulder, power rests,
The Counsellor, the Wondrous One.

Holy Family

The shepherds rose without delay
And speedily they made their way
To Mary, Joseph, and the Child
Who in a manger-cradle lay.

Mary, the Mother of God

O, Holy Mother, hail to you,
For you have brought our King to birth,
And He is King eternally,
Forever, over heav'n and earth.

Christmas 2 (often replaced by Epiphany)

When silence covered everything
When half its course the night had run
O Lord, Your Word, all-powerful
Leapt down from heaven's royal throne.

Epiphany Vigil

Arise, Jerusalem, arise.
Look to the East: your children come!
From sunrise, they are gathered in,
And to the setting of the sun.

Epiphany

Behold, the coming of the Lord
Who rules by universal right.
He grasps His kingship in His hand,
And His dominion, and His might.

Baptism

The Lord was baptized. Heav'n unfurled.
The Spirit came down like a dove.
"My Son, in whom I am well pleased,"
The Father said. "The one I love."

Hymn Tune Introits

It occurs to me that there is a way to combine the joy of singing hymns, with the deeper riches that are gained by mining the proper texts of the Catholic liturgy--and in the process, to write something liturgically useful.

What if the entrance procession of Mass began with a single verse, an antiphon, set to a familiar hymn tune? The congregation could sing the antiphon just as easily as singing any hymn. After the antiphon, the choir would sing the first verse of a Psalm, set to a Psalm tone. Then back to the congregation for a repeat of the antiphon. This antiphony would continue throughout the procession, ending with a rousing Gloria Patri, set to the same hymn tune.

Here are some early drafts of Hymn Tune Introits for the Sundays of Advent, all in "Church meter" or Long Meter, 8.8.8.8. iambic.

Advent 1

To you, O Lord, I lift my soul
I trust in You, save me from shame.
Let not my foes boast over me.
Save those who trust in you from shame. -or- Protect the ones who trust your name.

Advent 2

Let Zion's people see the Lord
Who comes to set the nations free.
The Lord will sound His glorious voice.
Your heart will hear Him joyfully.

Advent 3

Rejoice at all times in the Lord.
Be glad, rejoice, I say again.
Let your unselfishness be seen.
Indeed, the Lord is near at hand.

Advent 4:

Let dew fall down from heav'n above.
O clouds, rain down the Righteous One.
And let the earth be opened up,
And let the longed-for Savior come.

BENEDICT XVI PRAISES THE MUSIC OF ANTON BRUCKNER

VATICAN CITY, 22 OCT 2011 (VIS) -  This evening in the Vatican's  Paul VI Hall, the Bavarian State Opera gave a concert in honour of Benedict  XVI. The programme included the Ninth Symphony and the "Te Deum" by  Anton Bruckner, played by the Bavarian State Orchestra and the "Audi  Jugendchorakademie", conducted respectively by Kent Nagano and Martin  Steidler.

  At the end of the  performance the Pope rose to thank the musicians. Listening to Bruckner's  music, he said, "is like finding oneself in a great cathedral,  surrounded by its imposing structures which arouse emotion and lift us to the  heights. There is however an element that lies at the foundations of  Bruckner's music, both the symphonic and the sacred: the simple, solid,  genuine faith he conserved throughout his life".

  "The great conductor  Bruno Walter used to say that 'Mahler always sought after God, while Bruckner  had found Him'. The symphony we have just heard has a very specific title:  'Dem lieben Gott' (To the Beloved God), almost as if he wished to dedicate  and entrust the last and most mature fruit of his art to the One in Whom he  had always believed, the One Who had become his only true interlocutor in the  last stage of his life", the Holy Father said.

  "Bruckner asked this  beloved God to let him enter His mystery, ... to let him praise the Lord in  heaven as he had on earth with his music. 'Te Deum laudamus, Te Dominum  confitemur'; this great work we have just heard - written at one sitting then  reworked over fifteen years as if reconsidering how better to thank and  praise God - sums up the faith of this great musician", Pope Benedict  concluded. "It is also a reminder for us to open our horizons and think  of eternal life, not so as to escape the present, though burdened with  problems and difficulties, but to experience it more intensely, bringing a  little light, hope and love into the reality in which we live".

Vatican Information Service

Hymn for St. Teresa

To the tune ISTE CONFESSOR: the hymn tune for Doctors of the Universal Church

This is the feast day of the Lord's true witness,
Lover of Jesus, leading others to Him,
Woman of wisdom, passionate and truthful,
Filled with God's favor.

God gave her grace like water from the heavens.
She drank it deeply, even as she suffered;
Perfectly docile, saint and holy teacher:
Light for the ages.

Mantle around us, Mary, flow'r of Carmel,
Pray to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
That They may give us, with the great Teresa,
Life everlasting.

Kathy Pluth, 2003

O Bread of Heaven

I wrote here about the beautiful hymn sung as a Communion meditation at the Holy Father's Mass at Westminster Cathedral.

Someone has now made a video available. Enjoy!

A beautiful accomplishment

The Blessed John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music

I keep hearing the most wonderful things about Catholicism in the UK these days, and this is no exception. The Institute will provide parish-oriented formation for clergy and musicians in truly sacred music. The Birmingham Oratory is known for its fine liturgies, and will be well qualified to teach. Hymn fans like me will be glad to know that the Oratory's heritage includes the hymns of Frs. Faber, Caswell, and of course Newman.

Here is the plan for the first term:

•a practical instruction on singing the Mass;
•the theological and historical background to Church Music;
•the Celebration of the sung Blessed John Henry Newman Pilgrim Mass.

--with "evening sessions for the clergy, offering them the opportunity to know how to sing the different parts of the Mass in Latin and in English. Each of these sessions will be repeated to enable more priests and deacons to attend. There will also be a new choir for children at the Sunday 12 noon Mass for Families at the Oratory."

From the Inaugural Address:"This may well frighten some people. Music, they may say, is for the experts, for the choir or the music group, but not for the priest, deacon, lector, or even the entire congregation. Some may object that it is simply too difficult or too unfamiliar, but if you look closely at the Missal without prejudice, it is possible to see that the music written there is not designed to be sung by experts, but by anybody. It is designed to be an ordinary and familiar expression of the faith of the Church in action. It may seem unfamiliar at first, because we have long since grown to be unfamiliar with the idea of singing the Mass, as opposed to singing during the Mass. What the Church invites us to do in receiving the new translation is to learn to recognise it as something “beyond the prosaic” . Music, even very simple chants, help to achieve that end."

Sounds like a great plan! In the words of Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth, Executive Director of ICEL, the Institute represents "probably the most significant enterprise in liturgical music in the UK since the Council." Best wishes on this new beginning! Please export as soon as practicable.

Hymn to St. Anne

The morning star is on the rise
And soon the dawn will fill the skies,
Foretelling of the coming Sun
Whose light will shine on everyone.

The Sun of justice, Christ, true Light,
And Mary, grace's dawning bright,
And Anna, reddening the sky,
Have caused the night of Law to fly.

O mother Anna, fruitful root,
From you came your salvation's shoot,
For you brought forth the flow'ring rod
That bore for us the Christ of God.

Christ's mother's mother, by the grace
Your daughter's birth brought to our race,
And by her merits and her prayer
May we her favors come to share.

O Jesus, Virgin-born, to You
All glory is forever due.
To Father and the Spirit, praise
Be sung through everlasting days.

Trans. c. 2009 Kathleen Pluth. All rights reserved.