December 27: The Feast of St. John Evangelist

From Hymn Melodies for the Whole Year from the Sarum Service-Books:

On the Feast of S. John Ev. & on the Octave Day :

Mattins:   Annue Christe (on the day) ...................46
                                     (on the octave day) ...................47
Lauds & Evensong:   Exultet celum laudibus ................... 27

It's interesting about Annue Christe; it's not listed as a hymn for the Common of Apostles and Evangelists at LiberHymnarius.org - and it's hard to find even a reference to it anywhere on the web.  I expect it might be a regional use; it's the prescribed Sarum Mattins and 1st Evensong hymn for Feasts of Apostles & Evangelists (except during Eastertide).  There are special verses used - I presume - on the particular days of particular Apostles and Evangelists. 

I did find a couple of small clips of various pieces of the hymnm sung by the "Benedictine Monks Of St. Wandrille [Rouen, France]"; the first minute of the hymn using melody 46 below is here.  The end of the first stanza plus the beginning of another verse (not in the words below) is here at Amazon.com.  It's a pretty hymn - melismatic and liquid.

Here are the scores for hymns 46 and 47:

CPDL provides the Latin words for the hymn; they write:

Transcribed from the Trent manuscript tr92. The keys, the notes' values and the accidental are as in the manuscript. The time signature is missing; the “tempus perfectum” has been assumed from the context and the perfect notes have been dotted. The text underlay within brackets and that of the Tenor (lowest voice) are editorial, the manuscript has the 1st verse only. The notes' values within the "ligaturæ" are semibreves. The “musica ficta” suggestions are in the MIDI and MusicXML files.

CPDL refers to this piece as "Anonymous - TTB - Sacred, Hymn" - and offers a midi of it.  Clearly, the text was picked up and used in a later composition.

Annue Christe sæculorum Domine,
Nobis per hujus tibi cari(a) merita,
Ut qui te coram graviter deliquimus
Hujus solvamur gloriosis precibus.

Salva Redemptor plasma tuum nobile,
Signatum sancto vultus tui lumine;
Nec lacerari sinas fraude dæmonum
Propter quos mortis exsolvisti pretium.

Noli captivos esse tuos servulos,
Absolve reos, compeditos erige,
Et quos cruore redemisti proprio
Rex bone tecum fac gaudere perpetim.

Sit tibi Jesu benedicte Domine
Gloria, virtus, honor, et imperium,
Una cum Patre, sanctoque Paraclito
Cum quibus regnas Deus ante sæcula.

Here's something from Cyberhymnal's entry on Annue, Christe, including an English translation of the four main verses:

"Words: Un­known au­thor, be­fore the 11th Cen­tu­ry (An­nue Chris­te sae­cu­lor­um Do­mi­ne); trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Thom­as A. La­cey in The Eng­lish Hymn­al (Lon­don: Ox­ford Un­i­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 174."

Lord of creation, bow Thine ear, O Christ, to hear
The intercession of Thy servant true and dear,
That we unworthy, who have trespassed in Thy sight,
May live before Thee where he dwells in glorious light.

O God our Savior, look on Thine inheritance,
Sealed by the favor shining from Thy countenance;
That no false spirit bring to naught the souls of price
Bought by the merit of Thy perfect sacrifice.

We bear the burden of our guilt and enmity,
Until Thy pardon lift the heart from slavery;
Then through the spending of Thy life blood, King of grace,
Grant us unending triumph in Thy holy place.

To Thee the glorious Christ, our Savior manifest,
All wreaths victorious, praise and worship be addressed,
Whom with the living Father humbly we adore,
And the life giving Spirit, God forevermore.

This from Hymnary.org:

Annue Christe saeculorum Domine. [Common of Apostles.] This hymn is of unknown authorship, its full form consists of four general stanzas, and nine stanzas proper of saints.

Translations in common use:—
1. 0 Christ, Thou Lord of worlds, Thine ear. By J. M. Neale. Published in the enlarged edition of the Hymnal Noted, 1854, No. 75, in 4 stanzas of 8 lines, from whence it has passed into a few collections. In the St. Raphael's Collection, 1860, special stanzas were introduced after the Sarum manner (these added stanzas are all original) for SS. Andrew, Thomas, John and James, Matthias, Peter, Bartholomew, Matthew, and Simon and Jude, and some of these were repeated in Skinner's Daily Service Hymnal, 1864, with additional verses for St. Barnabas and for SS. Philip and James, the latter altered from Bp. Wordsworth's hymn on that festival in his Holy Year, "Blest be, 0 Lord, the grace of Love." It is altered in the Hymnary, 1872, to "0 Christ, Thou Lord of all."

-- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

 And here's the chant score used at the Community of St. John Baptist (Anglican); it's melody #46 but with a different set of words:



I couldn't find an audio of hymn tune 47 anywhere, though.

Exultet celum laudibus is the hymn prescribed throughout the year for Lauds and 2nd Evensong for Feasts of Apostles & Evangelists - but this tune is only used during Christmastide (which means it's only used on the Feast of St. John Evangelist, since that's the only A&E feast day in Christmastide!).

This is the same tune used for A solis ortus cardine, sung at Lauds & 2nd Evensong on Christmas Day.  Here's LLPB's mp3 of that song; just sing the English words  below (from Oremus - "Words: Latin, tenth century; trans. Richard Mant, as alt. in The English Hymnal, 1906") instead of the words on the audio file and you're in business.

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.

"The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Archive" - a site I like more and more each time I see it - provides this set of Latin words:

Exultet celum laudibus
Resultet terra gaudiis
Apostolorum gloriam
Sacra canant solemnia

Vos secli iusti iudices
Et vera mundi lumina
Votis precamur, cordium
Audite preces supplicum

Qui celum verbo clauditis
Serrasque eius solvitis
Nos a peccatis omnibus
Solvite iussu, quesumus

Quorum precepto subditur
Salus et languor omnium
Sanate egros moribus
Nos reddentes virtutibus

Ut cum iudex advenerit
Christus in fine seculi
Nos sempiterni gaudii
Faciat esse compotes

Deo Patri sit gloria
Eiusque soli Filio
Cum Spirito paraclito
Et nunc et in perpetuum.

There's a slightly different set of words on page 153 of Britt's Hymns of the Breviary and Missal.

Thie below video of Exultet celum laudibus is for St. Peter & St. Paul; the musical style is not to my taste, although the hymn itself is beautiful.  The words are slightly different here and there, but it's clearly a version of this hymn; the music comes from this CD from Jordi Savilli.




I've always really liked this image of St. John; "Lawrence OP"'s Flickr site says it's "From the east window, designed by Burne Jones and made by Morris & Co. of the pre-Raphaelite school, installed in the then-Unitarian chapel of Manchester College, Oxford.




This one, by Paolo Veronese, isn't bad, either!

The ceiling painting in the sacristy of San Sebastiano, the Coronation of the Virgin, is framed by pictures of the four evangelists sitting, kneeling or reclining, accompanied by their symbols (eagle, ox, lion and angel), and, in their over life-size dimensions, they seem to burst out of the pictorial fields. In the four pictures, the open book is a reference to the subject as writer of the gospel of the same name.

December 26: The Feast of St. Stephen

I've missed a few items in my tour of the Sarum Office Hymns, I noticed recently!  Each feast in the week after Christmas has its own entry in the "Proper of the Season" section of Hymn Melodies for the Whole Year from the Sarum Service-Books.

Let's start with the entry for the December 26 Feast of St. Stephen:

On the Feast of S. Stephen & on the Оctave Day :

Mattins:  Martyr Dei, qui unicum ... ... ... 26
Lauds & Evensong:   Sancte Dei preciose ... ... ... 45

Below is the score for Hymn 26, listed here as the tune for the Matins hymn, Martyr Dei, qui unicum; it's the same tune used at the Christmas Office for the Matins hymn, Christe, Redemptor omnium.  Martyr Dei, qui unicum is the hymn for the Common of Martyrs; throughout the rest of the year, it's sung to tune 25, but during Christmastide tune 26 is used. 

Here's the LLPB mp3 that matches this tune (the words, though, are those for Christe, Redemptor omnium).




The Latin words for Martyr Dei, qui unicum are these:

Martyr Dei, qui (quæ) unicum
Patris sequendo Filium,
victis triumphas hostibus,
victor (victrix) fruens cælestibus.

Tui precatus munere
nostrum reatum dilue,
arcens mali contagium,
vitæ repellens tædium.

Soluta sunt iam vincula
tui sacrati corporis;
nos solve vinclis sæculi,
amore Filii Dei.

Honor Patri cum Filio
et Spiritu Paraclito,
qui te corona perpeti
cingunt in aula gloriæ.

This note at Google Books' Liturgical Prayer says: "The hymn Martyr Dei, qui unicum seems to be a continuation of Deus tuorum militum" - that is, the hymn for Lauds and 2nd Evensong for the Common of Martyrs.  Not unusual; many hymns are broken up in this way to serve several purposes.

Here's an English translation of this hymn, at Cyberhymnal, where it is called "Martyr of God, whose strength was steeled." Cyberhymnal notes that the hymn is by an: "Unknown au­thor, 10th Cen­tu­ry (Mar­tyr Dei qui un­i­cum); trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Per­cy Dear­mer in The Eng­lish Hymn­al (Lon­don: Ox­ford Un­i­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 180."

Martyr of God, whose strength was steeled
To follow close God’s only Son,
Well didst thou brave thy battlefield,
And well thy heavenly bliss was won!

Now join thy prayers with ours, who pray
That God may pardon us and bless;
For prayer keeps evil’s plague away,
And draws from life its weariness.

Long, long ago, were loosed the chains
That held thy body once in thrall;
For us how many a bond remains!
O Love of God release us all.

All praise to God the Father be,
All praise to Thee, eternal Son;
All praise, O Holy Ghost, to Thee
While never ending ages run.

Here's the hymn tune used for Sancte Dei preciose:

Oremus hymnal online offers this this midi of the plainsong.  This was a hymn, as far as I can tell, written in honor of the "protomartyr Stephen" specifically.  It's called "Saint of God, Elect and Precious" at Cyberhymnal (where it's described as from an "Un­known au­thor, 11th Cen­tu­ry"); J.M. Neale translated it this way:

Saint of God, elect and precious,
Protomartyr Stephen, bright
With thy love of amplest measure,
Shining round thee like a light;
Who to God commendest, dying,
Them that did thee all despite.

Glitters now the crown above thee,
Figured in thy honored name:
O that we, who truly love thee,
May have portion in the same;
In the dreadful day of judgment
Fearing neither sin nor shame.

Laud to God, and might, and honor,
Who with flowers of rosy dye
Crowned thy forehead, and hath placed thee
In the starry throne on high:
He direct us, He protect us,
From death’s sting eternally.

Here's an image from a page at "Hymns and Carols of Christmas"; it's this hymn, in a book called Great Hymns of the Church Compiled by the Late Right Reverend John Freeman Young (New York: James Pott & Company, 1887).  The Latin and English words are both included:

Here's the Latin:

Sancte Dei, pretiose,
Protomartyr Stephane,
Qui virtute caritatis
Circumfulsus undique,
Dominum pro inimico
Exorasti populo:

Et coronæ quâ nitescis
Almus sacri nominis,
Nos, qui tibi famulamur,
Fac consortes sieri:
Et expertes dirae mortis
In die Judicii.

Gloria et honor Deo
Qui te flore roseo
Coronavit et locavit
In throno sidereo:
Salvet reos, solvens eos
A mortis aculeo. Amen.

Cantus Database points to two manuscript pages in reference to Sancte Dei preciose (although I'm not sure it's pointing to an office hymn);  the first below is from a "Fourteenth-century antiphoner in two volumes (29 and 30) from the Abbey of Sankt Lambrecht (Steiermark, Austria)."  The second comes from a "Twelfth-century antiphoner from Klosterneuburg, Austria."  I can't find this particular text in either one, actually! Stephan is certainly the subject, though - and the two leaves seem to contain much of the same text.

It's interesting to me that  for each of the Feast Days in Christmas week the office hymns are sung twice:  once on the day itself, and then again eight days later.  That's kind of an unusual thing to do - at least I haven't seen it anywhere else in Hymn Melodies - and creates an interesting doubling effect in time (almost the way Psalms are often in doublets!).

The musical piece in the video below is based on this text, too - at least, the first verse is the same; it's labeled "Sancte Dei preciose V. Ut tuo propitiates" - but it's definitely not this office hymn, and there's no information about what's going on at the YouTube page.  It seems that John Sheppard wrote a mass for St. Stephen's Day called "Be Not Afraid," and it includes a "Sancte Dei preciose" (clip here) - but this is not that music, as far as I can tell.

I haven't found out anything about it, in fact.  (There's a bit of a problem in that Sancte Dei preciose is also spelled Sancte Dei pretiose, and it's taking twice as long to get any information about it!)  I suspect it may be one of those anonymously-composed early polyphony pieces.

It's just stunningly beautiful, in any case, and beautifully and expertly sung; don't miss it.  When I find out what it is, I'll come back and post it (or, if anybody out there knows....?).



Here's a little bit about Stephen from Wikipedia:

Saint Stephen (Koine Greek: Στέφανος, Stephanos; sometimes spelled "Stephan"), the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican^[2],Lutheran,^[3] Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Stephen's name is derived from the Greek languageStephanos, meaning "crown". Traditionally, Stephen is invested with a crown of martyrdom; he is often depicted in art with three stones and the martyrs' palm. In Eastern Christian iconography, he is shown as a young, beardless man with a tonsure, wearing a deacon's vestments, and often holding a miniature church building or a censer. Rembrandt depicted his martyrdom in his work The Stoning of Saint Stephen.

Martyrdom

Saint Stephen preaching.

History approximates Stephen's story around A.D. 34-35, shortly after Jesus' crucifixion^{[citation needed]}. According to Chapter 6 ofThe Acts of the Apostles, Stephen was among seven men of the early church at Jerusalem appointed to serve as deacon. However, after a dispute with the members of a synagogue of "Roman Freedmen," he is denounced for blasphemy against God and Moses (Acts 6:11) and speaking against the Templeand the Law. Stephen is tried before the Sanhedrin. His defense is presented as accusing the Jews of persecuting the prophetswho had spoken out against the sins of the nation:

"Which one of the Prophets did your fathers not persecute, and they killed the ones who prophesied the coming of the Just One, of whom now, too, you have become betrayers and murderers." (7:52)

While on trial, he experienced a theophany in which he saw both God the Father and God the Son:

"Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56) This vision of Christ standing differs from other Scripture which indicates Jesus sits at the right hand of God - perhaps implying that Christ stood in honor of Stephen whose martyrdom was near.

He is condemned and stoned to death by an infuriated mob, which is encouraged by Saul of Tarsus, later to be known as Saint Paul the Apostle. After his own conversion to Christianity, Paul makes reference to witnessing Stephen's martyrdom in his writings.^[4]

Here's Rembrandt's The Stoning of St. Stephen - painted when the artist was 19 years old; Wikipedia says it's his "first painting," but I find that kind of hard to believe.  Maybe his first commissioned painting?   (It doesn't look like Rembrandt to me, either.....)

But this is wonderful: Domenico Ghirlandaio's St Stephen, painted c. 1490.

Christmas Day Vespers: Hodie Christus natus est / Magnificat

Here, the Schola Cantorum Riga sings the Antiphon upon Magnificat for Christmas Day Vespers, along with the Magnificat itself (and soprano sax accompaniment).

Hodie Christus natus est:
Hodie Salvator apparuit:
Hodie in terra canunt Angeli,
laetantur Archangeli
Hodie exsultant justi, dicentes:
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Alleluia.

Magnificat anima mea Dominum,
et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore meo,
quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae.
Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes,
quia fecit mihi magna,
qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericordia eius in progenies et progenies
timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo,
dispersit superbos mente cordis sui;
deposuit potentes de sede
et exaltavit humiles;
esurientes implevit bonis
et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum,
recordatus misericordiae,
sicut locutus est ad patres nostros,
Abraham et semini eius in saecula.


Today Christ is born:
Today the Savior appeared:
Today on Earth the Angels sing,
Archangels rejoice:
Today the righteous rejoice, saying:
Glory to God in the highest.
Alleluia.

My soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me : and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him : throughout all generations.
He hath shewed strength with his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel : as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.

Blessed Christmas to all.

The Christmas Midnight Introit: Dominus Dixit Ad Me

Here's a really wonderful video of the Westminster Cathedral choir singing the introit at the 2009 Midnight Mass; the introit is far more affecting when seen in its liturgical setting.  It's truly majestic and even thrilling here, in a way that just doesn't come across when you listen to a studio recording of the chant.  They're a fantastic choir - and what a setting!



Here's the chant score:

The text is from Psalm 2: verse 7, then 1-2, then 8. The key part of verse 7 is: "The Lord said to me:  You are my son; this day have I begotten you." Here's the whole Psalm:

¹  Why do the nations rage^[a]
    and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth set themselves,
    and the rulers take counsel together,
    against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
³ “Let us burst their bonds apart
    and cast away their cords from us.”

⁴ He who sits in the heavens laughs;
    the Lord holds them in derision.
⁵ Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
    and terrify them in his fury, saying,
⁶ “As for me, I have set my King
    on Zion, my holy hill.”

⁷ I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you.
⁸ Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
    and the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You shall break^[b] them with a rod of iron
    and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

¹⁰ Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
¹² Kiss the Son,
    lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
    for his wrath is quickly kindled.  Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Here's CCWatershed's video of the chant:






The Alleluia for Christmas Midnight is also Dominus Dixit Ad Me; here's a video.



Here's the score:

Here's another video of the Alleluia, labeled "Old Roman Chant."  Clearly not the same melody - but sort of the same "feel," with the long melismas:



There are three collects available for use at the Eucharists of Christmas:

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

or this

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

or this

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Obviously the second, by virtue of its topic, makes sense for use only at Midnight (or at the cockcrow mass, as below), but the others could  also be used then as well.    Hatchett's Commentary on the Prayer Book says this about these prayers:

The Nativity of Our Lord:  Christmas Day

The first of the collects for Christmas Day is in the Advent Masses of the Gelasian sacramentary (no. 1156) and in the Gregorian sacramentary (no. 33) and the sarum missal as a collect for the vigil Mass of Christmas.  It began, "God, who makes us glad with the annual expectation of our redemption."   Cranmer changed the opening and retained it for use "At the First Communion" on Christmas Day.  The 1552 revision dropped it, retaining only one proper for Christmas Day; in 1892 it was recovered when the 1549 provision was restored for optional use at the first service "if in any Church the Holy Communion be twice celebrated on Christmas-day."   The collect provides a good transition from Advent to the Christmas season.  

The second of the collects was appointed for the vigil in the Gelasian sacramentary (no. 5) and for the midnight stational Mass at St. Mary Major's in the Greogrian (no. 36).   The Sarum missal has it as the collect for the Mass at cockcrow.  Its content recalls the origin of the celebration of the Nativity at the December solstice as a rival festival to the pagan ceremonies of dies natalis Solis Invicti (the Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun).   This is the first Book of Common Prayer to include this collect.  

The third collect was composed for the 1549 Book for use "At the Second Communion."   The revisers in 1662 replaced "this day" with "as at this time."   The substance is closely related to the the new 1549 proper preface for Christmas Day and to the initial paragraph of the note on the second article of the Creed in The King's Book.   Among the ancient collects the one most closely related seems to be in the Gelasian sacramentary (no. 17), the initial collect for the Mass on Christmas Day, and in the gregorian a collect among "Other Prayers for the Birthday of the Lord" (no. 58).   There are also similar collects in several of the fifteenth and sixteenth century German breviaries.   In his Commentary Massey H. Shepherd, Jr. said of this collect:

...it is of all the Prayer Book collects the most notable for its theological content, for the whole of the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation are encased in it.  Specifically, the Collect is woven about three themes:  (1) the birth of the Only-Begotten Son of God in the substance of our human nature is linked with the idea of our rebirth in Baptism by 'pure' water ... and the Holy Spirit;  (2) the eternal Sonship of Christ is contrasted with our adoption as sons by the free grace of God; and (3) the historic birth of our Lord at a specific time and place is spiritually renewed in the hearts of his followers daily...

BTW, the "Sol Invictus"/"pagan holiday" question is not necessarily settled, even though Hatchett seems pretty certain of it above; the setting of the date of Christmas probably antedates any such borrowing from pagan customs.  December 25 was already in use prior to Constantine; Christianity was often and widely (if sporadically, depending on the period) persecuted prior to that time.  That would mean that Christians would have been unlikely to try to imitate pagan festivals; why would they have tried to do such "market branding" to attract people to a persecuted sect?  In addition:  the early Church was often specifically concerned with differentiating Christianity from pagan sects.   This article provides a good discussion of the various problems - logical, historical, and otherwise - with the theory, as well as some thoughts about why December 25 was chosen; it may have everything to do with the date of Jesus' own death, in fact:

Around 200 C.E. Tertullian of Carthage reported the calculation that the 14th of Nisan (the day of the crucifixion according to the Gospel of John) in the year Jesus diedc was equivalent to March 25 in the Roman (solar) calendar.9 March 25 is, of course, nine months before December 25; it was later recognized as the Feast of the Annunciation—the commemoration of Jesus’ conception.10 Thus, Jesus was believed to have been conceived and crucified on the same day of the year. Exactly nine months later, Jesus was born, on December 25.d

This idea appears in an anonymous Christian treatise titled On Solstices and Equinoxes, which appears to come from fourth-century North Africa. The treatise states: “Therefore our Lord was conceived on the eighth of the kalends of April in the month of March [March 25], which is the day of the passion of the Lord and of his conception. For on that day he was conceived on the same he suffered.”11 Based on this, the treatise dates Jesus’ birth to the winter solstice.

 Augustine, too, was familiar with this association. In On the Trinity (c. 399–419)  he writes: “For he [Jesus] is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before him nor since. But he was born, according to tradition, upon December the 25th.”

Other propers for Christmas Midnight are these:  

• The Gradual:  Tecum Principium  
• The Offertory:  Laetentur Coeli

And you might like to listen to The Christmas Proclamation, Chanted - traditionally sung as the Midnight mass begins - as well.   A blessed Christmas to all.

The New Christmas Proclamation, Chanted: In Vigilia Nativitatis Domini

Here's a video of the Christmas Proclamation sung - and beautifully! - in English: "The Solemn Proclamation of Christmas, Midnight Mass 2011. Broadcast live from St George's RC Cathedral, Southwark on 24th December 2011. Director of Music: Nick Gale, Soloist: Dominic Keating-Roberts. Text: New ICEL translation 2010."



Here's a PDF of the chant score in English, from Musica Sacra.

According to Proclamations for Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter:

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas Proclamation) comes from the Roman Martyrology, a collection of saints' days and liturgical observances, which was (and in some places, still is) read during the Office of Prime, the first prayer of the day.  The Martyrology, which means "record of martyrs," is essentially an almanac - when it is publicly read, the phases of the moon may be announced as well as the memorials and feasts of saints!  The Christmas Proclamation is part of this compendium of days.  It is all about time:  it situates the birth of Christ in the context of human history, especially the sacred history of the Hebrew people, from Abraham to Moses, from David to the prophets.  The Proclamation we hear on Christmas has been revised to reflect the Church's growing understanding of the time of Creation.  Christ came into the world when "ages beyond number had run their course from the creation of the world," and "century upon century" after the flood.  The Proclamation situates the birth of Christ within the history of the Chosen People, as well as in the calendars of the Greeks - "the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad" - and the Romans - "the year seven hundred and fifty-two since the foundation of the City of Rome, in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus."  At this precise moment in time, Jesus Christ was born of Mary in Bethlehem.  He was born because of God's loving plan "to consecrate the world by his most loving presence."  We rejoice to live in this consecrated world, imbued with the presence of God.

FYI, you can see how and where the Proclamation of Christmas is and was used at the Office of Prime at Divinum Officum.  Just make sure the date field at top says 12-24 (it doesn't matter what year); then click the Prima link at the bottom.  (That's a great site, BTW!  You can get all the Offices for every day of the  year all the way from "Pre Trident Monastic" to "1960 New Calendar"!  Amazing.)

Here's the Proclamation sung in Latin at the Vatican at Christmas Midnight Mass (the liturgical occasion at which it's now most often used) in 2010:



Here's a PDF of the chant score for this, in Latin, also from Musica Sacra.

This is the Latin text from the YouTube page, along with an English translation from the  from the USCCB website.

Octavo Kalendas ianuarii. Luna decima nona.

Innumeris transactis sæculis a creatione mundi, quando in principio Deus creavit cælum et terram et hominem formavit ad imaginem suam;

permultis etiam sæculis, ex quo post diluvium Altissimus in nubibus arcum posuerat, signum fœderis et pacis;

a migratione Abrahæ, patris nostri in fide, de Ur Chaldæorum sæculo vigesimo primo;

ab egressu populi Israël de Ægypto, Moyse duce, sæculo decimo tertio;

ab unctione David in regem, anno circiter millesimo;

hebdomada sexagesima quinta, iuxta Danielis prophetiam;

Olympiade centesima nonagesima quarta;

ab Urbe condita anno septingentesimo quinquagesimo secundo;

anno imperii Cæsaris Octaviani Augusti quadragesimo secundo;

toto Orbe in pace composito, Iesus Christus, æternus Deus æternique Patris Filius, mundum volens adventu suo piissimo consecrare, de Spiritu Sancto conceptus, novemque post conceptionem decursis mensibus, in Bethlehem Iudæ nascitur ex Maria Virgine factus homo:

Nativitas Domini nostri Iesu Christi secundum carnem.


The Twenty-fifth Day of December,

when ages beyond number had run their course
from the creation of the world,

when God in the beginning created heaven and earth,
and formed man in his own likeness;

when century upon century had passed
since the Almighty set his bow in the clouds after the Great Flood,
as a sign of covenant and peace;

in the twenty-first century since Abraham, our father in faith,
came out of Ur of the Chaldees;

in the thirteenth century since the People of Israel were led by Moses
in the Exodus from Egypt;

around the thousandth year since David was anointed King;

in the sixty-fifth week of the prophecy of Daniel;

in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;

in the year seven hundred and fifty-two
since the foundation of the City of Rome;

in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus,
the whole world being at peace,

JESUS CHRIST, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
desiring to consecrate the world by his most loving presence,
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and when nine months had passed since his conception,
was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judah,
and was made man:

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

The next paragraph at Proclamations for Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter continues from the first one cited above (my bolding):

The chant setting of the Christmas Proclamation richly reinforces this theme.  It is an adapted version of the tone used to chant the readings from the Old Testament.  As such, this chant setting is very appropriate for this Proclamation that takes us through the Old Testament, from Genesis to Daniel.  The chant begins with the normal cadences, but then something interesting happens.  When the name of Jesus Christ comes into the text, the cadences disappear and the chant remains stuck, as it were, on the reciting tone.  The effect is dramatic and builds suspense as we wait for the resolution.  But instead of coming down at the end of the thought, the chant leaps up to its highest pitch at the words "was born."  Well sung, the Proclamation is electrifying; through words and music we recognize that Christ's coming changes everything.

And that, for me, is another terrific example of how wonderfully the celebrations of the Great Church Year are woven together in their music and texts; each text and each chant is carefully chosen and/or written to best express an idea or emotion central to the faith - or to refer to other texts and chants! - with the ultimate goal of making the Year a coherent didactic and expressive whole.  It is a complete system, created to explain and express the events and ideas of the faith - and with the facts of human experience and the entire human condition always fixedly in mind.  (This is, matter of fact, a close imitation of  how the Bible itself is put together.)

Here's a guitar version, sung in Latin; not bad, really!



Full Homely Divinity also offers a new version of the Proclamation of Christmas  ("Based on a traditional text from the Roman Martyrology, for liturgical use at either the Midnight Mass of Christmas or the Liturgy of the Hours"):

The Proclamation of Christmas

Some billions of years having passed since the creation of the world, when, in the beginning God created heaven and earth, Some thousands of years from the salvation of mankind when the family of Noah survived the flood, Nineteen centuries after the promise was given to Abraham, the father of our faith, Seventy generations after Moses brought the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, A thousand years from the anointing of David as King over the chosen people, in fulfillment of the times and years and months and days discerned by the vision of the Prophets—

In the course of secular history, in the one hundred and ninety-third Olympiad, Seven and one half centuries from the founding of the City of Rome, In the forty-second year of the reign of the Emperor Octavian Augustus, while the whole world enjoyed a span of peace, In this sixth and final age of human achievement—

Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, wishing to consecrate the whole world and all time by His blessed presence, conceived as man by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, after nine months of growth in the womb of His mother, was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Juda, and for our salvation became Man .

Now in our own time this marks the Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, after the manner of all flesh.

For comparison, here is the older Christmas Proclamation chanted, in Latin, to the Solemn Tone - the "Martyrologium in Vigilia Natitivatis Domini Tonus solemnior."  It's also very beautiful; the words are below the video, with an English translation following.

 Octavo Kalendas Januarii

Anno a creatione mundi, quando in principio Deus creavit coelum et terram, quinquies millesimo centesimo nonagesimo nono:

A diluvio vero, anno bis millesimo nongentesimo quinquagesimo septimo:

A nativitate Abrahae, anno bis millesimo quintodecimo:

A Moyse et egressu populi Israel de Aegypto, anno millesimo quingentesimo decimo:

Ab unctione David in regem, anno millesimo trigesimo secundo:

Hebdomoda sexagesima quinta juxta Danielis prophetiam:

Olympiade centesima nongentesima quarta:

Ab urbe Roma condita, anno septingentesimo quinquagesimo secundo:

Anno imperii Octaviani Augusti quadragesimo secundo:

toto urbe in pace composito,

sexta mundi aetate, Jesus Christus aeternus Deus, aeternique Patris Filius, mundum volens adventu suo piisimo consecrare, de Spiritu Sancto conceptus, novemque post conceptionem decursus mensibus, in Bethlehem Judae nascitur ex Maria Virgine factus homo:

Nativitas Domini nostri Iesu Christi secundum carnem.


The Eighth of the Calends of January

The year from the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created heaven and earth, five thousand one hundred and ninety-nine:

From the deluge, the year two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven:

From the birth of Abraham, the year two thousand and fifteen:

From Moses and the going out of the people of Israel from Egypt, the year one thousand five hundred and ten:

From David's being anointed king, the year one thousand and thirty-two:

In the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel:

In the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad:

From the building of the city of Rome, the year seven hundred and fifty-two:

In the forty-second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus:

The whole world being in peace:

In the sixth age of the world: Jesus Christ, the eternal God, and Son of the eternal Father, wishing to consecrate this world by his most merciful coming, being conceived of the Holy Ghost, and nine months since his conception having passed, In Bethlehem of Juda is born of the Virgin Mary, being made Man:

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

Also see The Christmas Proclamation, Chanted.

The Advent IV Gradual: Prope Est Dominus

"The Lord is near" is the incipit of the Gradual for the Sunday before Christmas:



Here's JoguesChant's translation:

The Lord is close to all who call him, who call on him in the sincerity of their hearts.  My mouth shall speak the praises of the Lord; let all flesh bless his holy name.

The text is from Psalm (144/)145, vv 18 and 21; apparently somebody scoured the Psalms to find one that said "The Lord is near"!   Here's the full score.

Josef Rheinberger  set this text; here's an a capella choir singing that composition:



The readings for the day include the Magnificat - the song of praise that Mary utters during her visitation with her cousin Elizabeth.  The Old Testament is from Micah, and contains the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  The Epistle is this section from Hebrews 10:

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body you have prepared for me;

in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

Then I said, 'See, God, I have come to do your will, O God'

(in the scroll of the book it is written of me)."

When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The collect for the day is this wonderful one:

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Marion Hatchett's Commentary on the American Prayer Book says this about the Collect:

This collect is a revised version of William Bright's translation of a Gelasian collect (no. 1127) found inAncient Collects, p. 16. It is included in the Gregorian sacramentary under "Other Prayers for Advent" (no. 809), in the Missale Gallicanum vetus as the collect in the first of three Advent Masses (no. 40). The collect, provided for use in the season when the first advent is recalled and the second anticipated, reminds us of our Lord's entry into Jerusalem (Lk. 19:44), "you did not know the time of your visitation," and prays that our consciences may be purified by His "daily visitation." It prays that, in contrast to His first advent when there was no room for Him in the inn, "he may find in us a mansion prepared for himself." This collect is especially in accord with the Annunciation theme of the lections for the day.

Other chant propers for the day include:

• The Introit Rorate cæli desuper (see also Three Rorates) 
• The Offertory Ave Maria, gracia plena  (that link is to a post titled "The Offertory for the Feast of the Annunciation"; it's exactly the same chant as today's Offertory)
• The Communio Ecce Virgo