Catholic liturgical music is serious, solemn, transcendent, but Catholic musicians are never more fun and inspiring than when they are talking about what they love most. This is what happens at sacred music events around the world: the social and intellectual are critically important elements. The musicians (and music enthusiasts) at the Chant Café, a project of the
Church Music Association of America, bring that sense of life and love to the digital world. As St. Augustine said, "Cantare amantis est."
Among the contributors:
Also past contributors:
Jeffrey Tucker, writer, editor, entrepreneur, musician |
archiveNick Gale (1975-2015), organist, choral director, for 13 years Master of the Music at the Cathedral of St. George in Southwark |
archiveBen, schola director and organ student |
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e-mail:
contact@chantcafe.com
I have read that Abelard intended this as an Office Hymn for Saturdays in Heloises monastery, not as an office hymn for all saints day, perhaps this is a minor mistake made in the title. Though the hymn lends itself very well to being used "ab libitum" for all saints day. I am happy to see you make mention of it. Ms. Pluth has very good taste in hymns. 🙂
It is a great hymn for certain. There are two excellent english adaptations of it for its original latin melody, one by JM Neale, which was good, and the another that I thought better done..by someone whose name escapes me. I typeset one of them a few months ago. It is an incredible treasure chest of hymnography that anglo-catholicism gave us in english from the medieval latin classics. Yet to be fully mined from the 19th c books, but I shall keep mining it until I publish them officially in a book someday.
Here is William Harris' anthemic treatment of Neale's translation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBLvbBJ2xeI
For a really splendid choral version of this hymn you need to find Gustav Holst's setting of the translation by Helen Waddell.
Further to what I just wrote, How mighty are the Sabbaths set to Holst's music is hymn number 97 in the New Catholic Hymnal published in London by Faber in 1971, ISBN 0 571 10027 9. It was compiled and edited by Anthony Petti and Geoffrey Laycock. It requires a degree of musical skill to sing, and, while it works well with organ alone, I imagine Holst had organ and orchestra in mind for a choir festival. Any takers? Sheet music is available (google for an outlet).