Cardinal Newman Catechist Consultants – 6th April, 2003 – HANDOUTS No. 24 ''Clear, brief and easily assimilated by all"

THERE IS A wonderful revival in singing the beautiful DON'T SPOIL IT! Benediction hymns in Latin. It is re-opening the riches of Before Vatican II, singing at parish Benediction suffered the Church's perennial music, indeed, its preferred music, certain faults from zeal and ignorance. For instance, there . was an untidy, inelegant and unnecessary elision of certain This augers well for the gradual re-introduction of singing syllables when singing Samuel W ebbe's well-known and the people's chants of the , namely the , Gloria, beautiful tune for the Tantum ergo. Those singing systemati- , , Pater noster and – as well as cally elided the second last syllable and added its note(s) to their responses to the priest, while keeping much else in those assigned to the third last. English, as taught by Vatican II in Sacrosanctum Concilium The last two syllables in the second, fourth and sixth lines §54. of the first stanza of Tantum Ergo are made up of two Non-Latin worshippers, of course, need the support of vowels. These vowels, 'u-i' in rit-u-i, cern-u-i, de-fec-tu-i, literal translations with the Latin. should not be merged into the English sound 'we'. Elision, of THE BENEDICTION HYM N TANTUM ERGO course, is allowable in words like cui "to whom, to which", Tantum ergo sacramentum (literally, "So great therefore a when a less-than-perfect metre reduces it to one syllable sacrament") is the last two stanzas of gloriosi 'kwee'. And some words like 'lingua' are never pronounced corporis mysterium ("Sing, tongue, of the glorious body the any other way than 'ling-gwa', in two syllables. But such mystery") by St , 1227-1274. exceptions only prove the rule. Pange lingua is one of five hymns he composed "at the And similarly with 'i-o' in the second stanza: ju-bil-at-i-o, request of Pope Urban IV on the occasion of the institution of ben-e-dict-i-o, lau-dat-i-o. These separate sounds 'i-o' should the in 1264. not be merged into the single English sound 'tso'. "The hymns of the Angelic Doctor are remarkable for their Such elisions change the metre from 87.87.87 to 86.86.86. smoothness and clearness, and for their logical conciseness This shows little respect for the poetic genius of its author, and dogmatic precision." St Thomas Aquinas, let alone for the musical skill of Samuel Thus wrote Father Matthew Britt O.S.B. in The Hymns of W ebbe. the Breviary and Missal (henceforth cited as 'Britt') in 1924, Never elide syllables contrary to the composer. on p. 173. Never elide syllables in what is already perfect poetry! "The Pange lingua is preminently the of the Most EARLIER STANZAS OF PANGE LINGUA Blessed Sacrament. It is the most beautiful of the great Eucha- ñ The sort of elisions made mistakenly in stanzas 5 & 6 ristic hymns of St Thomas. 'This hymn,' says Dr Neale, would be monstrous in stanzas 2, 3 & 4. Here, the final 'contests the second place among those of the W estern Church syllables are not simple vowels. W e cannot merge the with the Vexilla Regis, the Stabat Mater, the Iesu dulcis last two syllables of Vir-gin-e, sem-in-e, ord-in-e; memoria, the Ad regias Agni dapes, the Ad Supernam, and frat-ri-bus, le-gal-i-bus, man-i-bus; ef-fi-cit, de-fi-cit, one or two others, leaving the Dies Iroe in its unapproachable suf-fi-cit. Therefore we should not sing the last stanzas in glory."' (Britt, p. 184) a way we cannot sing the others. St Thomas began the Pange lingua using the opening words ñ Further, there is no other tune for Tantum ergo which is from the Passiontide hymn of Venantius Fortunatus (530- ever corrupted by elisions. 609), Pange Lingua gloriosi, proelium certaminis, "Sing, ñ And what is more, W ebbe's tune never suffers corruption tongue, the battle of the glorious contest (i.e. between Christ by elisions in English. (Here, in passing, admire the and Satan)." felicity of the English translators). ñ Like Fortunatus, St Thomas used easy Latin to express the ñ Local custom is no excuse for continuing bad singing rich piety found in Tradition and Scripture. in Latin. ñ Like Fortunatus, he used trochees (not iambs) with six line ñ Finally, bad habits are catching and sometimes stanzas of 8 7 8 7 8 7 syllables. transferred to . W e must never merge ñ Unlike Fortunatus, he sustained this rhythm so perfectly 'i-u' in os-ti-um and au-xil-i-um, or 'i-a' in glor-i-a and that not a single syllable needs elision to preserve the pa-tri-a. metre. This is rare in Latin hymns. ñ Let us mend any faulty singing habits! ñ Unlike Fortunatus, he never requires singing against the BREAKING BAD HABITS accentation. Again, this is a rarity in Latin hymns. ñ Read the words aloud before singing them. Hear just ñ Unlike Fortunatus, whose great hymn rhymes only how awful those elisions really sound! And how they accidentally here and there, St Thomas sustains a rhyming butcher the metre! pattern ab.ab.ab faultlessly through six stanzas. ñ Try singing the entire hymn Pange lingua at Benedic- ñ Unlike Fortunatus, his hymn never attracted any tinkering tion, not just the last two stanzas, Tantum ergo. This is by ecclesiastical editors. Nor should it. It would be an actually the first option in the Novus Ordo Benediction. insult to the superb purity of its poetry. ñ Sing it to other tunes, such as the tune named Pange ñ Finally, note how often Fortunutus and St Thomas get lingua which is suggested for processions of the every vowel sound into so many pairs of lines. Blessed Sacrament. How rarely is this poetic genius of St Thomas Aauinas ever matched by other hymnists! PRONUNCIATIONS SING my tongue the Saviour‘s glory, PANGE LINGUA gloriosi O SALUTARIS HOSTIA, (OH SAL-OO-TAR-ISS HOS-TEE-AH) Of His Flesh the mystery sing: Corporis mysterium, Quae caeli pandas ostium, (KW AY CHAYLEE … OSS-TEE-OOM) Of the Blood all price exceeding Sanguinisque pretiosi, Bella premunt hostilia, (...PRAY-MOONT HOST-ILL-EE-AH) Shed by our immortal King, Quem in mundi pretium Da robur, fer auxilium. (DA ROH-BER FAIR OW -XIL-EE-OOM) Destined for the world‘s redemption, Fructus ventris generosi From a noble womb to spring. Rex effudit gentium. Uni trinoque Domino, (...TRIN-OH-KW AY...) Sit sempiterna Gloria, (...GLOR-EE-AH) Of a pure and spotless Virgin Nobis datus, nobis natus Qui vitam sine termino, (KW EE...SEE-NAY… ) Bom for us on earth below, Ex intacta Virgine, Nobis donet in patria. (...PAH-TREE-AH) He, as man with man conversing, Et in mundo conversatus, Stayed, the seeds of truth to sow; Sparso verbi semine, TANTUM ERGO SACRAM ENTUM Then He closed in solemn order Sui moras incolatus Veneremur cernui, (VEN-ER-AY-MOOR CHURN-OO-EE) W ondrously His life of woe. Miro clausit ordine. Et antiquum documentum Novo cedat ritui: (NOVO CHAY-DART RIT-OO-EE) On the night of that Last Supper, In supreme noctae cenae Praestet fides supplementum (PRAY-STET FEE-DAYS...) Seated with His chosen band, Recumbens cum fratribus, Sensuum defectui. (...DAY-FEC-TOO-EE) He the Paschal Victim eating, Observata lege plene First fulfils the law's command; Cibis in legalibus, Genitori, Genitoque (JENNI-TOR-EE JENNI-TOE-KW AY) Then, as food to His apostles, Cibum turbae duodenae Laus et jubilatio, (LOW -S ET YOO-BILL-ART-SEE-OH (OW as in crowd) Gives Himself with His own hand. Se dat suis manibus. Salus, honor, virtus quoque (...VEER-TOOS KW OH-KW AY) Sit et benedictio; (SIT ET BEN-EH-DIX-SEE-OH) W ord made flesh, the bread of nature Verbum caro panem verum Procedenti ab utroque (PRO-CHAY-DEN-TEE ARB OO-TRO-KW AY) By His word to flesh He turns; Verbo carnem efficit; Compar sit laudatio. (...LOW -DART-SEE-OH) Amen. W ine into His blood He changes: Fitque sanguis Christi Merum; W hat though sense no change discerns? Et si sensus deficit, Usual translation for Benediction Only to be the heart in earnest, Ad firmandum cor sincerum DOW N IN ADORATION falling Faith her lesson quickly learns. Sola fides sufficit This great Sacrament we hail; Ancient types have long departed DOW N IN ADORATION falling TANTUM ergo Sacramentum Newer rites of grace prevail, Lo, the Sacred Host we hail; Veneremur cernui; Faith for all defects supplying Lo, o'er ancient forms departing Et antiquum documentum W here the feeble senses fail. Newer rites of grace prevail; Novo cedat ritui: Faith for all defects supplying Praestet fides supplementum W here the feeble senses fail. Sensuum defectui. Glory let us give and blessing To the Father and the Son, To the Everlasting Father Genitori, Genitoque Honour, might and praise addressing And the Son W ho reigns on high, Laus et jubilatio, W hile eternal ages run; W ith the Holy Ghost proceeding Salus, honor, virtus quoque Equal praise to Him confessing Forth from each eternally, Sit et benedictio; W ho proceeds from Both as One. Amen Be salvation, honour, blessing, Procedenti ab utroque Might and endless majesty. Amen Compar sit laudatio. Amen.

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