Question about Compline hymn
  • RobertRobert
    Posts: 343
    Does anyone know where the text of "Te lucis ante terminum" in the current Liturgy of the Hours comes from? Is it a reversion to a more ancient wording than the version in the old breviary, or is it newly composed?
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,204
    Apparently, many of the Ambrosian hymn texts were revised by Urban VIII in 1632. When the LOTH was revised again for the current edition, many of these old texts were restored. An example: "Ad cenam agni providi", the ancient Vesper hymn for Easter, was replaced by Urban with the hymn, "Ad regias Agni dapes."

    There's a good online resource for some of this information at www.preces-latinae.org.
  • RobertRobert
    Posts: 343
    Thanks David. I did check the website you mention, and it usually specifies when a text is an Urban VIII job...but for this hymn it just lists a pre- and post-conciliar version. My very limited research so far indicates that the pre-conciliar version is rather ancient and not one of Urban VIII's revisions. So I am curious as to the authorship of the current version. I like both very much, and I wonder why we couldn't just put them together and sing all of the verses...
  • Ora_et_Labora
    Posts: 40
    Has anyone ever managed to find online Urban VIII's version?
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    My guess is that the reason for the change was a concern about the original content of verse 2, which mentioned bodily purity during sleep.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    The original seems to be Ambrosian, but not written by Ambrose, probably 7th c.

    The main books on the Hymns (Britt, Connelly) do not mention revised or unrevised versions. But looking at the Antiphonale Monasticum (A.M.), and the Hymni antiqui section of the Roman Antiphonal have a version with minor changes.

    I have also just looked at Cantus, http://cantusdatabase.org/id/008399
    The Augsberg Antiphonal 1580 (N.B. the other manuscripts linked from Cantus are not as easy to read!) also has the text as found in the A.M. and Hymni antiqui

    So possible original text,
    TE lucis ante terminum,
    Rerum Creator, poscimus
    Ut solita clementia
    Sis praesul ad custodiam.

    Procul recedant somnia
    Et noctium phantasmata;
    Hostemque nostrum comprime,
    Ne polluantur corpora.

    Praesta, Pater omnipotens,
    Per Jesum Chritum Dominum,
    Qui tecum in perpetuum
    Regnat cum Sancto Spiritu.
    Amen.

    Revised version (Urban VIII ?), as found in L.U. etc.
    TE lucis ante terminum,
    Rerum Creator, poscimus
    Ut pro tua clementia
    Sis praesul et custodia.

    Procul recedant somnia
    Et noctium phantasmata;
    Hostemque nostrum comprime,
    Ne polluantur corpora.

    Praesta, Pater piissime,
    Patrique compar Unice,
    Cum Spiritu Paraclito
    Regnans per omne saeculum.
    Amen.

    As for the version used in the modern LOTH, well I suspect that it was made up by Dom Anselmo Lentini. More information about the work of Dom Lentini can be found here, http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/comment/138398#Comment_138397

    N.B. While the intention with the modern LOTH was to go back to the earlier texts, the red pen of Dom Lentini, and his new compositions spoiled the noble intention.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • RobertRobert
    Posts: 343
    Interesting to see this thread spring back to life all of a sudden. Since 2008 I've learned the answer to my question above...the new verses in the LOTH are spliced in from another ancient Compline hymn, Christe precamur annue.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,959
    As Fr. Hunwicke has said, in ten to twenty years, if we have not already, we will recognize the LOTH hymns reflect the sensibilities of the 1960s just as the Urban hymns reflect the 17th century's priorities. I grant that in writing, editing, and translating, it is hard to create something that is beautiful and timeless, without being sucked into your own age's priorities. But I think for liturgical texts and hymns this dating of a text has to be overcome. If it weren't, we wouldn't sing "O Filii et Filiae," "My Song is Love Unknown," the Sequences, and so on from the repertoire of both vernacular and Latin hymns.

    Interestingly, the canons of the Lateran and St. Peter's Basilicas did not accept the Urban reforms, so one supposes that under Summorum Pontificum, they have the right to use the pre-conciliar Office with the ancient hymns. If only that provision was extended to the entire church. I do like Compline's hymn; the doxology comes from a hymn from one of the little hours, but otherwise it's untouched...but the Vespers hymns in particular were mangled.
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