Hymn for the Feast of the Presentation-Candlemas
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,509
    Yes, please do. Has Mark's mother passed?
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    Yes.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,509
    Bumping for the Feast.
  • Our choir is doing this set to EISENACH. (I'm saving your tune, Mr. Giffen, for CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM.)
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    Not a problem. Simson. It's just that I envisioned my tune being used both for "Conditor alme siderum" and for "Adorna, Sion, thalamum" as being some sort of "musical bookends of light" embracing the extended season that runs from Advent to Candlemas.
  • I would like to mention that my choir sang Charles Giffen's setting of this hymn (in Latin) back in 2014 when the Presentation fell on a Sunday, and it is a fine piece of music indeed. (And one cannot say that very often about a great deal of contemporary Catholic music, even when written in a liturgically appropriate style!) It went over extremely well, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs an SATB motet for the Presentation.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen CCooze francis
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    I had a request (thanks, Stimson!) for a transposition of my setting of this hymn downward, for men's voices. Here it is, transposed down a perfect fifth. Feel free to use it with your TTBB or ATBB choir.
    Giffen-Adorna_Sion_thalamum-low-kbd.pdf
    167K
    Thanked by 1StimsonInRehab
  • JesJes
    Posts: 576
    Are you doing the Presentation of Our Lady too? Just a shout out, how many are doing a sung TLM for the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady? We're doing so around here but struggling to find all the collects and epistles etc. I ended up typing up a chant on illuminare for a collect.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • I am, although I must admit I'm cheating a little - we're starting with 1st Vespers on the evening of February 1st, followed by the procession and mass afterwards. Not sure if that's cheating, but we're going for it!
  • "... we're starting with 1st Vespers on the evening of February 1st..."

    I believe Jes is referring the Presentation of our Lady, November 21st, as opposed to Purification / Candlemas / the Presentation of our Lord on February 2nd.
  • Oops. Ahead of myself.

    But we are having a mass for the Presentation of Our Lady on the 21st, as well.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    Bumping, for the Feast of the Presentation.
  • Thanks to Kathy for her translation of this magnificent hymn.

    Here's my attempt at a translation - in the style in the Personal Ordinariates we need to have our hymns in a slightly more "antique" English:

    Adorn the Bridal Chamber, thou,
    Who for thy Lord, awaiteth now;
    Receive, O Sion, Groom and Bride,
    And watchful, in faith's light, abide!

    Make haste, O blessed Simeon, see,
    The promised joy fulfilled to thee:
    God's light to gentiles now is shown;
    His very self to all made known.

    His parents Christ to temple bring:
    Temple, in temple, offering;
    He wills the law to undergo
    Who to the law doth nothing owe.

    O Virgin Bless'd, present thy Son
    Thine and the Father's only One,
    Present Him through whom we present
    The price for our redemption spent.

    Come forth, O Virgin royal, bring
    Thy Son with humble offering;
    He maketh all heav'n's joys to see,
    Who comes that all might savèd be.

    Jesu, to thee glory be giv'n
    Who show'th to all the light of heav'n,
    To Father and to Spirit bless'd,
    Eternal praises be address'd. Amen.
    Thanked by 1ServiamScores
  • ronkrisman
    Posts: 1,394
    in the style in the Personal Ordinariates we need to have our hymns in a slightly more "antique" English:

    Prithee, where is this translation principle to be found in the liturgical norms of any personal ordinariate?

    And "thou... awaiteth" and "Jesu,... who show'th"?
  • Nigel,

    Whither hast thou searched, that thou should'st discover such a gem, isolated only within the prison walls of that which, by its nature is but ordinary and personal, when, for so it is manifest even to the blind man and the deaf mute, the leper and the slave, that beauty is but the personal realm of none but God Himself, the tool He doth deploy to instruct us in love, and thus meet to employ in the worship of Him wheresoe'er thou art, heedless of whom thou art?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    surely: "thou... awaitest" and "Jesu, to thee... who show'st"

    --- or would "that show'st" be more in the conventions of the antique style? Apparently the relative pronoun "who" was used sometimes in the 1600s but not always.

    If you're using the old style, then be consistent; (v. 5) "Who comes" would need a revision.

    This may provide some useful guidance:
    https://public.oed.com/blog/grammar-in-early-modern-english/

  • I saw 'Candlemas' and lept at it - my (Anglocatholic Episcopal) Parish makes a big deal of this at evensong with an achingly beautiful procession to the station of Our Lady for prayers. Note: my church is in Boston and this service is held on the lesser feast of the superbowl - the church is full anyway. Here are two to consider, if you're looking for ideas and free descants:

    hymndescants.org/old-120th (with pictures and live recording)
    hymndescants.org/bedford
  • we sang it today with DANBY. very good.
    danby voice adorna.pdf
    116K
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Kathy
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    I have been wondering about the Latin text to this Hymn, the text above is from the Liber Hymnarius, and so could well have been modified by Dom Lentini.

    I have spent a while searching to see if I could find a manuscript... This website
    http://www.abaelard.de/050603hymnarius.htm
    suggests this is Peter Abaelard original text, He wrote a set of hymns for this Feast (In Hypapante Domini.) some of the other verses above are found in those.

    1. Adorna, Sion, thalamum,
    Quae praestolaris Dominum,
    Sponsum et sponsam suscipe
    Cum cereorum lumine.

    2. Prudentes illi virgines
    Vestras aptate lampades,
    Et occurrentes dominae
    Surgant adulescentulae.

    3. Faces accendant famuli
    Veroque mundi lumini
    Domus omnis cum omnibus
    Occurrat luminaribus.

    4. Beate senex, propera,
    Promissa comple gaudia
    Et revelandum gentibus
    Revela lumen omnibus.

    5. Devota Deo vidua
    Eiusque templo dedita,
    Pari propheta gaudio
    Et confitere Domino.

    6. Deo patri cum filio,
    Cum spiritu paraclito,
    Ut est una substantia,
    Sic et una sit gloria.