Does anyone have any suggestions for a solid Catholic hymn that is sung in honor of St. Nicholas Feast day, Dec 6th? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is for a Lessons and Carols prayer service. Thank you for your help!
Intonent hodie, is a Hymn to St Nicholas, it was later modified to form the Personent Hodie.
There are Office hymns that are no longer used, including a whole Office written imitating the Office of Corpus Christi, we sing the Hymns from this, Cleri Patrem et Patronum, and Pange Lingua Nicolai.
Unlike the fickle tridentine office post-1570, wherein His Holiness Lord Pope Urban revised and discarded various hymns (foreshadowing the 1970's Vat II spirit), the above mentioned hymns have never been abrogated in the divine office of the dominican use roman rite. In fact these two hymns do survive into present day usage. To that end I have them typeset in english , the vespers hymn to the pange lingua melody which is the original and the lauds hymn to the piae cantiones melody known from "Of the Fathers Love Begotten" .
Indeed, I was mistaken... I had attached these hymn to the dominican office propers for a long time, but in fact they are not from any edition of dominican antiphonale that I know of. They were found in many french breviaries, including that of Paris, and also in the York, England breviary, the Hymns appear to date to the 13th c. I found them in "The Liturgical Year" series of books and paid to have them translated into metrical english verse
Here are the words for the Intonent Hodie, We sing from photocopies of one of our parish hymn books with the words below pasted in. I can't post a copy as I am sure Holst's arrangement is still in copyright, and the typesetting used in the hymnbook would also.
1. Intonent hodie Voces ecclesiae, Dies laetitiae Refulsit in mundo, Ergo laetabundo Corde ju- ju- ju- Corde ju- ju- ju- Corde ju-bilemus Et ore jucundo.
2. Sanctus hic inclitus, Domino subditus, In cunis positus Ubera vitabat, Corpus macerabat, Et ter in in in Et ter in in in Et ter in sabbato Puer jejunabat.
3. Parenti misero Submerso puero Mari pestifero Dedit, quod petivit, Preces exaudivit, Submersum -sum -sum Submersum -sum -sum Submersum puerum Patris custodivit.
4. Tribus virginibus Victu carentibus Reddidit honorera, Subtraxit errorem, Reddens vir- vir- vir Reddens vir- vir vir- Reddens virginibus Virgineum florem.
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