Relics of St Thérèse
  • ViolaViola
    Posts: 411
    St Thérèse of Lisieux, or rather her relics, will be doing a tour of the UK in September and our church is one of those privileged to be hosting them.
    There will be a Mass said by the bishop, and I need to choose some appropriate music. Please can anyone help? I don't know at this point whether there is a special Mass for such occasions, or whether it will be the readings of the day. We are OF.
    Two hymns have been specially written, but having seen them I propose to disregard them.
    Final request; as the choir is on holiday until the end of August, it will need to be pretty straightforward, though I will twist their arms a bit for this special occasion and suggest some extra practices.
    Thanks!
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    IF you have a choir, you may use this.
    Circumduxit eam.pdf
    60K
    Thanked by 2Viola M. Jackson Osborn
  • EtienneDebaecker
    Posts: 34
    For the reception of relics in Grenoble, we had sung the "Domine Deus" of Cesar Franck (Organ+ SATB choir + bass & tenor solos). I have the score available.
    I think that a very appropriate piece would be the "Pulchra es", or under its official title, "Northern light", of Ola Gjeilo. It is a wonderful SATB a capella, but requires good voices and high level choir. We sung this as a "Petit Choeur", 2 per voice. The wording is from Salomon s "Canticle of Canticles", and the expression of love is close to the spirit and poems written by Ste Therese.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Viola
  • ViolaViola
    Posts: 411
    The 'Pulchra es' is a very beautiful piece; a bit beyond us for September with our limited rehearsal schedule, but one definitely to think about for another occasion.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Viola,

    I would love to hear a recording of it, if you are able to do it.

  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,416
    Beautiful work, Chris!
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,471
    Viola: I see from the website that the Litany of St Therese will be sung at that Mass. I hope someone has told you, it doesn't look like an easy sing https://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/Litanies/therese1.htm ! I also see that it is approved for private use only.
    Thanked by 1Viola
  • EtienneDebaecker
    Posts: 34
    Even being approved for private use only, it can be considered usable as the text of a motet to be sung, the same way as any composer can use a poetic or mystical text and put it in music. Many examples through the past centuries, beginning with most Christmas Carols ! What is to be avoided is to use it as a prayer for the whole congregation.
  • JL
    Posts: 171
    The Bibliothèque Nationale in France, on their Gallica website (gallica.bnf.fr), has a scan of musical settings of some of the saint's poetry. (Search under "partitions" which is rather unhelpfully translated as "sheets".) Much of it is more devotional than liturgical, and of course it is all in French, but could be worth a look.
    Thanked by 1Viola
  • JL
    Posts: 171
    Here is the link:
    https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k382560p.r=Therese?rk=1008588;4
    Thanked by 3M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen Viola
  • OrganistRob320OrganistRob320
    Posts: 164
    Attached is a collection of texts I've used for her feast day over the years.
    Hymns to St Therese.pdf
    1M
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Viola DanielT
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    In the EF the Carmelites have a Mass and Office, with Proper Hymns, pg. (160)

    https://media.musicasacra.com/pdf/carmelite/Proprium_Carmelitarum.pdf
    Thanked by 2mmeladirectress Viola
  • GerardH
    Posts: 462
    An old hymnal I have has an anonymous text, paired with an extended version of NEWINGTON by W. D. Maclagan (attached). It's... middling at best. Punctuation sic.

    Saint Teresa, flow'r of grace,
    Hidden save from God thy worth,
    Turn not from our earnest prayer,
    Show'r thy roses on the earth,
    Little Flow'r of God.

    God alone the Leader was,
    On His shoulders thou wert borne,
    Like an eagle's were His wings,
    Spread to guard thee night and morn,
    Little Flow'r of God.

    From above, now thou canst see
    All earth's grief and bitter pain,
    Save the world and our dear land,
    Pray that Christ our King may reign,
    Little Flow'r of God.
    NEWINGTON.pdf
    23K
    Thanked by 2Viola DanielT
  • ViolaViola
    Posts: 411
    Thanks, everyone, for these helpful suggestions.
    Sorry for delay in acknowledging them; we've been away looking after a dog in its owners' absence.
    No one has said anything about the litany, and I couldn't open the link. I'll plead ignorance. I would love to do Chris's motet, it's beautiful, but I doubt that the uni students will be back in time....
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