New Eucharistic Hymns- Transubstantiation
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 310
    I was asked by the General Government of my Religious Order to write an English or Latin Hymn using the word TRANSUBSTANTIATION several times ... that is a long word to include: does anyone have any ideas on how I could do that or know of any existing poetry or prayers from Saints including the word... that would be helpful. Thanks!

  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Monasteryliturgist,

    Off the top of my head, I can't think of any hymn which uses this word, but if you think of it from an engineering standpoint... work backwards and figure out (for example, how long a line of poetry would have to be to INCLUDE the word, and what kind of meter -- iambic, trochaic, anapestic, alexandrine.....--- you need, and design the rest of your text around it.

    To be really silly for a moment, imagine a cheerleading squad or a collection of square-headed traditionalists, saying something like:

    "What do we want? Transubstantiation.
    When do we want it? Now"

    or

    "Give me a T...

    What does it spell.....
    Transubstantiation."

    Then, being less silly, fit the word into a tune such as Deus Tuorum Militum, to see what kinds of tunes already exist which could fit this word easily. Compose your text around it, and then refresh.
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • Chrism
    Posts: 872
    Mother Stuart's "Sweet the Nails and Sweet the Wood" (Pius X Hymnal #211) has the line:
    Table of the holy Nation / where was spread the mystic Food,
    For its transubstantiation, / sweet the Nails and sweet the Wood


    There it was fit into an "8" syllable line of a 8.7.8.7 meter. Since transubstantiation is a 6-syllable word, you would want to look at a meter long enough to accommodate it comfortably.
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,092
    Specifically, it would more likely fit trochaic meters - 8.7.8.7 meters tend to be trochaic, for example.
    Thanked by 2monasteryliturgist Chrism
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,509
    I would start with the hymn tune for Father, We Thank Thee (GENEVAN).
    Thanked by 2Chrism monasteryliturgist
  • contemporaryworship92
    Posts: 259
    not appropriate for liturgical use, but Matt Maher wrote this song because he heard a priest say "transubstantiation, now that's a word you'll never hear in a song" and took it as a challenge:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ZeH7reAxo
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