A Pentecost hymn that wasn't always a hymn
  • DCM
    Posts: 70
    Some fun facts about Lux iucunda, lux insignis, the Office of Readings hymn for Pentecost:

    It's not actually a hymn! It was originally a liturgical sequence, ascribed to Adam of St. Victor. Originally 20 stanzas long, only stanzas 1, 2, 15, 18-20 were carried over. Adam's Salve dies, dierum gloria is another sequence that migrated into the office with the reform.

    In medieval Paris, a different sequence was sung at each Mass of the octave of Pentecost, rather than singing Veni Sancte Spiritus every day, with Lux iucunda on Tuesday (the former wasn't sung until Saturday).

    Today it's sung to the familiar melody of Lauda Sion Salvatórem, which actually took its melody from yet another of Adam's works, Laetabundi iubilemus.

    Here is a book of verse translations of Adam's work, here is the website where I learned most of the above (It's French and I had to run it through Google), and here is a setting of Lux iucunda to a different melody, which I may try to sing.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Chris Garton-Zavesky tomjaw
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 390
    Among the hymns of Liturgia horarum there are at least four sequences, clearly recognizable by their musical form.
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    And I ask Bugnini: What was wrong with the actual Matins Office Hymn for Pentecost that required its replacement with a Mass Sequence? All of these changes to "bring back something that was lost" merely require the loss of something else, and usually something more ancient and better suited for its purpose: funny that Office Hymns are better at being Office Hymns than Sequences are. If they really wanted this sequence used liturgically, they could have retained the Octave of Pentecost and used this Sequence on one of the days of the Octave, perhaps Tuesday, as at Paris.
    Thanked by 5OMagnumMysterium ServiamScores CHGiffen Chris Garton-Zavesky tomjaw
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    If they really wanted this sequence used liturgically,


    IF can put Paris in a bottle! Protestation to the contrary notwithstanding, you've given them credit for what they didn't intend to do.
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