Hymns in Spanish Breviary
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,464
    Ok brains:
    In our community, we pray the Spanish LOH every week, using the
    "Liturgies de las horas para fields" --

    http://www.catholiccompany.com/liturgia-de-las-horas-para-fieles-p1011966/

    In this breviary, there Spanish Hymns. There is no music
    For these hymns, I have looked everywhere. Does anyone know where music
    Might be found?
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 857
    I've looked hard but have not yet found the music. If the text is metrical, I've substituted familiar tunes. Let's hope someone on this forum can help us.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    Are they same-metered translations of the Gregorian originals?
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 857
    No, and they're not the texts of the Liturgia Horarum.
  • ronkrisman
    Posts: 1,388
    A valuable resource for understanding the hymns in Spain's version of the Liturgy of the Hours is Himnos de la Liturgia de las Horas, prepared and approved by the liturgical commission of Spain's conference of bishops (Comisión Episcopal Española de la Liturgia) in 1984 and published by Coeditores Litúrgicos (a consortium of Catholic publishing companies in Spain). It contains 268 hymn texts, by my count.

    There is a forty-page monograph at the end of the book covering a number of topics, including: the history and evolution of the hymn in the liturgy of the hours; standards for hymns; meter and rhyme; this typical edition of the hymns for Spain; relationship to the Latin hymns; the hymns in the (earlier) provisional edition of this book; criteria followed in this typical edition, covering these topics: translations of Latin hymns, free recreations of Latin hymns, poems from Spain's anthology from all periods of history, texts from songs cherished by the Spanish people, hymns expressly composed for this typical edition, the authors of the hymns, favorable reception and critical review, musical settings.

    As several persons have already mentioned, many of the hymns do not follow a strict meter, and Spanish translations of Latin hymns, when they do have strict meters, may have ones that are completely different from those of the original texts. And there are only a few Latin hymns that have been translated. I read through the contents somewhat quickly and found about 30 in all.

    Several of the more recently composed texts will have music available, but one needs to know where to look. For instance, there are four Lucien Deiss hymns, all translated into Spanish by María de la Figuera: Keep in Mind, Marana Tha, Christ Our Pasch Has Been Slain, Heavens Drop Dew (O Antiphons). All are available in Spanish from WLP.

    I feel confident that many, and perhaps most, of the texts in this resource have music. I only possess a limited number of musical editions (hymnals, booklets, etc.) published in Spain during the past 30 years or so, and for that reason I am able to match up texts with their music in only a limited number of cases.

    Those looking for lots of Spanish translations of hymns from the pre-conciliar Roman Breviary will not find them in this collection approved by the episcopal conference of Spain.

    Thanked by 3Kathy CHGiffen Paul F. Ford
  • ronkrisman
    Posts: 1,388
    From time to time I pray and reflect on this hymn from Spain's Himnos de la Liturgia de las Horas, page 120. Some day I just may compose a musical setting.

    An English translation is bound to be somewhere out there in cyberspace. For the time being, let everyone enjoy the Spanish: those who speak or read the language will understand more, but those who are able only to pronounce the words can still appreciate the beauty of the words.
    Hymn at Evening Prayer, Tuesday, Week II
    Meter: 4 4 10 D

    Padre: has de oír
    este decir
    que se me abre en los labios como flor.
    Te llamaré
    Padre, porque
    la palabra me sabe a más amor.

    Tuyo me sé,
    pues me miré
    en mi carne prendido tu fulgor.
    Me has de ayudar
    a caminar
    sin deshojar mi rosa de esplendor.

    Por cuanto soy
    gracias te doy:
    por el puro milagro de vivir.
    Y por el ver
    la tarde arder,
    por el encantamiento de existir.

    Y para ir,
    Padre, hacia ti,
    dame tu mano suave y tu amistad.
    Pues te diré:
    sola no sé
    ir rectamente hacia tu claridad.

    Tras el vivir,
    dame el dormir
    con los que aquí anudaste a mi querer.
    Dame, Señor,
    hondo soñar.
    ¡Hogar dentro de ti nos has de hacer!

    Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957)

    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,464
    Thank you very much, Fr. Krisman! And indeed for all of your contributions
    To this forum, and to the life of the church. (And for putting up with some of us!)
    Do you know where this publication might be ordered from?
  • ronkrisman
    Posts: 1,388
    The ISBN is: 84-7129-335-8

    Most larger US cities may have a Spanish-language Catholic book store or church goods store. A Daughters of St. Paul bookstore, even if they only inventory English-language items, could probably order it for you.

    Ten years ago I paid 9 euros for my copy in a Libería San Pablo (St. Paul bookstore) in old town Madrid.

    My guess is that all the hymns found in your copy of Liturgia de las Horas para los Fieles are included with the same wording in Himnos de la Liturgia de las Horas.
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