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Tag Archives: Divine Office

Medieval Latin Hymn Fragment: “…the world was subject to him.”

24 Monday Dec 2018

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antiphon, antiphonal, cadence, cattle, Christmas Eve, clef, custos, Divine Office, Elizabeth Peterson, Feast of Saint Joseph, hymn, Introit, James T Svendsen, Joseph, Latin, Luke 2, manger, Mary, mass, matins, medieval, music, musical notation, Nativity of Christ, parchment, psalm, sequence, shepherds, Spain, The University of Utah, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Vulgate


(orbis terraru(m) erat subdit(us)
illi Ps(alm) Domini est t(erra)
Euouae V. Exquirebant pue-
rum Maria et Joseph
Re. Inter cognotoes
et notos exin
Pastores in-
venerunt Mari-

the world/universe was subject
to him. The earth is the Lord’s… V(erse). Mary and Joseph were
looking for the child…
Re(sponse). among relatives
and friends…
Shepherds found Mary


am et Joseph
et infa(n)tem po-
situm in presepi-
o. Ps(alm) quod Ioseph
preparaverat bovi

and Joseph
and the infant
placed in a manger
Ps(alm). which Joseph
had prepared for cattle

These hymns would have been sung at the mass and Divine Office celebrating the Nativity of Christ. The psalm “Domini est terra” was sung at the Introit of the mass on Christmas Eve, and the “Pastores invenerung” (Luke 2, 16) was sung as the Sequence. The latter was also sung on the Feast of Saint Joseph and the Antiphon sung at matins early in the morning. The sequence of meaningless letters “Euouae” after the psalm is an abbreviation for the first letters of a common ending, a type of cadence in medieval music. Thus musical notation indicated both a “do” clef at the beginning of the recto and “fa” clef for the remaining hymns with a custos at the end of each line. A textual variant is the verse from Luke (2, 44) which omits the participle “festinantes” signifying “in a hurry” which is present in all versions of the Vulgate.

~Transcription, translation, and commentary by James T. Svendsen, associate professor emeritus, World Languages and Cultures, The University of Utah

MS chant frag. 3 — Parchment leaf from an Antiphonal, 16c. Spain.

~Description by Elizabeth Peterson, associate professor, Dept. of Art & Art History, The University of Utah, from Paging Through Medieval Lives, a catalog for an exhibition held November 2, 1997 through January 4, 1998 at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

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Medieval Latin Hymn Fragment: “…bone now from my bones…”

08 Saturday Dec 2018

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Adam, alphabet, antiphonal, bone, Cain, call and response, Christ, creation, Divine Office, Ecclesiasticus, Elizabeth Peterson, Eve, Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Genesis 2, Hebrew, hymns, James T Svendsen, Jerusalem Bible, Jesus, Latin, leaf, matins, parchment, Plainchant, Portugal, prayer, Proverbs 31, Psalm 21, Spain, The University of Utah, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Wisdom, Word of God


V. Os nu(n)c de ossibus
meis et caro de carn(e)
mea. R. Fortitudo
et decor indume(n)tum
eius: byssus et purpura…

V. (You are) bone now from my bones
and flesh from my flesh.
Strength
and beauty (are her clothing:
silken linen and purple…


vestis illius D(o)m(in)e
In sole posuit tab-
ernaculu(m) R.V. Liberasti me Do(min)e
ex ore leomis all’a= Alleluia
R. E. a cornibus
unicorniu(m) humi-
littem mea(m) all’a=Alleluia
Ego ex ore (Altisimi prodivi)

are her vestment O Lord
In the sun (on high) he has placed
his tabernacle [or, tent] V. You have freed me, Lord
from the mouth of the lion Alleluia
R. And my humility from the horns
of the unicorns Alleluia
(I came forth) from the mouth (of the Most High)

These hymns were sung at matins on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary…celebrated on December 8. Many people believe that the feast celebrates Jesus’ conception, but in fact it celebrates Mary’s Immaculate Conception; the fact that Mary was, from the very first moment of her existence (her conception), without sin, and chosen to be the Mother of Jesus. The verses are in antiphonal Plainchant, a pattern of verse and response much like hymns sung today with “call and response.” At matins, a…part of the Divine Office sung early in the morning, a priest or cantor would sing the verse and the choir would respond. The first verse “Os nunc de ossibus” comes from Genesis (2, 23) where Adam exclaims upon the creation of Eve: “This at last is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh” (Jerusalem Bible). Mary is in some ways a counter-Eve, immaculately conceived and the mother of Christ rather than the mother of Cain and cause of expulsion from the garden. The response “Fortitudo et decor” comes from the last chapter of Proverbs (31, 25) which is the “Alphabetic Poem on the Perfect Wife,” a chapter in which each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This verse begins with the Hebrew letter “ain.” The verse “Ex ore prodivi” comes from chapter 24 of Ecclesiasticus and the Discourse or Eulogy of Wisdom, the pivotal chapter in the book. Here personified Wisdom speaks of her own creation, and she is identified with the Word of God hovering over the abyss in Genesis. The verse “Liberasti me” is a variation of prayer for aid and salvation from “the virtuous man” of Psalm 21 (22) where he prays in the imperative “Salva me ex ore leonis.”

~Transcription, translation, and commentary by James T. Svendsen, associate professor emeritus, World Languages and Cultures, The University of Utah

MS chant frag. 4 — Parchment leaf from an Antiphonal, 16th c Spain/Portugal

~Description by Elizabeth Peterson, associate professor, Dept. of Art & Art History, The University of Utah, from Paging Through Medieval Lives, a catalog for an exhibition held November 2, 1997 through January 4, 1998 at the Utah Museum of Arts.

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Medieval Latin Hymn Fragment : “…of those praying and resolve the bonds of sin”

29 Friday Jun 2018

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American Philological Association, custos, Divine Office, Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Greek, hymns, James T Svendsen, lauds, Madeleine Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts and Humanities, matins, moral conduct, Paul, Peter, Roman, sin, The University of Utah, Trinity, University of Minnesota, Utah, vocatives

Over the next several months, Rare Books will present transcriptions, translations, and commentaries of our manuscript fragments of medieval Latin chants. We are grateful to James T. Svendsen, Associate Professor Emeritus, The University of Utah, for this labor of love. Professor Svendsen spent several weeks in the Special Collections reading room, transcribing and translating and adding commentary to each piece.

Prof. Svendsen joined the faculty of the Department of Languages and Literature (now World Languages and Culture) at The University of Utah in 1969 and became Adjunct Associate Professor of Theater in 1976. He received his Ph.D in Classics from the University of Minnesota, where he specialized in Greek and Roman theater and was actively involved in several stage, film, and radio productions. He is known for his work with the Classic Greek Theatre Festival. He was named University Professor, 1990-91, along with Orest G. Symko (Physics). As University Professor, Svendsen taught courses on ancient Greek and Roman culture.

Prof. Svendsen has received several University of Utah awards for teaching and received a national award for Teaching Excellence in Classics from the American Philological Association. In 2009, Prof. Svendsen was presented with the Madeleine Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts and Humanities. At the awards dinner, Prof. Svendsen said, “I have been fortunate to find my niche here in Utah and have the opportunity to teach Greek and Latin language, literature and culture, and to share the world of ancient Greece with a wide array of audiences in Utah communities.”

We are fortunate that Dr. Svendsen continues to share his knowledge with our community through his generous translations.

Thank you, Jim!


(Accipe vota)
precantu(m) et peccati vincula resol-
ve tibi potestate tradita qua cu(n)ctis
coelu(m) verbo claudis (et) aperis.

(Accept the vows)
of those praying and resolve the bonds of sin
by the power handed over to you by which for all
you close (and) open heaven.” (i.e. you have the claves/keys to the kingdom!)


aperis. Egregi
e Doctor Paule
mores instrue &
me(n)te polu(m) nos tra(n)s-
ferre satage donec

O renowned teacher, Paul, instruct our ways/conduct and accomplish that we reach heaven in/with mind until…


perfectu(m) largiatur
plenius evacuato
q(u)od ex parte geri-
mus. Sit trinita-
ti se(m) piterna gloria

that perfect love abounds more fully which now below we share in part. Let there be to the Trinity eternal glory


honor potestas atq(u)e
iuybilatio in unita-
te cul manet impe-
rium ex tu(n)c & modo
per et(er)na secula ame(n).

honor, power and jubilation in one unity to whom there remains power then and now and for eternal ages. Amen

This hymn was sung on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29th). The section begins with the third verse of the hymn “Aurea luce” which begins “lam bone pastor Petre clemens accipe vota…” (Now good pastor, Peter accept these vows…) sung originally at matins and now at lauds as part of the Divine Office. Thus these hymns are not psalms nor part of the mass but sung early in the morning at matins or lauds. They are prayers to Peter and Paul (in vocatives) with imperatives requesting help against sin and instruction in moral conduct.

The mark at the left of each line designates the “Fa” clef. The small diamond at the end of each line is the “custos,” the “guard” indicating the first note of the next line or page. The diacritical mark indicates that a letter is missing from the text, usually an “m” or an “n.” In the restored pronunciation these were not full consonants but only nasalizations.

~contributed by Jim Svendsen, associate professor emeritus, World Languages and Cultures, The University of Utah

 

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