Whitaker & Westminster Cathedral!!

[presbyter]

Have Westminster Cathedral lost the plot? Look at this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=9jNVK9TqLRY

It's the Communion Procession piece at last year's Midnight Mass.

Fascinating aurally/musically as Whitaker's fine piece might be - the text is a short secular poem translated into Latin (and poorly so in some people's opinions) and - in my opinion - has nothing at all to do with Christmas and certainly nothing at all to do with the Eucharist. The piece, I think, would be better at home in a sci-fi film.

Surely "this sounds nice - and it's in Latin" is not the criterion for music choices at WC, is it? Dear me - perhaps I could translate my shopping list into Latin, set it to music and submit that for Midnight Mass this year.

[mcb]

nothing at all to do with Christmas

Really? The words are

Light,
warm and heavy as pure gold
and angels sing softly
to the new-born babe.

Looks Christmassy to me.

(And we've just started learning it for our Christmas concert, so I'm biased!)

(p.s. non Whitaker sed Whitacre.)

[docmattc]

Google translates it as:
The light, O Light
The light, O Light
The light of light
With hot
With hot
Gravis and
Gravis and
Gravis and
Those that are pure
Those that are pure like gold
sing, and sing, and sing
and the angels sing
sing the attempter
who was born, now one born

Another site suggests many options for 'gravis: heavy/loaded/pregnant/deep/dignified

The text certainly has Christmas 'Keywords', perhaps an 1973 ICEL translation would read:
O light, warm and deep. Those that are pure as gold sing with the angels and pleaders(??) of one who was and is now born.

I think we might allow them some relevance to Christmas. It's certainly one of those "another suitable liturgical song" options that our GIRM doesn't have but which we all avail ourselves. 'Suitable' and 'liturgical' here being perhaps the definitions that Presbyter is querying.


-edit: just seen mcb's translation. He's clearly more latinate than I!

[mcb]

Well Google don't know &^%&* then! Actually the English is the original - Whitacre had it translated into Latin for the purpose of setting it to music (which maybe says something interesting about the perceived sacral character of Latin - is the target audience sacred or secular, I wonder?).

I really can't understand the view that it's liturgically inappropriate, and it's a beautiful piece of music.

[presbyter]

I will bow to your linguistic skills mcb but I offer an alternative translation

Light
Warm
Dignified
Pure as if gold
They sing
The angels sing softly -
spontaneously (modo natum?)

We need the Edward Esch original - which I can't find at the moment.

Humble apologies to WC - I didn't get as far as the angels bit in my lyrics look-up (never trust the internet!)

[presbyter]

G 'Suitable' and 'liturgical' here being perhaps the definitions that Presbyter is querying.

I sure am

[mcb]

We need the Edward Esch original - which I can't find at the moment.

The thing I posted is the Edward Esch original!

Humble apologies to WC

Does that mean you're happy with it as a liturgical item after all?

[presbyter]

We need the Edward Esch original - which I can't find at the moment.

I've found it on the choral score

Light,
warm and heavy as pure gold
and the angels sing softly
to the new-born babe.

Thanks to mcb for already posting it!

"to the new-born babe".......... "modo natum"........ hmmmmm. Would never have got past Vox Clara.

I'll get me coat..........

[mcb]

"to the new-born babe".......... "modo natum"........ hmmmmm.

Agreed, it doesn't look right. I think the translator intends it to mean just born.

[presbyter]

Does that mean you're happy with it as a liturgical item after all?

Not as a Communion Song, I'm not. I want something theological to meditate on - as in the set Communion Antiphon. And if we must have angels - I want authentic Lucan angels - not these sentimental caricatures. As a liturgical text, I think it's tosh.

[mcb]

Quite similar in imagery to Silent Night, minus the explicit references to Christ. Is that off limits too, do you think?

[presbyter]

Quite similar in imagery to Silent Night, minus the explicit references to Christ. Is that off limits too, do you think?

Silent Night is saved from utter condemnation by its Lucan angels and quaking shepherds..........

[Lakelark]

"modo natum" = "new-born". Perfectly sound Latin. Used in this sense by none less than P. Vergilius Maro. And I wonder how many people realise that the second o of modo is short?