Lapsi Caelo Super Gentes
Here is today's Latin Christmas carol; you can read one carol per day for the month of December, or see the complete collection all at once.
The famous English carol "Angels We Have Heard On High" is actually an English translation of an 18th-century French carol, "Les anges dans nos campagnes." In the English carol (and also in the French carol), the refrain is usually sung in Latin: Gloria in excelsis Deo. You can find the English lyrics along with a MIDI music file and sheet music at the Hymns and Carols of Christmas website. This site also provides the words to the French carol. There is music with four-part harmony at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library site.
I found a Latin version of this carol by Harry Maynard online. It is not exactly a translation of the traditional English carol, but it is clearly meant to be sunt to the same melody. Even though there is just one verse provided, I thought it was worth including here, as this is one of the most beautiful and best-known English Christmas carol melodies. Note that Maynard provides a refrain that is different from the Latin refrain usually sung with the English carol.
Lapsi caelo super gentes,
properate, angeli,
nuntiate nunc gaudentes
natum nostri Domini.
Adorate, adorate, adorate Dominum.
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Here are the carols I have completed so far:
December 1: Rudolphus
December 2: Angelus ad Virginem
December 3: Aquifolia Ornate
December 4: A Solis Ortus Cardine
December 5: O Viri, Este Hilares
December 6: Conditor Alme Siderum
December 7: Angeli Canunt Praecones
December 8: Regis Olim Urbe David
December 9: Gaudium Mundo
December 10: Resonet in Laudibus
December 11: Adeste Fideles
December 12: Christe, Redemptor Omnium
December 13: Dum Servant Pecus Pastores
December 14: Primum Noel Cecinit Angelus
December 15: In Dulci Iubilo
December 16: Procul in Praesaepi
December 17: Gaudete
December 18: Quem Pastores Laudavere
December 19: Orientis Reges Tres
Bolchazy-Carducci has a Latin Christmas Carol music CD! With 12 songs in Latin, O Abies: O Christmas Tree is available at amazon.com for $17.00
2 Comments:
Hi!
In case you are interested, last year I adapted the Maynard for my own Latin students as follows, eliminating as I did so the problem of that pesky extra syllable. I added a couple of new verses as well.
Lapsi caelo super nos,
properate, angeli,
Nobis nuntiate vos
natum nostri Domini!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
You will note that I kept the original Latin refrain. I can't exactly read his mind, but I suspect Harry M. was thinking (& validly), "Why use the traditional Latin chorus in a version of the carol that is entirely in Latin when in the original French & English the chorus was supposed to stand out as different--as coming from a loftier, more sacred language (or at least one that was perceived that way), thus giving the impression of going back to an ancient original?"
I tried to solve the problem by adapting the Greek of Luke's Gospel text of the passage (can't get much more original than that) to fit the meter of the carol (which was actually not that hard to do), but none of my students understand Greek & they couldn't sing it with a straight face.
Then I saw the light. Why was I trying to alter, in the interest of singing a Latin Christmas carol, a text that was already in Latin?
In any case, if anyone who reads this is interested (that is, if there is anyone out there who even reads this), I remained true to Harry Maynard's translation by making the two verses I added culminate in the "adorate Dominum" of the chorus in Harry's version.
Peace on earth!
djcavoli@sehs.net
(440 241-9264)
more from DJC (sent via email):
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Lapsi caelo super nos,
properate, angeli,
Nobis nuntiate vos
natum nostri Domini!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Cur pastores iubilant?
Unde haec tot carmina
Dum per noctem vigilant?
Unde illa lumina?
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
“Ite visum, populi,
Novum regem hominum!
Adorate, populi,
adorate Dominum!”
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
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