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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

“Lauda Sion” • Rehearsal Video With Translation By Saint Robert Southwell, Jesuit Martyr

Jeff Ostrowski · June 2, 2015

HETHER YOU CELEBRATE Corpus Christi on Thursday (EF), Sunday (Novus Ordo), or Sunday (External Solemnity), you might enjoy this recording of the “Lauda Sion,” which I created this morning 1 to help choirs rehearse:


Here’s a special PDF with translation by Fr. Robert Southwell, who suffered bravely in prison for three years before gaining the crown of martyrdom:

    * *  PDF Download • SPECIAL MUSICAL SCORE — “Lauda Sion”

Many of the big publishing companies skip the Corpus Christi Sequence—they literally just leave it blank. 2 When they don’t skip it, they print it like this:

    * *  COMPARISON CHART • Pew Missal Layout

Such formatting strikes me as rather utilitarian.

In the JOGUES PEW MISSAL, our team did something no other publisher has done. In addition to providing St. Robert Southwell’s translation—set to a simple Psalm Tone—we also formatted a literal translation like this:

    * *  PDF Download • JOGUES PEW LECTIONARY

The text of the beautiful “Lauda Sion” was written by St. Thomas Aquinas (†1274). But what about the melody? First, we must understand whence sequences come. Fr. Joseph Connelly explains:

Sequentia was the name given to the jubilus or musical prolongation of the last vowel of the word alleluia. The jubilus is divided into small sections, and to these parts separately as well as to the whole melody the name sequentia could be applied. The custom gradually came into being of adding words or a Prosa to the music of the jubilus. At first, perhaps in the eighth century, a text was added to some of the sections—the last vowel of such texts being, in some places, always the vowel a—to which the next wordless section could be sung. Later on a text was added to the whole melody and so began what is now generally called a Sequence or, less generally, a Prose. Its full name would properly be Sequentia cum prosa.

The “Lauda Sion” melody is identical to Laudes Crucis Attollamus, whose text & melody are attributed to Adam of St Victor (†1146). That Sequence was originally used for 14 September, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Therefore, the melody of the “Lauda Sion” comes from the ALLELUIA JUBILUS of 14 September. Can you see the similarity?

689 Laudes crucis attollamus JUBILUS


This melody was often used. For instance, the Sunday before Corpus Christi is Trinity Sunday, which had a Sequence called Profitentes Unitatem Veneremur Trinitatem. Do you see that it uses the “Lauda Sion” melody?

687 Profitentes unitatem veneremur trinitatem


Here’s part of the “Lauda Syon” as found in a manuscript circa 1395AD:

685 “Lauda Sion”



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   You can also hear it on YouTube or download the Mp3 file.

2   My high school students never left anything blank. Sometime they would write “IDK” but they’d never leave anything blank.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Lauda Sion Salvatorem Last Updated: June 12, 2025

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Abbat Pothier’s great accomplishment is having returned to the Catholic world—along with the traditional melody—the traditional way of performing it. The foundations laid by this providential man have been accepted by all those who practice Gregorian chant.”

— Dr. Peter Wagner (Commissionis Pontificiæ Gregorianæ Membrum)

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