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Views from the Choir Loft

Dreaming in Latin

Veronica Brandt · July 12, 2014

Don Bosco INDING BEDTIME STORIES THAT ARE edifying for both parents and children can be a bit hit and miss (and miss and miss…) Many times there are stories I enjoyed from my youth that I am happy to read again, but that is a finite list. There are many books I would like to find time to read that would bore my kids to tears, but not this one.

My kids often wake up ready to compare dreams. There is nothing like listening to someone recounting a dream to bring home how ridiculous and pointless they can be. Most times they are much better forgotten.

Don Bosco’s dreams were startlingly thought-provoking. He was not allowed to forget them. His dreams were structured, usually with a guide to lead him and explain things (and to tell him to stop taking notes). They often provided guidance for his work, giving him material for talks and also letting him know the spiritual state of the boys in his care.

The dreams themselves, though useful, were not very comfortable. He was not overly keen to reveal his dreams, sometimes it would take a series of nightmares to convince him to retell a dream. They left him exhausted. Some left him in pain or with a foul stench that stayed for the rest of the day. Sometimes he would avoid sleep altogether.

But the aspect that might interest some readers here was that in the dreams there would be inscriptions or exclamations in Latin. Many were quotes from the Bible. Some came from the liturgy. It showed how this common sacral language could be used to emphasize timeless truths. It also heightened the sense of drama and mystery in the already very dramatic and mysterious dreams.

As the accounts of the dreams came from transcriptions from the talks of St John Bosco to his boys and his religious, he must have used the Latin in his talks, rather than just the vernacular. You could argue that Italian is so close to Latin it wouldn’t make so much difference, but these boys were from rough backgrounds.

Apart from the rhetorical effect of using Latin, maybe the main thing is that he used Latin because the messengers in his dreams used Latin.

A great book with much food for thought on the importance of prayer, the Sacraments, work and temperance, the four last things and especially on raising boys.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

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“Victoria not only made his professional debut as church organist: he also continued active on the organ bench until the very eve of his death. Indeed, during his last seven years at Madrid (1604-1611) he occupied no other musical post but that of convent organist.”

— Dr. Robert Stevenson (1961)

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