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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

A little bit of fun

Veronica Brandt · May 23, 2015

EACHING LATIN TO CHILDREN is both exciting and daunting – maybe more daunting because I have not been taught Latin myself for more than a few lessons. It could be a recipe for disaster, but until a better option comes along, I’ll keep learning as much as I can and passing this on.

One morning I settled down with my children to tackle matching the Latin and English in Psalm 53 word for word. We got sidetracked and managed to cobble together a Latin version of Heads and shoulders, knees and toes.

Caput, scapulae, genua, pedes,
  genua, pedes, genua, pedes,
Caput, scapulae, genua, pedes,
  plaudite manibus.

Oculi, nasus, os et aures,
  os et aures, os et aures,
Oculi, nasus, os et aures,
  plaudite manibus.

And if that sounds odd to you, then you probably grew up with the There’s a Tavern in the Town version which seems more prevalent on youtube at least. Here is the tune I grew up with from Play School of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 I think it is a little easier than the tune for There’s a Tavern in the Town.

      * *   Download the music as a PDF ready to print and as a recording of my boys singing the song.

Note: this is not for liturgical use!

Though it is interesting to notice how often these words appear in liturgical texts.

At Sunday vespers we read: De torrente in via bibet; propterea exaltabit caput. (Psalms 109:7) He shall drink from the torrent in the way, therefore he shall lift up the head.

Scapula gives us the term scapular to describe a garment worn over the shoulders.

Genua gives us genuflect – literally to bend the knee.

Psalm 24:15 Oculi mei semper ad Dominum, quoniam ipse evellet de laqueo pedes meos. My eyes are ever towards the Lord: for he shall pluck my feet out of the snare.

Sometimes we start prayers with this versicle and response: Domine, labia mea aperies. Et os meum annuntiavit laudem tuam. Lord, thou shalt open my lips. And my mouth shall declare thy praise.

Psalm 113:14 talks about false gods: Aures habent, et non audient; nares habent, et non odorabunt. Ears they have, and they do not hear. Noses they have, and they do not smell.

My Latin isn’t great but sounds like nares is somehow related to nasus – maybe nostrils?

So, there’s your lesson plan – a song with actions, plus digging around in prayer books and Scripture for examples. I’ll have to find a place to add it to kidschant.com.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Play School has another connection with church music. The theme song was written by Richard Connolly, who wrote many hymns, including Holy Father, God of Might.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Latin 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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“There are some so restless that when they are free from labour they labour all the more, because the more leisure they have for thought, the worse interior turmoil they have to bear.”

— Pope Gregory the Great

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