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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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Quick Thoughts

14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • Gorgeous Book

If there is a more beautiful book than Abbat Pothier’s 1888 Processionale Monasticum, I don’t know what it might be. This gorgeous tome was today added to the Saint John Lalande Online Library. I wish I owned a physical copy.

—Jeff Ostrowski
Sound Familiar?

1 June 1579: “The chapter passes a rule that anyone ascending to the new organ without official permission shall be fined a month’s pay.”

26 October 1579: “The altar boys remain always separate and distinct from choirboys—the one group learning only plainchant and assisting at the altar, the other living with the chapel-master and studying counterpoint and polyphony as well. Father Francisco Guerrero postpones his departure for Rome and instead spends the entire year in Seville making ready for the trip. In the meantime he neglects his choirboys. On 16 November, after considerable complaint against their unruliness and ignorance, he engages an assistant, Bartolomé Farfán.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

It would be contrary to the Constitution to decree or even to hint that sung celebrations, especially of the Mass, should be in Latin.

— Annibale Bugnini attacking “Sacrosanctum Concilium” (§36)

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