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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 Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
    “Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work in spite of terrible conditions, their relentless zeal for the faith, their genuine love for the laypeople they served, etc. Overall though—more than anything concrete I can point to that you did or said—it was your demeanor at the Symposium. I could tell you really absolutely love and believe the Catholic Faith. You don’t get that everywhere, even in Church circles. And your humility is what then makes that shine even brighter. It is super inspiring! God is working through you probably way more than you know.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
    Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you'll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly easy to subscribe to our mailing list; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
    The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria (d. 1611). From what I can tell, Ludwig Senfl (d. 1543) was originally a Catholic priest, but eventually was seduced by Luther and ended up abandoning the sacred priesthood.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Naturally the accompaniment of the organ is merely tolerated during the office of the dead, but in fact, in nearly every parish this toleration has become a habit.”

— Henri Potiron, 1958

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