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Views from the Choir Loft

Re: Music For Two Voices • “Jam Christe Sol Justitiæ”

Jeff Ostrowski · March 12, 2021

E REMEMBER HOW many holy people were known to have a highly developed sense of humor. In this category were saints: Father Antoine Daniel, Saint Thomas More, Don Bosco. Also in this category are American clerics: Monsignor Robert Skeris, Bishop Fulton Sheen, and so forth. These people were always laughing and making jokes. They were quite jolly. But for Church musicians, there’s nothing funny about the Covid-19 restrictions put in place by the government and the Catholic Church. And it’s certainly been difficult to “look on the bright side” of these restrictions. However, I think some good will come out of this: especially how we’ve been forced to find solutions for a limited number of singers. Below is something we tried recently, and I’d be grateful to hear your feedback.

We started with Hymn #240 from the Brébeuf Hymnal for Lent:

*  Mp3 Download • Treble Only
—Taken from The Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (2018)—used with permission.

That hymn probably sounds “bright”—and that’s okay. It’s an ancient Catholic hymn called Jam Christe Sol Justitiæ. 1 We’ve spoken about this hymn quite a bit. Here’s part of it: “Dies venit, dies tua, in qua reflórent ómnia.” That means: The day comes, Thy day, on which all things bloom again. The footnote in the Brébeuf hymnal says of this line: “The physical spring of the northern hemisphere is an analogy for the spiritual rebirth which the Resurrection of Christ inaugurates.” Indeed, the word “Lent” is derived from Old English word (lencten), meaning “spring”—the lengthening of days after winter has ended. Our pastor recently reminded us that Lent should be a joyful time, as our penances bring us closer to God. In any event, from the “Brébeuf Choral Supplement” we added the Tenor line:

*  Mp3 Download • Tenor Line Added
—Taken from The Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (2018)—used with permission.

From the standpoint of music theory, this should not work without organ. However, I think it actually sounds okay:

*  Mp3 Download • Without organ
—Taken from The Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (2018)—used with permission.

Please leave your thoughts in the Facebook combox (see below).


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   The title of Jam Christe Sol Justitiæ was changed in 1631AD to O Sol Salutis Intimis by Pope Urban VIII. For more details on this, cf. the Brébeuf hymnal.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Jam Christe Sol Justitiae, Lent means lencten lengthening, O Sol Salutis Intimis Last Updated: March 29, 2021

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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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Quick Thoughts

    Vespers Booklet (4th Sunday of Lent)
    The organ accompaniment booklet (24 pages) which I created for the 4th Sunday of Lent (“Lætare Sunday”) may now be downloaded, for those who desire such a thing.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Vespers Booklet, 3rd Sunday of Lent
    The organ accompaniment I created for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (“Extraordinary Form”) may now be downloaded, if anyone is interested in this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Weeping For Joy! (We Hope!)
    Listening to this Easter Alleluia—an SATB arrangement I made twenty years ago based on the work of Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel—one of our readers left this comment: “I get tears in my eyes each time I sing to this hymn.” I hope this person is weeping for joy!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

If the homily goes on too long, it will affect two characteristic elements of the liturgical celebration: its balance and its rhythm. The words of the preacher must be measured, so that the Lord, more than his minister, will be the center of attention.

— Pope Francis (11/24/2013)

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