HE SEQUENCE for the feast of Corpus Christi was written by Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican priest. This prayer contains rich Eucharistic theology. Consider its twelfth verse: “Man cannot understand this, cannot perceive it; but a lively faith affirms that the change (which is outside the natural course of things) takes place.” Or what about verses 7 and 8? “At this table of the new King, the new law’s new pasch puts an end to the old pasch. The new displaces the old, reality the shadow, and light the darkness.”
I really hope you will read the entire poem; an English translation is provided alongside the musical notation:
* PDF • “LAUDA SION SALVATOREM” (Organist)
—Organ Accompaniment by Marinus de Jong (d. 1984).
* PDF • “LAUDA SION SALVATOREM” (Vocalist)
—With a literal English translation.
* Mp3 Download • Rehearsal Recording (Mp3 File)
—Provided as an Mp3 in case you want to listen in your car.
Monsignor Franz Nekes: You can also try out a few more accompaniments, although none are as excellent as the one by Marinus de Jong (d. 1984) which was given above. Here’s how the Germans accompany the “Lauda Sion” Sequence:
* PDF Download • Monsignor Franz Nekes
—Organ accompaniment by Monsignor Franz Nekes (d. 1914).
Dr. Peter Wagner: Staying with German school a bit longer, we have Dr. Peter Wagner (d. 1931), a student of Father Michael Hermesdorff at Trier. If memory servers, Wagner’s dissertation was on the secular music of Palestrina. He founded a special school for the study of Gregorian chant at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), and when his publications appeared in Francophone countries he often signed his name as Docteur Pierre Wagner, Professeur à l’Université de Fribourg or at other times as Le Docteur Pierre Wagner, Professeur de science musicale et de musique sacrée à l’Université de Fribourg. His students included: Joseph Gogniat, Father Charles Dreisoerner, and Dr. Karl Gustav Fellerer. I usually hate his organ accompaniments, but his harmonization of the “Lauda Sion” is quote nice. I just wish somebody had not vandalized it with a pencil:
* PDF Download • Dr. Peter Wagner
—Par le Dr. P. Wagner, Membre de la Commission Vaticane de Chant Grégorien.
Dom Murray: Dom Andrew Gregory Murray (d. 1992) was a marvelous organist and composer who lived in England. Based on his many published attacks against Solesmes Abbey, he seems to have had quite an unpleasant personality—although in those days, polemics routinely got contentious. His organ compositions, however, are beautiful. Dom Gregory studied with Sir Richard Runciman Terry as a child, and later served as organist for Downside Abbey.
* PDF Download • Dom Gregory Murray
—Organ accompaniment by Dom Andrew Gregory Murray (d. 1992).
Unknown Composer: It is not known which composer created this version. Perhaps a reader can supply this information?
* PDF Download • Unknown Musician
—The one who created this harmonization is not known.
Henri Potiron: Henri Potiron (d. 1972) was choirmaster of Sacred Heart Basilica (Paris) and taught at the Gregorian Institute. He was friends with Dom Desrocquettes. Here is something rather peculiar: Dom Desrocquettes died the same year as Henri Potiron died, and was born the same year as Achille P. Bragers was born (viz. 1887). Potiron adheres to the Dom Mocquereau method, so he tries to make the accents: “Novúm paschá novaé legís…” Etc. etc.
* PDF Download • Henri Potiron
—Organ accompaniment by Mæstro Henri Potiron.
Achille P. Bragers: Bragers studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium). He later taught at The Pius the Tenth School of Liturgical Music at Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart in New York. When Bragers studied at the Lemmensinstituut, his teachers were people like Edgar Tinel, Alfons Desmet, Aloysius Desmet and Oscar Depuydt. (By the way, Edgar Tinel was so jealous of the musicians chosen by Pius X to be part of the Editio Vaticana committee, he wrote them a very spiteful message.) When Bragers writes accompaniments, they are usually unobjectionable but somewhat dull and tedious. This might be called “prima prattica” of Lemmensinstituut. The days of Flor Peeters, Marinus de Jong, Monsignor Jules Vyverman, Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel, Gustaaf Nees, Henri Durieux, and Edgard de Laet might be called “seconda prattica” of the Lemmensinstituut. But Bragers never allowed his style to grow—that was his Achilles’ heel…
* PDF Download • Achille P. Bragers
—This file has the “Lauda Sion” harmonized by Achille P. Bragers.
Father Green: Father Andrew Green (d. 1950) assisted Father Herman Koch with a 1942 collection called “Laudate Hymnal.” Dr. Horst Buchholz—Director of Sacred Music at the Cathedral and the Archdiocese of St. Louis—has expressed admiration for this hymnal, which uses many German melodies. Father Andrew was famous as a poet, musician, composer, author and teacher. He was part of St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, Kansas. Father Green marks the “ictus” with little dots, but often ignores it, unlike Henri Potiron.
* PDF Download • Father Andrew Green
—Organ accompaniment by Father Green, OSB.
Mr. Julius Bas: Julius Bas was engaged by Solesmes Abbey to compose accompaniments for the entire Editio Vaticana (“Vatican Edition”). He served as editor of the famous Rassegna Gregoriana.
* PDF Download • Julius Bas
—Accompaniment by Julius Bas, who follows the Dom Mocquereau rhythm.
