NOX. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, toward the end of his life, said that “anything he had ever said of significance was taken from either Knox or Chesterton.” We’ve frequently had occasion to express admiration for the superb English translations of ancient hymns created by Monsignor Ronald Knox. (Even so, it feels like we’ve barely begun to praise them commensurate to their merit.) That being said, we don’t mean to imply that other translators aren’t worthy of mention. Indeed, in a recent article—Not Schmaltzy: An Ancient Christmas Hymn—I praised highly the work of ROBERT CAMPBELL OF SKERRINGTON, who converted to the True Faith in 1852. I really hope you’ll consider clicking on that article (if you haven’t already done so) because I posted a comparison chart showing how closely Robert Campbell adhered to the Latin original in his English translation of Jesu Redemptor Omnium, the ancient Christmas hymn of the Divine Office.
How’s It Sound? • Recently, the volunteer choir I direct sang Jesu Redemptor Omnium (but with a different tune). The melody is called PASCHAL LAMB, which seems rather fitting when we consider how Robert Campbell translated the first line:
Don’t Neglect These! • Needless to say, the conscientious choirmaster will also make sure to include the “popular” Christmas carols. It’s wrongheaded good to neglect those, as congregations have come to expect them. Below is one we sang last Sunday. (In retrospect, I think women only should have sung the second verse; that would have created a nicer effect.)
To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.
This is also a very popular one, which we sang on Midnight Mass:
To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.
Conclusion • I’ve been criticized for writing articles “of enormous length.” Therefore, I’m striving to do better in that area. In that spirit, I won’t write any more about “Jesu Redemptor Omnium” at this time.
