OW CLOSE ARE Anglicans to us, in terms of their religious practices? The answer is: It depends. Some Anglicans pray the Rosary every day and fervently believe in a doctrine resembling Transubstantiation. Other Anglicans have female ‘priests’ and openly endorse immorality. Some Anglicans (such as Dr. John Mason Neale) were physically assaulted by other Anglicans because they started adopting beliefs that were “too Catholic.”
Winfred Douglas (1 of 3) • I strongly suspect that Charles Winfred Douglas (d. 1944) was more of a “High Church” Anglican. He produced a book of Gregorian hymn accompaniments for the organ. We took the trouble to scan it, and today release a PDF version (see below) of its 158 pages. The accompaniments are well done but old-fashioned, suffering from a lack of common tones between chords. As a result, the accompaniments are somewhat “bumpy” or “jagged” or “choppy.”
Winfred Douglas (2 of 3) • For myself, this book by Douglas is most valuable owing to its English translations. I’m always in search of elegant and fresh translations of ancient Latin hymns. One superb contemporary hymn-writer is Father Dominic Popplewell, FSSP, who’s translated many Gregorian hymns. Consider the 4th verse of Verbe, égal au Très, a hymn by Jean Racine (d. 1699) based on Consors Paterni Luminis (see below). My friends, this is sacral language! And notice his sophisticated internal rhymes:
4. O Father, Son and Spirit, God alone,
The Holy One, the Word, their Bond divine,
Our fervent prayer attend, whose empires own
Nor rise nor term, and self-illumined shine.
My choir (which consists 100% volunteers) sang that piece at Mass last week:
Winfred Douglas (3 of 3) • Several English translations seem unique to this book. Consider the compelling English translation by Winfred Douglas of “Te Sæculorum Principem.” The Latin version was composed in 1925—when the FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING was instituted—by Fr. Vittorio Genovési (d. 1967), hymnographer of the Congregation of Rites from 1942 until his death.1 One reason I said that Winfred Douglas was probably a “high” Anglican is that he includes Eucharistic texts such as Adoro Te Devote, Latens Deitas. I believe you’ll want to download all 158 pages of this book, which I find fascinating:
* PDF Download • SAINT DUNSTAN HYMNAL (158 pages) [14MB]
—Plainsong Hymns with Accompaniments, from the Manuscripts of Winfred Douglas (Anglican).
Tunes in the Saint Dunstan Hymnal:
M A solis ortus cardine
M Ad cœnam Agni providi
M Adoro te devote
M Aeterna caeli gloria
M Aeterne rerum Conditor
M Ales diei nuntius
M Angularis fundamentum
M Annue Christe
M Antra deserti teneris
M Audi benigne Conditor
M Aurea luce
M Aurora lucis rutilat
M Ave, maris stella
M Ave, verum Corpus
M Beata nobis gaudia
M Bone Pastor
M Caeli Deus sanctissime
M Christe, Redemptor omnium, conserva
M Christe, Redemptor omnuim, ex Patre
M Christe, sanctorum
M Claro Paschali gaudio
M Conditor alme siderum
M Cor, arca legem continens
M Corde natus ex Parentis
M Cultor Dei, memento
M Custodes hominum
M Deus Creator omnium
M Deus, tuorum militum
M Dies irae
M Divinum mvsterium
M Doctor egregie
M Ecce iam noctis
M Ex more docti mystico
M Exsultet caelum laudibus
M Fortem virili pectore
M Hostis Herodes impie
M Hujus obtentu
M Immense caeli Conditor
M Iste Confessor
M Iste, quem laeti
M Jam, Christe, sol justitiae
M Jam Christus astra ascenderat
M Jam lucis orto sidere
M Jam toto subitus
M Jesu, corona celsior
M Jesu, corona Virginum Jesu, decus angelicum
M Jesu, nostra redemptio
M Laetabundus
M Lauda Sion
M Lucis Creator optime
M Lustris sex qui jam peractis
M Martyrae Dei qui unicum
M Nocte surgentes (1)
M Nocte surgentes (2)
M Nunc Sancte nobis Spiritus
M O filii et filiae
M O gloriosa Domina
M O lux beata Trinitas
M O nimis felix
M O salutaris hostia
M O sola magnarum urbium
M Pange lingua gloriosi
M Pater superni luminis
M Petrus beatus
M Primo dierum omnium
M Quicumque Christum quaeritis
M Rector potens, verax Deus
M Rerum Deus tenax vigor
M Rex gloriose Martyrum
M Sacris solemniis
M Sanctorum meritis
M Splendor Paternae gloriae
M Stabat Mater dolorosa
M Tantum ergo sacramentum
M Te, Joseph, celebrent
M Telluris ingens Conditor
M Te lucis ante terminum
M Templi sacratas pande
M Te saeculorum Principem
M Tibi, Christe, splendor Patris
M Tristes erant Apostoli
M Tu, Trinitatis Unitas
M Urbs Jerusalem beata
M Ut queant laxis
M Veni, Creator Spiritus
M Veni, Sancte Spiritus
M Verbum supernum prodiens
M Vexilla Christus inclyta
M Vexilla Regis prodeunt
M Victimae Paschali
M Virgo virginum praeclara
M Vox clara ecce intonat
M ANTIPHON: “Ego sum panis”
1 Certain online authors sometimes claim the sacred liturgy was never changed until the 1960s. That’s actually not true. The FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING is a case in point. That feast was created in 1925. It’s not ancient at all. Traditionally, the “kingship” of our Savior had been celebrated at the Epiphany. Online authors who pine for the “pristine” liturgy that existed before Vatican II often don’t know what they’re talking about; e.g. the 19th-century liturgical calendar was virtually unrecognizable compared to the 1962 calendar.
