HOSE WHO CLICK on the following video will see that it starts with verses of the “Pange Lingua” by Saint Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274). The melody is difficult to speak about since it goes by so many different names: LIEBE DIE DU MICH ZUM BILDE; KOMM O KOMM DU GEIST DES LEBENS; BAMBERG; ICH BEGEHR NICHT MEHR; WURZEN; and so forth. In the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal, it is called “ST LEONARD.” Once upon a time, this hymn tune was quite popular. (Some of the finest hymn tunes go by multiple names; for instance, “JESU KREUZ LEIDEN UND PEIN” from Bach’s Saint John Passion.) In any event, starting at marker 0:25, you will see that an excerpt from Kevin Allen’s sublime polyphonic setting of the “Tantum Ergo” is used as a refrain:
Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #20323.
Sadness • Most readers won’t take the time to click on that #20323 link provided above, which means they will miss an opportunity to download that PDF score free of charge. They will also fail to take advantage of the magnificent rehearsal videos for each individual voice (which are conveniently posted there). I know this for a fact because we have internet tools permitting us to see “who downloads what” on our website. Sometimes, I will post something a very little importance … only to see it get downloaded thousands of times. It makes me sad that many readers will fail to click on that link.
More On That Tune • According to a footnote in the Brébeuf Hymnal, the melody mentioned above (“ST LEONARD”) was written by Johann Christoph Bach (d. 1703). Some hymnals erroneously attribute this tune, as his name resembles that of J.S. Bach’s fifth son—Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach—as well as his youngest son, Johann Christian Bach (d. 1782), who became a Catholic and was admired by Mozart. The Latin text is #346 in the Brébeuf Hymnal.
