About the Work

I’m very thankful to David Sinden and the choir of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church of St. Louis for premiering my setting of this text. I finished this piece in August of 2021, as I witnessed choirs slowly coming together again after 18 long months of silence, due to the pandemic. I wanted to write something that would be fairly simple to put together yet also energetically exciting to sing. The melody that I envisioned for this piece seemed very hymn-like to me. Therefore, I treated it as such, introducing the first verse of the text with treble voices, followed by part-singing, then crescendoing to the final verse with strong unison voices accompanied by a descant. I’m happy I was able to set this beautiful text to music, and I’m thrilled that choirs are able to sing together again. 

 

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Text

Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Præstet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.

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Genitori, Genitoque
Laus et Jubilatio,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio.
Amen.

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Translation

Hence so greatly the Sacrament

Let us venerate with heads bowed 

And let the old practice 

Give way to the new rite;

Let faith provide a supplement

For the failure of the senses.

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To the Begetter and the Begotten 

Be praise and jubilation,

Hail, honor, virtue also,

And blessing too:

To the One proceeding from Both

Let there be equal praise.