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Here is another Lenten hymn, to pair with my recent setting of my old hymn text "When Time Had Come for Christ to Die."   Whereas that hymn is fitting for commemorating Christ's death on Good Friday, this hymn is a hymn of the myrrh-bearers, who came to anoint Christ's tomb.  It is a hymn of abandonment, a hymn of Holy Saturday.  I first wrote it almost a decade ago, with some adjustments throughout the years, and I'm happy to finally share it. The tune is "Picardy," a French carol tune.  It is best-known through Ralph Vaughan Williams' arrangement of "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence."  That is certainly the inspiration for my use of it here, as the text of that hymn is used as the Cherubikon for Holy Saturday. Have a blessed Fast. Longest Night of Earthly Vigil by Brandon P. Otto on Scribd Scribd link: https://www.scribd.com/document/706723610/Longest-Night-of-Earthly-Vigil Internet Archive mirror: https://archive.org/details/longes...

In a blog post from 2014 , reflecting on Good Friday, I included a hymn I had written, to be set to the tune JESU DULCIS MEMORIA.  Almost ten years later, I have finally prepared this musical setting: Scribd mirror: https://www.scribd.com/document/706718005/When-Time-Had-Come-for-Christ-to-Die   The bare text of the hymn is here:   When time had come for Christ to die, and Judas had betrayed Him by a twisted kiss for silver's gain, the sky did not hold back its rain. His Blood upon the ground did fall as guards brought Him the bitter gall. The sun did darken in that hour for sorrow did it overpower. In two spots did blood run that day, from the betrayer, from betrayed, in Akeldama's soiled field, on Golgotha where thunder pealed. Sixth hour passed when He was nailed, Ninth hour now the One who's hailed as He Who comes in the Lord's name will die the death of the infame. One thief to Heaven, one to Hell: the Psalm is now the L...

  Introduction As an alumnus of a Sacred Heart school, I have fond memories of the anonymous French hymn, "Coeur de Jésus, sauvez le monde," one of the anthems of Sacred Heart schools.  When the song popped into my head recently--particularly the bit in the chorus where "vous soit soumis" is repeated--I decided to look up the text and provide my own translation.   The melody in the version below is based on the four-part transcription by Laura Becker (found at https://aash.org/files/resource/attachment/coeur_de_jesus.pdf ).  However, my memory--which, being decades old at this point, might be faulty--included a dotted eighth note rhythm in the antepenultimate bar of the verse, where Becker's transcription has strict eighth notes (as in the final two bars of the verse).  Thus I've adjusted my rendition to match my memory. For purposes of sonic pleasure, I translated that "vous soit soumis" repetition as "is bowed to Thee" rather than ...

  Introduction Christ is born!  Glorify Him! Today I have a Christmas hymn I wrote years ago, though I did some adjustments to the text today.  The inspiration, of course, is the famous Paschal hymn, "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today": originally, my first verse was simply a Christmas-themed rewrite of that hymn's first verse.  With further work, though, my hymn drifted away from a strict "parody" of the Paschal hymn.  Like it, though, my hymn is set to the tune "Lyra Davidica," taken from the 1708 hymn collection of the same name. Jesus Christ is Born Today by Brandon P. Otto on Scribd   Scribd link for the above document: here . Internet Archive mirror: https://archive.org/details/jesus-christ-is-born-today Text   1. Jesus Christ is born today, (Alleluia!) in a starlit earthen cave, (Alleluia!) When He once in Bedlam town (Alleluia!) Donned our flesh and doffed His crown! (Alleluia!) 2. Born of Mary, virgin pure, (Alleluia!) who was virgin did e...

 Christ is born!  Glorify Him! As a supplement to my typical translations, I am beginning to post music as well.  Some of it includes simple transcriptions of hymns (such as my recent transcription of the chant Humani Generis Cessent Suspiria ); others will be translations of hymns set to old melodies.  Some may be original poems of mine set to old melodies; still others will be poems (my own or others') set to music I have composed.  I have no delusions of grandeur regarding my own musical ability, but I think some of the choices of texts, at least, might warrant my meager attempts.  The hymn included here is an example. The poem set here is by Ben Jonson (1572-1637), one of the most important poets and playwrights of the English Renaissance.  This poem--originally entitled "A Hymne on the Nativitie of My Saviour"--was included by Jonson in a proposed collection of verse entitled Under-wood (the title being a sequel to an earlier collection, The Forr...

Félix Lope de Vega was a famous poet and playwright of the Spanish Golden Age, most well-renowned for his sonnets.  Among his prolific works (Cervantes called him "Monster of Nature" for the sheer volume of them) are many religious poems.  Below is one such poem, which Spanish-speakers sometimes use as a Lenten hymn. "Soliloquio - III -" Manso Cordero ofendido,  puesto en una cruz por mí,   que mil veces os vendí  después que fuiste vendido.  Dadme licencia, Señor,  para que, deshecho en llanto,  pueda en vuestro rostro santo  llorar lágrimas de amor.  ¿Es posible, vida mía,  que tanto mal os causé,  que os dejé, que os olvidé,  ya que vuestro amor sabía?   Tengo por dolor más fuerte  que el veros muerto por mí  el saber que os ofendí,  cuando supe vuestra muerte.  Yo os amo, Dios soberano,  no como Vos merecéis,  pero cua...