Hymnus Eucharisticus
Encyclopedia
The Hymnus Eucharisticus is a traditional hymn
sung by the Magdalen College
choir (boy choristers from Magdalen College School nearby) at Oxford
, England
. The hymn is sung from the gallery of the college's Great Hall (the dining room) during important college occasions.
In addition, and more publicly, it is also sung from Magdalen Tower
at 6am every 1 May, a tradition of more than 500 years. This initiates the annual May Morning
celebrations in Oxford
. Large crowds gather in the High Street
and on Magdalen Bridge to listen. The sound is very faint although more recently amplification has been used. The crowds then disperse for other celebratory activities such as Morris Dancing
.
The music is composed by Benjamin Rogers, "Doctor of Musique of the University of Oxon, 1685" and is entered on a folio bearing the date 1673 indicating that it may have been written prior to that date. The lyrics were alleged to have been written by Dr. Nathaniel Ingelo
, to be sung "at the civic feast at Guildhall on the 5th July, 1660, while the king and the other royal personages were at dinner"; however, the words of Ingelo's hymn differ significantly.
The Hymnus Eucharisticus appears in several movies and television programs, including most notably, Richard Attenborough
's film Shadowlands
(1993), on the later years of C.S. Lewis, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins
(as Lewis) and Debra Winger
.
Te laudibus prosequimur,
qui corpus cibo reficis,
coelesti mentem gratia.
Te adoramus, O Jesu,
Te, Fili unigenite,
Te, qui non dedignatus es
subire claustra Virginis.
Actus in crucem, factus est
irato Deo victima
per te, Salvator unice
vitae spes nobis rediit.
Tibi, aeterne Spiritus
cuius afflatu peperit
infantem Deum Maria,
aeternum benedicimus.
Triune Deus, hominum
salutis auctor optime,
immensum hoc mysterium
orante lingua canimus.
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
sung by the Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
choir (boy choristers from Magdalen College School nearby) at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The hymn is sung from the gallery of the college's Great Hall (the dining room) during important college occasions.
In addition, and more publicly, it is also sung from Magdalen Tower
Magdalen Tower
Magdalen Great Tower is a bell tower in Oxford, England. It is one of the oldest parts of Magdalen College, Oxford, situated directly in the High Street. Built of stone from 1492, when the foundation stone was laid, its bells hung ready for use in 1505, and completed by 1509, it is an important...
at 6am every 1 May, a tradition of more than 500 years. This initiates the annual May Morning
May Morning
May Morning is an annual event in Oxford, England, on May Day . It starts early at 6am with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, from the top of Magdalen Tower, a tradition of over 500 years. Large crowds normally gather under the tower along the High Street and on...
celebrations in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Large crowds gather in the High Street
High Street, Oxford
The High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...
and on Magdalen Bridge to listen. The sound is very faint although more recently amplification has been used. The crowds then disperse for other celebratory activities such as Morris Dancing
Morris dance
Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...
.
The music is composed by Benjamin Rogers, "Doctor of Musique of the University of Oxon, 1685" and is entered on a folio bearing the date 1673 indicating that it may have been written prior to that date. The lyrics were alleged to have been written by Dr. Nathaniel Ingelo
Nathaniel Ingelo
Nathaniel Ingelo was an English clergyman, writer and musician, best known for the allegorical romance Bentivolio and Urania .-Life:He graduated M.A. at Edinburgh, and then was incorporated at the University of Cambridge...
, to be sung "at the civic feast at Guildhall on the 5th July, 1660, while the king and the other royal personages were at dinner"; however, the words of Ingelo's hymn differ significantly.
The Hymnus Eucharisticus appears in several movies and television programs, including most notably, Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
's film Shadowlands
Shadowlands
Shadowlands is a 1985 television film, written by William Nicholson, directed by Norman Stone and produced by David M. Thompson for BBC Wales. Its subject is the relationship between Oxford don and author, C. S. Lewis and Joy Gresham....
(1993), on the later years of C.S. Lewis, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
(as Lewis) and Debra Winger
Debra Winger
Mary Debra Winger is an American actress. Three-times an Oscar nominee, she received awards for acting in Terms of Endearment, for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in 1983, and in A Dangerous Woman, for which she won the Tokyo International Film Festival...
.
Lyrics
Te Deum Patrem colimus,Te laudibus prosequimur,
qui corpus cibo reficis,
coelesti mentem gratia.
Te adoramus, O Jesu,
Te, Fili unigenite,
Te, qui non dedignatus es
subire claustra Virginis.
Actus in crucem, factus est
irato Deo victima
per te, Salvator unice
vitae spes nobis rediit.
Tibi, aeterne Spiritus
cuius afflatu peperit
infantem Deum Maria,
aeternum benedicimus.
Triune Deus, hominum
salutis auctor optime,
immensum hoc mysterium
orante lingua canimus.
External links
- Hymnus Eucharisticus and Music for a May Morning information from Magdalen College
- May Morning, Magdalen Tower by William Holman HuntWilliam Holman HuntWilliam Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:...
(1890) - Oxford's May Morning from the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, 2003