This sublime Eucharistic hymn dates from the 14th century and is attributed to Pope Innocent VI (d. 1362). It has been set to music by various composers. During the Middle Ages it was sung at the elevation of the host during the consecration. It is also used frequently during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
The hymn's title means "Hail, true body", and is based on a poem deriving from a 14th-century manuscript from the Abbey of Reichenau, Lake Constance. The poem is a meditation on the Real Presence of our Lord in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's setting of Ave Verum Corpus was written in 1791, to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi.
The text is in Latin, and reads: Ave verum corpus, Natum de Maria Virgine, Vere passum, immolatum In cruce pro homine, Cuius latus perforatum Unda fluxit et sanguine, Esto nobis praegustatum In mortis examine.
A translation into English is: Hail the true body, born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, sacrificed on the Cross for mankind, whose pierced side flowed with water and blood, let it be for us, in consideration, a foretaste of death.
The hymn's title means "Hail, true body", and is based on a poem deriving from a 14th-century manuscript from the Abbey of Reichenau, Lake Constance. The poem is a meditation on the Real Presence of our Lord in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's setting of Ave Verum Corpus was written in 1791, to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi.
The text is in Latin, and reads: Ave verum corpus, Natum de Maria Virgine, Vere passum, immolatum In cruce pro homine, Cuius latus perforatum Unda fluxit et sanguine, Esto nobis praegustatum In mortis examine.
A translation into English is: Hail the true body, born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, sacrificed on the Cross for mankind, whose pierced side flowed with water and blood, let it be for us, in consideration, a foretaste of death.
1 comment:
Sometimes our choir sings this version during Communion.
When I was a cantor I used to sing a plainchant version a cappella. That stripped-down version always reminded me of the plain simplicity of the Last Supper.
Part of the appeal of Ave Verum, like Stabat Mater, is how it has been put into so many different musical settings.
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