''Aurora lucis rutilat'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...

reddens with light"; ) is the incipit of an Easter hymn of the

Latin rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

, first recorded in the

Frankish Hymnal The Frankish Hymnal (german: Fränkisches Hymnar, also called " Gallican Hymnal") is a collection of early medieval Latin hymns, most likely composed during the 6th to 8th centuries in Francia, recorded in a set of manuscripts of the mid-8th to ea ...

tradition (8th/9th century, one of the Murbach hymns) and preserved in the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

" New Hymnal" (9th/10th century). In the numbering introduced by Gneuss (1968), it is no. 41 of the Old Hymnal, and no. 72 of the New Hymnal. The hymn has 12 strophes of 4 verses each as originally recorded;in modern translations it is often reduced to 11 or fewer strophes. The

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

interlinear version in Bodleian Junius 25 begins ''Tagarod leohtes lohazit''.

Orlande de Lassus Orlande de Lassus ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palest ...

composed an adaptation as a

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

for ten voices in c. 1592. The portion ''Tristes erant apostoli'' (strophes 5 to 11) was adapted by

Francisco Guerrero Francisco Guerrero is the name of: *Francisco Guerrero (composer) (1528–1599), Spanish composer of the Renaissance * Francisco Guerrero (politician) (1811–1851), Alcalde of San Francisco *Francisco Guerrero Marín (1951–1997), Spanish composer ...

(1528–1599).

Alberto Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentinian composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography Ginastera was born in Buen ...

adapted it twice: first as the final movement of his opus 45 ''Turbae'' for choirs and orchestra, and then again as his opus 52 for solo organ, ''Variazioni e Toccata sopra Aurora lucis Rutilat''.

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

substantially altered the hymn for his edition of the

Roman Breviary The Roman Breviary (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Breviarium Romanum'') is a breviary of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. A liturgical book, it contains public or canonical Catholic prayer, prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notati ...

(1629), in the incipit replacing ''rutilat'' by ''purpurat'', the first strophe being altered from: :''Aurora lucis rutilat, caelum laudibus intonat, mundus exultans iubilat, gemens infernus ululat.'' :("Dawn reddens with light, the heavens resound with praise, exulting the world jubilates, groaning hell shrieks.") to: :''Aurora coelum purpurat, aether resultat laudibus, mundus triumphans jubilat, horrens Avernus intremit.'' :("Dawn purples the heavens, the aether rebounds with praise, triumphantly the world jubilates, frightful

Avernus Avernus was an ancient name for a volcanic crater near Cumae (Cuma), Italy, in the region of Campania west of Naples. Part of the Phlegraean Fields of volcanoes, Avernus is approximately in circumference. Within the crater is Lake Avernus ('). R ...

trembles.") The original text was restored in the

reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X The reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X was promulgated by that Pope with the apostolic constitution ''Divino afflatu'' of 1 November 1911. The Roman Breviary is the title of the book obligatorily used for celebrating the Roman Rite ...

(1908/13). In the 1908

, the hymn has been revised and separated into three hymns, consisting of strophes 1–4, 5–8 and 9–11. The first part forms the hymn for Lauds from

Low Sunday The Second Sunday of Easter is the day that occurs seven days after the Christian celebration of Easter. Those churches which give special significance to this day recognize it by various names. In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, this day ...

to the Ascension, and begin in the revised form, ''Aurora caelum purpurat''. The second part (''Tristes erant apostoli'') is incorporated into the Common of Apostles and Evangelists for paschal time at the first and second

Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern), Lutheranism, Lutheran, and Anglican ...

and

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated by ...

. It is sung in the

Phrygian mode The Phrygian mode (pronounced ) can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek ''tonos'' or ''harmonia,'' sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set of octave species or scales; the Medieval Phrygian mode, and the modern ...

, in a melody found in the '' Vesperale Romanum''. The third part (''Claro paschali gaudio'') was incorporated into Lauds in the Common of Apostles in paschal time. There are a number of English translations in use, both of the hymn as a whole and the three split hymns. Singable English translations variously begin: "The dawn was redd'ning urplingo'er the sky" (

Edward Caswall Edward Caswall, CO, (15 July 1814 – 2 January 1878) was an Anglican clergyman and hymn writer who converted to Catholicism and became an Oratorian priest. His more notable hymns include: "Alleluia! Alleluia! Let the Holy Anthem Rise"; "Come, ...

1849),''The Roman breviary : reformed by order of the Holy oecumenical council of Trent : published by order of Pope St. Pius V'' (1908)
p. 406.
/ref> "With sparkling rays morn decks the sky" (J.A. Johnston 1852), "Light's very morn its beams displays" (J.D. Chambers 1857), "Light's glittering morn bedecks the sky" ( J. M. Neale 1852).John Julian, ''A Dictionary of Hymnology: Setting Forth the Origin and History of Christian Hymns of All Ages and Nations'' (1892)
p. 94.
/ref>

Text

References

*Stéphane Milovitch, ''Quotidianamente da prima del 1336: La processione che celebra la Morte e Risurrezione del Signore nella basilica del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme'' (2014)
322ff.

External links

* {{Hymns and songs for Easter Latin-language Christian hymns 8th-century poems Easter hymns Dawn