"Of the Father's heart begotten" alternatively known as "Of the Father's love begotten" is a

doctrinal Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

based on the Latin poem "Corde natus" by the Roman poet

Aurelius Prudentius Aurelius Prudentius Clemens () was a Roman Christian poet, born in the Roman province of Tarraconensis (now Northern Spain) in 348.H. J. Rose, ''A Handbook of Classical Literature'' (1967) p. 508 He probably died in the Iberian Peninsula some ti ...

, from his ''Liber Cathemerinon'' (hymn no. IX) beginning "Da puer plectrum" which includes the Latin stanzas listed below.

History

The ancient poem was translated and paired with a medieval

plainchant Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text ...

melody "Divinum mysterium". "Divinum mysterium" was a "

Sanctus The Sanctus ( la, Sanctus, "Holy") is a hymn in Christian liturgy. It may also be called the ''epinikios hymnos'' ( el, ἐπινίκιος ὕμνος, "Hymn of Victory") when referring to the Greek rendition. In Western Christianity, th ...

trope" – an ancient plainchant melody which over the years had been musically embellished.Raymond F. Glover, ''The Hymnal 1982 Companion: Service Music and Biographies'', Volume 2 (Church Publishing, Inc., 1994), pp. 81–83 An early version of this chant appears in manuscript form as early as the 10th century, although without the melodic additions, and "trope" versions with various melodic differences appear in Italian, German, Gallacian, Bohemian and Spanish manuscripts dating from the 13th to 16th centuries. "Divinum mysterium" first appears in print in 1582 in the Finnish song book ''

Piae Cantiones ''Piae Cantiones ecclesiasticae et scholasticae veterum episcoporum'' (in English ''Pious ecclesiastical and school songs of the ancient bishops'') is a collection of late medieval Latin songs first published in 1582. It was compiled by Jacobus F ...

'', a collection of seventy-four sacred and secular church and school songs of medieval Europe compiled by Jaakko Suomalainen and published by Theodoric Petri. In this collection, "Divinum mysterium" was classified as "De Eucharistia", reflecting its original use for the

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

. Willcocks, D. (ed.), "Of the Father's heart begotten" in '' Carols for Choirs 2'' (London: Oxford University Press), 128–133. The text of the "Divinum mysterium" was replaced by the words of Prudentius's poem when it was published by

Thomas Helmore Thomas Helmore (7 May 1811, in Kidderminster – 6 July 1890, in Westminster) was a choirmaster, writer about singing and author and editor of hymns and carols. Helmore's father was a congregationalist minister (also called Thomas). During th ...

in 1851. In making this fusion, the original

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

of the chant was disturbed, changing the original

triple metre Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 ( compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with , , ...

rhythm into a

duple metre Duple metre (or Am. duple meter, also known as duple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 2 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 2 and multiples (simple) or 6 and multiples (compound) in the upper figure of the tim ...

and therefore altering stresses and note lengths. A later version by Charles Winfred Douglas (1867–1944) corrected this using an "equalist" method of transcription, although the hymn is now found in both versions as well as a more dance-like interpretation of the original melody.

Translations

There are two translations commonly sung today; one by

John Mason Neale John Mason Neale (24 January 1818 – 6 August 1866) was an English Anglican priest, scholar and hymnwriter. He worked and wrote on a wide range of holy Christian texts, including obscure medieval hymns, both Western and Eastern. Among his most ...

and Henry W. Baker, and another by Roby Furley Davis. Neale's original translation began "Of the Father sole begotten" in his ''Hymnal Noted'' (London, 1851), and contained only six stanzas (of the original Latin poem's thirty-eight). It was Neale's music editor,

, who paired this hymn with the Latin plainsong. Neale's translation was later edited and extended to nine stanzas by Henry W. Baker for ''

Hymns Ancient and Modern ''Hymns Ancient and Modern'' is a hymnal in common use within the Church of England, a result of the efforts of the Oxford Movement. The hymnal was first published in 1861. The organization publishing it has now been formed into a charitabl ...

'' (London, 1861; below). Dissatisfied with Neale's translation, Roby Furley Davis (1866–1937), a scholar at St John's College, Cambridge, wrote a new version for ''

The English Hymnal ''The English Hymnal'' is a hymn book which was published in 1906 for the Church of England by Oxford University Press. It was edited by the clergyman and writer Percy Dearmer and the composer and music historian Ralph Vaughan Williams, and wa ...

'' of 1906. Davis was assistant master at

Weymouth College Weymouth College is a further education college located in Weymouth, England. The college has over 4,000 students, studying on a wide range of practical and academic courses in many subjects. The college is part of The University of Plymouth C ...

and a scholar of the works of

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

, especially his book on

Agricola Agricola, the Latin word for farmer, may also refer to: People Cognomen or given name :''In chronological order'' * Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40–93), Roman governor of Britannia (AD 77–85) * Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the mi ...

.''P. Corneli Taciti Agricola'', edited with introduction, notes, and critical appendix by Roby F. Davis, B.A., formerly scholar of St John's College, Cambridge, assistant master at Weymouth College. Methuen & Co. London. 1892 This version was also used in the popular '' Carols for Choirs'' series by

David Willcocks Sir David Valentine Willcocks, (30 December 1919 – 17 September 2015) was a British choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator. He was particularly well known for his association with the Choir of King's College, Cambr ...

Text and translations

References

External links

*
"Of the Father's heart begotten" (Corde natus ex Parentis) (Douglas Brooks-Davies)

Choral Public Domain Library The Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) is a sheet music archive which focuses on choral and vocal music in the public domain or otherwise freely available for printing and performing (such as via permission from the copyright holder). It is a ...

Of The Father's Heart Begotten
(arr.

) sung by the Ely Cathedral Choir {{DEFAULTSORT:Of The Father's Heart Begotten Christmas carols Latin-language Christian hymns Piae Cantiones Advent songs

History

Translations

Text and translations

See also

References

External links