"Reges Tharsis et insulae" ("Kings of

Tarshish Tarshish ( Phoenician: ''TRŠŠ'', he, תַּרְשִׁישׁ ''Taršīš'', , ''Tharseis'') occurs in the Hebrew Bible with several uncertain meanings, most frequently as a place (probably a large city or region) far across the sea from Phoen ...

and the islands") is a common Latin

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 ...

and antiphon title. It is the beginning of the Latin Vulgate translation of

Psalm 71 Psalm 71 is the 71st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion". It has no title in the Hebrew version. In the slightly different numbering s ...

:10 (Psalm 72 according to the Hebrew numbering). The wording was used in European cathedrals as a

responsory A responsory or respond is a type of chant in western Christian liturgies. Definition The most general definition of a responsory is any psalm, canticle, or other sacred musical work sung responsorially, that is, with a cantor or small group sin ...

for The Feast of Epiphany, "The Day of the

Three Kings The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the ...

," and with slightly altered text as an

antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are the Psalms. Their form was favored by St Ambrose and they feature prominentl ...

for Epiphany.Music in Early English Religious Drama: Minstrels Playing - Page 270 Richard Rastall - 2001 "8/338+lat Reges Tharsis et Insule munera offerent. Reges Arabum et Saba dona adducent. As the text goes on to say, this is Psalm 71/10 (AV 72): it is precisely quoted. The text occurs in the liturgy as follows: (a) Antiphon for the Epiphany (WA " The oldest surviving musical setting of the text is as

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...

. A very large number of composers set the text over the centuries: Renaissance composers such as

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pre ...

, and

Byrd Byrd commonly refers to: * William Byrd (c. 1540 – 1623), an English composer of the Renaissance * Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), an American naval officer and explorer Byrd or Byrds may also refer to: Other people * Byrd (surname), includin ...

, classical composers such as

Joseph Leopold Eybler Joseph Leopold Eybler (8 February 1765 – 24 July 1846) was an Austrian composer and contemporary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Life Eybler was born into a musical family in Schwechat near Vienna.Badura-Skoda and Herrmann-Schneider (n.d.) His fat ...

, up to modern composers such as

John Scott Whiteley John Scott Whiteley (born 1950) is an English organist and composer. He has performed extensively around the world and since 1985 has undertaken an annual tour of the US. He has performed in most major UK Cathedrals and concert halls, and was ...

Gaston Litaize Gaston Gilbert Litaize (11 August 1909 - 5 August 1991) was a French organist and composer. Considered one of the 20th century masters of the French organ, he toured, recorded, worked at churches, and taught students in and around Paris. Blind ...

, and Perosi. The most frequently performed, and recorded, setting today is that by John Sheppard (c.1515-c.1559).

References

{{reflist Latin-language Christian hymns