The Song of the

Sibyl The sibyls (, singular ) were prophetesses or oracles in Ancient Greece. The sibyls prophesied at holy sites. A sibyl at Delphi has been dated to as early as the eleventh century BC by PausaniasPausanias 10.12.1 when he described local traditi ...

( ca, El Cant de la Sibil·la ) is a liturgical drama and a

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 ...

, the lyrics of which comprise a

prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...

describing the

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

, which has been performed in churches on

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

(

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) and Alghero (

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

), and some Catalan churches, in the

Catalan language Catalan (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as ''Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern Spa ...

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

nearly uninterruptedly since

medieval times In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. It was declared a

Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and th ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

on 16 November 2010.

Versions

Several versions, differing in text and music, exist. *Latin Sibyl, from 10th-11th century, which incorporates fragments of The City of God (XVIII, 23) by

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...

*Provençal Sibyl, from the 13th century, reflecting influence of

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...

poetry *Catalan Sibyl. The latest and most ornamented version. Incorporates popular traditions of

. Refrain of this version is sometimes written for three or four voices

Origins

The author of The Song of the Sibyl is unknown. The prophecy was first recorded as an

acrostic poem An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...

in Greek by bishop

Eusebius of Caesarea Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christia ...

and later translated into Latin by Saint Augustine in '' The City of God''. It appeared again in the 10th century in different locations across

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

, Castile, and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the sermon ''Contra judeos'', later inserted into the reading of the sixth lesson of the second nocturn of

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 ...

and was performed as an integral part of the liturgy. This chant was originally sung in

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 ...

and under the name of ''Judicii Signum'', but from the 13th on, versions in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

are found. These early Catalan versions of the ''Judici Signum'' were not directly translated from Latin. Instead, they all come from a previous adaptation in

Provençal Provençal may refer to: *Of Provence, a region of France * Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast of France *''Provençal'', meaning the whole Occitan language *Franco-Provençal language, a distinct Roman ...

, which proves the huge popularity this song must have had in the past. Amongst the

texts which come from this common root, there is a 14th-century

Codex The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...

kept in the Archives of the Majorcan

Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

, which was rediscovered in 1908. Oral transmission and the lack of written scripts has caused the various old texts in the

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

to suffer many modifications over time, which has led to a diversity of versions. The Song of the Sibyl was almost totally abandoned throughout Europe after the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trento, Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italian Peninsula, Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation ...

(held in 25 sessions from 1545 to 1563) declared its performance was forbidden. Nevertheless, it was restored on

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

as soon as in 1575.

Music

Original Music

Originally, the Song of the Sibyl was sung in a Gregorian melody and, as it can be seen in the codex previously mentioned, the musical accompaniment that was played in

, with the exception of some variations, was the same documented in other places across the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. Today, it cannot be ascertained when the Song of the Sibyl was sung to this Gregorian melody, but most likely until the 16th or 17th century. Oral transmission of the song caused, as it did with the text, the birth of different variations and models. The interest this chant produced amongst early Musicologists and

Folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

s of the 19th century led to the transcription of the different known versions of the song. The versions still played nowadays take these transcriptions as model. In the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

, the Gregorian melody of the Song was set to polyphonic music by various composers, a common practice during that period. Two of these works, both for four voices, can be found in the Cancionero de la Colombina, a Spanish manuscript from the second half of the 15th century. The text in them is an abridged version of the Song, in the

Castilian language In English, Castilian Spanish can mean the variety of Peninsular Spanish spoken in northern and central Spain, the standard form of Spanish, or Spanish from Spain in general. In Spanish, the term (Castilian) can either refer to the Spanish languag ...

Present-Day Performance

The song was originally sung by a Presbyter, although this figure was later replaced by a boy. Even though the Song is supposed to be sung by a

woman (prophetess), for many centuries women were not allowed to sing in

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

. Today, in most temples in which the song is interpreted, it is still sung by a boy, although in some cases it is sung by either a little girl or a woman. In the performance, the singer walks up to the

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

escorted by two or more altar boys carrying wax candles. Once there, the singer greets the

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

, turns around, and begins the song. The song is sung ''

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

'' and in a solo voice. In some churches, organ music or either modern

choral A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...

s are introduced between one verse and the next. The costume used to perform the song is rather similar in all churches (at least around

) where it is performed. It consists of a white or coloured tunic, sometimes embroidered around the neck and the hem, and usually, a cape (which is sometimes replaced with a second tunic). The head is covered with a cap of the same colour. The singer holds a sword in his hands, which is held erect during the whole song. Once the song is over, the singer draws a cross in the air with the sword, turns around to the

once again, usually bows, and afterwards is escorted away from the altar by the same boys. Today the performer is either a boy or a girl, and increasingly more places in the Catalan-speaking world are taking up the tradition again, such that in 2010, it will be performed not only in the majority of municipalities on Mallorca and in L'Alguer (

), but also in the following municipalities of

and the

Valencian Country The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

(at 3 different churches), Gandia,

Lleida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...

, Ontinyent, Sueca,

Vic Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...

and others.

Lyrics

The song starts with an introduction, the melody of which differs from the rest of the song. In some performances, the song ends with the introductory melody as well. The lyrics stated here correspond with a

n version of the song. For the

Alguer Alghero (; ca, label= Alguerese, L'Alguer ; sc, S'Alighèra ; sdc, L'Aliera ) is a city of about 45,000 inhabitants in the Italian insular province of Sassari in northwestern Sardinia, next to the Mediterranean Sea. The city's name comes from ...

version of the song, se
Cant de la Sibil·la (L'Alguer) on Wikisource
The text is not standard, but late Medieval

. Some verses are attributed to the 14th-century Mallorcan writer, Anselm Turmeda, who translated into Catalan the ''Judicii Signum'' (Book of the Final Judgement), on which the composition is based. The lyrics used on Mallorca are as follows:

Original Latin

Judicii signum tellus sudore madescet. Et celo rex adveniet per secla futurus Scilicet in carne presens ut judicet orbem. Judicii signum tellus sudore madescet. Reicient simulacra viri cunctam quoque gazam Exuret terras ignis pontumque polumque. Judicii signum tellus sudore madescet. Inquirens tetri portas esfringet averni Sanctorum sed enim cuncte lux libera carni. Judicii signum tellus sudore madescet. Eripitur solis jubar et choris interit astris Solvetur celum lunaris splendor obibit. Judicii signum tellus sudore madescet. Et coram hic domino reges sistentur ad unum Decidet et celo ignis et sulphuris amnis.

Recordings

An excerpt of the Latin version was recorded in 1974 by The

Boston Camerata The Boston Camerata is an early music ensemble based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Narcissa Williamson, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as an adjunct to that museum's musical instrument collection. The Camerata incorporat ...

, directed by Joel Cohen, in their album "A Medieval Christmas" (Nonesuch), and again in their 1990 album "New Britain: The Roots of American Folksong" (Erato/Warner Classics), with an American Judgement Day hymn as comparison. In 1994 a full Latin text with choral accompaniment was recorded by Brigitte Lesne and her group Discantus on the CD "Campus Stellae" (Opus 111). A medieval variant in

Galician-Portuguese Galician-Portuguese ( gl, galego-portugués or ', pt, galego-português or ), also known as Old Portuguese or as Medieval Galician when referring to the history of each modern language, was a West Iberian languages, West Iberian Romance languag ...

from the Cantigas of Alfonso del Sabio (Madre de Deus) was recorded in 1987 by The Boston Camerata, directed by Joel Cohen, in their album "The Sacred Bridge" (Erato), and again in 2006 in the same ensemble's "A Mediterranean Christmas." A sixteenth-century French song, "Oiez, seigneurs," with similar text (but different music) can be found on "Noël Noël: French Christmas Music" by The Boston Camerata, directed by Joel Cohen (Erato/Warner Classics) A Catalan version was recorded by

Maria del Mar Bonet Maria del Mar Bonet i Verdaguer (Balearic Catalan: ; born 1947 in Palma, Majorca) is a Spanish singer from the island of Majorca. Early life and career Bonet studied ceramics in the school of arts, but eventually decided to dedicate herself to ...

in 1979 on her album ''Saba de terrer'', and by the vocal ensemble Obsidienne in 1995. The Song of the Sibyl (in all versions) was recorded in 1988 by

Jordi Savall Jordi Savall i Bernadet (; born 1 August 1941) is a Spanish conductor, composer and viol player. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for popularizing the viol family of ...

and

Montserrat Figueras Montserrat Figueras i García (, 15 March 1942 – 23 November 2011) was a Spanish soprano who specialized in early music. Figueras was born 15 March 1942 in Barcelona, Spain. After initially training as an actress she began studying early singing ...

. A part of it is also performed by Dead Can Dance on their album '' Aion'' (1990) and live album ''

Toward the Within ''Toward the Within'' (1994) is the first official live album of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard's group Dead Can Dance. It contains 15 songs, of which only four appeared on their previous albums, and two of which were later re-recorded and inc ...

'' (1994). A traditional Majorca version was recorded in 2014 by Cappela an a cappella group of singers from Barcelona, Spain, in their album Cappela Per Nadal.Catalunya Radio CD Program Notes

References

External links

Books

Francesc Vicens: El cant de la Sibil·la a Mallorca
* Maricarmen Gómez Muntané: ''El Canto de la Sibila I. León y Castilla II. Cataluña y Baleares''. Alpuerto. Madrid. 1996-1997 () () * ''La Sibila. Sonido. Imagen. Liturgia. Escena''. Maricarmen Gómez & Eduardo Carrero. Alpuerto. Madrid. 2015 ()
Sadurní Martí: "El viaje textual de la Sibila, entre Occitania y Cataluña", en ''El Juicio Final: Sonido. Imagen. Liturgia. Escena'', ed. Maricarmen Gómez Muntané. Madrid: Alpuerto, 2017, p. 217-249.
().

Webs

The Song of the Sibyl at the romanesque wall paintings of the St. Roman Church of Toledo (Spain, s.XIII) (Spanish)

The Sibyl Chant - Catalan

Declaration of Inmaterial Good of Cultural Interest - Annexus - Spanish Ministry of Commerce, Tourism, and Industry - Spanish

Video

The Song of the Sibyl at the Cathedral of Majorca in 2007

The Song of the Sibyl at the Cathedral of Mallorca in 2009

The Song of the Sibyl at the church of Cala Rajada, on Mallorca, sung by an adult here: Bàrbara Femenies, with Antònia Gomis on the organ, 2007.

The Song of the Sibyl, Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona, December 24th, 2009

The Song of the Sibyl at the Cathedral of Valencia in 2017

Audio

Whole version - RealAudio (Blavets de Lluc)

Fragment - MP3 (Blavets de Lluc)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song Of The Sibyl Catalan-language songs Latin-language Christian hymns Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Year of song unknown