"Te Splendor" is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

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 ...

dedicated to Saint Michael, the Archangel. The hymn derives its name from the fact that in Latin it begins with the words: ''Te splendor et virtus Patris''. The hymn is found in the Roman Breviary.

History

"Te splendor et virtus Patris" is based on the hymn "Tibi, Christe, splendor Patris" attributed to Rabanus Maurus, which was revised in 1632 by Pope Urban VIII. Many churches and religious orders continued to use the original version. In the Roman Breviary, "Te Splendor" is traditionally sung at

Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , meanin ...

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 b ...

on the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel (September 29), which also commemorates the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel and all the Angels on Mount Gargano. (The apparition of St. Michael at Gargano is observed on May 8.) In 1817 Pope Pius VII granted an

indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of ...

of 200 days once a day for saying the hymn (including antiphon and prayer) with a contrite heart and devotion, in honor of St. Michael the Archangel in order to obtain his patronage and protection against the assaults of the enemy of man. The hymn is included in the

Raccolta The ''Raccolta'' (literally, "collection" in Italian), is a book, published in many editions from 1807 to 1952, that collected the texts of Roman Catholic prayers and briefly described other acts of piety, such as visiting and praying in particula ...

collection of prayers, and its authorized translations.

Versions

Tomás Luis de Victoria Tomás Luis de Victoria (sometimes Italianised as ''da Vittoria''; ) was the most famous Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Orlande de Lassus as among the principal composers of the late Ren ...

composed an arrangement of "Tibi Christe splendor patris".

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 ...

arranged it as a hymn for four voices;

Luca Marenzio Luca Marenzio (also Marentio; October 18, 1553 or 1554 – August 22, 1599) was an Italian composer and singer of the late Renaissance. He was one of the most renowned composers of madrigals, and wrote some of the most famous examples of the fo ...

set it as a motet. "Te Splendor et virtus Patris" forms a part of

Marcel Dupré Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré () (3 May 1886 – 30 May 1971) was a French organist, composer, and pedagogue. Biography Born in Rouen into a wealthy musical family, Marcel Dupré was a child prodigy. His father Aimable Albert Dupré was titular o ...

's "Le Tombeau de Titelouze" for organ. English Catholic priest Frederick Charles Husenbeth did an English translation from the Latin, as did Anglican priest and hymnwriter

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 ...

in his 1867 ''Mediæval Hymns and Sequences''. Catholic Oratorian

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, ...

's, translation is rendered as "O Jesu! Life-Spring of the Soul".''Lyra Catholica: containing all the Breviary and Missal hymns, with others from various sources''
(Translated by Edward Caswall), E. Dunigan & Bros., 1851

Hymn

English text of the hymn is as follows:

References

{{Reflist

Sources

* The Raccolta ''Collection of indulgenced prayers'' by T. Galli, authorized translation by Ambrose Saint John, Published by Burns and Lambert, London, 1857, page 252.

External links

"Tibi, Christe, splendor Patris", Victoria

"Te splendor et virtus Patris", plainchant

"Te splendor et virtus Patris", Dupré
Roman Catholic prayers Michael (archangel)