November 1: The Feast of All Saints

The Feast of All Saints is one of my favorite days of the entire year. I'm not exactly sure why, except that at my first High-Church Episcopal All Saints' Day service, I heard some spectacular music and the wonderful readings on the day - and both things have stayed with me ever since. (Of course, because of the Revised Common Lectionary, we're not hearing the BCP readings on All Saints' Day anymore; not hearing the terrific "Let us now sing the praises of famous men, our ancestors in their generations" from Ecclesiasticus this weekend will be a huge disappointment.)

From Hymn melodies for the whole year from the Sarum service-books, the hymns for the Feast of All Saints are:

On the Feast of All Saints (Nov. 1) :
1st Ev. & Matt.: Jesu Salvator seculi, Redemptis ... ... ... 25
Lauds & 2nd Ev.: Christe, Redemptor omnium, Conserva ... ... ... 26

Here's a page with a list of some compositions based on hymns; they've got the Latin and English for Jesu Salvator seculi, Redemptis via John Sheppard [c.1515 ? c.1560]:

Jesu salvator seculi redemptis ope subveni et pia Dei genitrix salutem posce miseris.
Cetus omnes angelici patriarcharum cunei ac prophetarum merita nobis precentor veniam.
Baptista Christi praevius et claviger aetherius cum ceteris apostolis nos solvant nexu criminis.
Chorus sacratus martirum confessio sacerdotum et virginalis castitas nos a peccatis abluant.
Clericorum suffragia omnes quae cives celici annuant votis supplicum et vitae poscant praemium.
Laus, honor, virtus, gloria Deo Patri et Filio sancto simul paracleto in sempiterna secula.
Amen.

Jesus, saviour of the age, help the redeemed with your aid ; and pious mother of God, ask for the safety of unhappy men. All the assemblies of angels, cradles of the patriarchs and deserving deeds of the prophets, provider of pardon to us. May John the Baptist, forerunner of Christ, and the heavenly key-bearer, together with the other Apostles, release us from bonds of sin. May the blessed choir of Martyrs, the confession of priests and the chastity of the Virgin absolve us from sin. May the influence of the scholars and all those citizens who enrich the heavenly host with their prayers ask for the reward of mercy and the reward of life. Praise, honour, virtue and glory to god the Father and Son and to the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen

This is sung to tune #25 from Hymn melodies for the whole year; again the tune sounds like this (mp3) and looks like this:





Here's TPL on Christe, Redemptor omnium, Conserva:

This hymn is attributed to Rabanus Maurus (776-856). In the Roman Breviary it appears as the hymn Placare, Christe, servulis. In the interest of conforming to classical models, Pope Urban VIII revised Maurus' hymn leaving only line 22 unaltered. Thus given the extent of the changes, that hymn ought to be considered as a hymn distinct from this one. Christe, Redemptor omnium is used for first and second Vespers for the Feast of All Saints (Nov. 1).

Here are the words in Latin and English (and I really don't like this translation, but it's the only one I could find):

Christe, redemptor omnium,
conserva tuos famulos,
beatæ semper Virginis
placatus sanctis precibus.

Beata quoque agmina
cælestium spirituum,
præterita, præsentia,
futura mala pellite.

Vates æterni iudicis
apostolique Domini,
suppliciter exposcimus
salvari vestris precibus.

Martyres Dei incliti
confessoresque lucidi,
vestris orationibus
nos ferte in cælestibus.

Chori sanctarum virginum
monachorumque omnium,
simul cum sanctis omnibus
consortes Christi facite.

Sit Trinitati gloria,
vestrasque voces iungite
ut illi laudes debitas
persolvamus alacriter.

TO Thy poor servants reconciled
show mercy, Christ, for whom the mild
and Virgin Patroness this grace
implore before Thy Father's face.

Ye glorious hosts, whose circle nine
before God's throne refulgent shine,
shield us with your celestial arms
from past, present, and future harms.

Apostles with the Prophets plead
for weeping sinners in their need,
that from their Judge severe they gain
pardon, effacing guilt's dark stain.

Ye purpled martyrs, you, now dressed
in white because your lives confessed
your Lord on earth, us exiles call
unto the fatherland of all.

O choir of virgins, stainless band!
and ye for whom the desert-land
made sure the way to heavenly rest,
prepare us mansions with the blest.

The race perfidious expel
from regions where the faithful dwell;
let one sole shepherd be our guide,
all Christians in one fold abide.

Glory, O Father! to Thy name;
eternal Son, to Thine the same;
to Holy Paraclete be praise
throughout the everlasting days.

Here's hymn tune #26:



Here is the Omnium Sanctorum page at Medieval Music Database, for your viewing pleasure. And here are all the mass chants from the Benedictines of Brazil.

The Introit, Gaudeamus Sanctorum omnium , is also very beautiful. Here's the mp3, and here's the score:




Here's the Offertory (mp3), Iustorum Animae; here's the chant score:




The words, from the Book of Wisdom, are these, in Latin and English:

Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt,
et non tanget illos tormentum mortis.
Visi sunt oculis insipientium mori,
illi autem sunt in pace.

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and the torment of death shall not touch them.
In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die;
but they are in peace.

Here is Stanford's Iustorum Animae, sung by the "Ust Singers" in a concert at "la Iglesia de La exaltacion de la Santa Cruz en Zaragoza." Pretty good, too.



The Orthodox have some really nice All Saints' Day icons; here's my favorite so far, called "Saints of Russia."