A Song for the Easter Vigil: Sicut Cervus

Sicut Cervus is the chant sung at the Easter Vigil during the procession to the font for Baptism.  It's called in some places a "canticle" - but it is a Psalm, so the word really doesn't quite fit, to my way of thinking.

Here it is, sung by "the Congregation of St. Lazarus Autun."



The beautiful text comes from Psalm 42:

Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum, ita desiderat anima mea ad te, Deus.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.

Here's the ChristusRex.org version (mp3) on the Easter Vigil page; the score is below:

Here's Palestrina's polyphonic version of this beautiful song, which we will be singing tonight at the Vigil in its traditional place during the procession to the font.



Supremely lovely.


Here are all the chants for the Easter Vigil, from ChristusRex.org, and sung by the Sao Paulo Benedictines:

Dominica Paschæ in Resurrectione Domini
Ad Vigiliam Paschalem in Nocte Santa

Lumen Christi (9.9s - 158 kb) score

Præconium Paschale

(provisory mono files) Exsultet iam (2m16.2s - 400 kb)  Per omnia (33.5s - 101 kb)  Vere dignum (4m43.9s - 835 kb)  In huius (1m42.2s - 303 kb)  Oramus ergo (3m00.2s - 531 kb)

Ad liturgiam verbi - cantica post lectiones

Canticum: Iubilate Domino (1m23.0s - 1298 kb) score
Canticum: Qui confidunt
Canticum: Cantemus Domino (2m12.9kb - 2078 kb) score
Canticum: Laudate Dominum
Canticum: Vinea facta est (1m40.0s - 1564 kb) score
Canticum: Attende cælum
Canticum: Sicut cervus (2m01.6s - 1902 kb) score
Alleluia: Confitemini Domino (3m15.1s - 3052 kb) score
Antiphona: Vidi aquam (1m29.4s - 1400 kb) score

Offertorium: Dextera Domini (1m36.7s - 1512 kb) score
Communio: Alleluia (1m11.9s - 1124 kb) score
Ite missa est (28.7s - 451 kb) score

And here are posts on some of these at Chantblog:

• Exsultet (or Exsultet!)
• The Easter Vigil: Alleluia!
• A Song for the Easter Vigil:  Sicut Cervus
• Vidi Aquam
• The Easter Vigil Offertory: Dextera Domini