Victimae paschali laudes

Victimae paschali laudes is a sequence prescribed for the Roman Catholic Mass and liturgical Protestant Eucharists of Easter Sunday. It is usually attributed to the 11th century Wipo of Burgundy, chaplain to the German Emperor Conrad II, but has also been attributed to Notker Balbulus, Robert II of France, and Adam of St. Victor.

Victimae Paschali Laudes is one of only four medieval sequences that were preserved in the Missale Romanum published in 1570 after the Council of Trent (1545-63). The three others were the "Veni Sancte Spiritus" for the feast of Pentecost, "Lauda Sion" for Corpus Christi, and the "Dies Irae" for the Requiem Mass (a fifth sequence, the "Stabat Mater" for the Feast of the Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was added to the missal by Pope Benedict XIII in 1727^[1]). Before Trent, many other feasts also had their own sequences,^[2] and some 16 different sequences for Easter were in use.^[3]

Victimae Paschali Laudes is one of the few sequences that are still in liturgical use today. Its text was set to different music by many Renaissance and Baroque composers, including Busnois, Josquin, Lassus, Willaert, Hans Buchner, Palestrina, Byrd, Perosi, and Fernando de las Infantas. Chorales derived from Victimae Paschali Laudes include "Christ ist erstanden" (12th century) and Martin Luther's "Christ lag in Todes Banden".

The section beginning "Credendum est," with its pejorative reference to the Jews, was deleted in the 1570 missal, which also replaced "praecedet suos (his own)" with "praecedet vos (you)", and added "Amen" and "Alleluia" to the end.

Text

Latin Victimae paschali laudes immolent Christiani. Agnus redemit oves: Christus innocens Patri reconciliavit peccatores. Mors et vita duello conflixere mirando: dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus. Dic nobis Maria, quid vidisti in via? Sepulcrum Christi viventis, et gloriam vidi resurgentis: Angelicos testes, sudarium, et vestes. Surrexit Christus spes mea: praecedet suos [vos] in Galilaeam. [Credendum est magis soli Mariae veraci Quam Judaeorum Turbae fallaci.] Scimus Christum surrexisse a mortuis vere: tu nobis, victor Rex, miserere. [Amen.] [Alleluia.]

English Let Christians offer sacrificial praises to the passover victim. The lamb has redeemed the sheep: The Innocent Christ has reconciled the sinners to the Father. Death and life contended in a spectacular battle: the Prince of life, who died, reigns alive. Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the road? "I saw the tomb of the living Christ and the glory of his rising, The angelic witnesses, the clothes and the shroud." "Christ my hope is arisen; into Galilee, he will go before his own." [Happy they who bear the witness Mary's word believing above the tales of Jewry deceiving.] We know Christ is truly risen from the dead! To us, victorious King, have mercy! Amen. [Alleluia.]

Media Easter performance with choir and organ Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris Victimae Paschali Laudes A recording by a soprano. Problems playing this file? See media help. Νotes Heartz, Daniel (1995). Haydn, Mozart and the Viennese School: 1740-1780. W.W. Norton & Co. p. 305. ISBN 0-393-03712-6. Retrieved 3 April 2011. David Hiley, Western Plainchant : A Handbook (OUP, 1993), II.22, pp.172-195 Joseph Kehrein, Lateinische Sequenzen des Mittelalters (Mainz 1873) pp78-90 External links Victimae paschali laudes from both Codex Las Huelgas (c. 1300-25) and Missale Romanum (1570) (PDF format). Settings and translations at Choralwiki Catholic Encyclopedia article