Hail, True Body
Below is the track list and translations for Vox Sacra's recent recording, Hail, True Body.
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Edward Bairstow)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And stand with fear and trembling,
And lift itself above all earthly thought.
For the King of kings and Lord of Lords,
Christ our God, cometh forth to be our oblation,
And to be given for Food to the faithful.
Before Him come the choirs of angels, with every principality and power;
The Cherubim with many eyes, and winged Seraphim,
Who veil their faces as they shout exultingly the hymn, Alleluia.
Love Bade Me Welcome (David Hurd)
Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
guiltie of dust and sinne.
But quick-eyed Love observing me grow slack
from my first entrance in,
drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
if I lacked anything.
A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I, the unkinde, ungrateful? Ah, my deare,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?
Truth, Lord but I have marred them: let my shame
go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, sayes Love, who bore the blame?
My deare, then I will serve.
You must sit down, sayes Love, and taste my meat:
so I did sit and eat.
Ave verum corpus (William Byrd)
Hail, true body, born of the Virgin Mary:
You who truly suffered and were sacrificed on the cross for the sake of man.
From whose pierced flank flowed water and blood:
Be a foretaste for us in the trial of death.
O sweet, O merciful, O Jesus, Son of Mary.
Have mercy on me. Amen.
Ave verum corpus (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Ave verum corpus (Camille Saint-Saëns)
The Eyes of All (David Ashley White)
The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord;
and you give them their food in due season.
You open wide your hand
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and loving in all his works.
The Lord is near to those who call upon him,
to all who call upon him faithfully.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and helps them.
The Lord preserves all those who love him,
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever.
Soul of Christ (Lance Massey)
Soul of Christ, be my sanctification;
Body of Christ, be my salvation;
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins;
Water from Christ’s side, wash out my stains;
Passion of Christ, my comfort be;
O good Jesus, listen to me.
In thy wounds I fain would hide,
Ne’er to be parted from thy side.
Guard me when my foes assail me;
Guide me when my feet shall fail me;
Bid me come to thee above,
With thy saints to sing thy love,
For ever and ever. Amen.
Jesu dulcis memoria (Leo Nestor)
Jesus, sweet remembrance,
Granting the heart its true joys,
But above honey and all things
Is His sweet presence.
Nothing more pleasing can be sung,
Nothing gladder can be heard
Nothing sweeter can be thought
Than Jesus, son of God.
Jesus, hope of the penitent,
How merciful you are to those who ask,
How good to those who seek,
But O, what you are to those who find!
Tongue has no power to describe
Nor writings to express
But only belief can know by experience
What it is to love Jesus.
Be our joy, O Jesus,
Who will be the prize we win,
May all our glory be in you, always
And through all ages.
Amen.
Adoro te devote (arr. Andrew R. Motyka)
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived:
How says trusty hearing? That shall be believed;
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.
On the cross thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here thy very manhood steals from human ken:
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.
I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call thee Lord and God as he;
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.
O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
There be thou the sweetness man was meant to find.
Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican;
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran –
Blood whereof a single drop has the power to win
All the world salvation of its world of sin.
Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee send me what I thirst for so,
Someday to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest for ever with thy glory’s sight. Amen.
Tantum ergo (Kevin Allen)
Therefore, so greatly the Sacrament
Let us venerate with heads bowed
And let the old practice
Give way to the new rite;
Let faith provide a supplement
For the failure of the senses.
To the Begetter and the Begotten,
Be praise and jubilation,
Hail, honor, virtue also,
And blessing too:
To the One proceeding from Both
Let there be equal praise.
Amen.
Author of Life Divine (Peter Aston)
Author of life divine,
Who hast a table spread,
Furnished with mystic wine
And everlasting bread,
Preserve the life thy self hast giv’n,
And feed and train us up for heav’n.
Our needy souls sustain
With fresh supplies of love,
Till all thy life we gain
And all thy fulness prove,
And, strengthened by thy perfect grace,
Behold without a veil thy face.
O sacrum convivium (Tomás Luis de Victoria)
O sacred banquet, wherein Christ is received;
the memorial of his passion is renewed;
the soul is filled with grace;
and a pledge of future glory is given to us.
Alleluia.
This Gift is Free (Fred Gramann)
Come to the waters, all who are thirsty.
O come and drink. This gift is free.
Come to the table, all who are hungry.
O come and feast. This gift is free.
Come to the tree of life, laden with fruit for you.
O come and taste. This gift is free.
Come to the banquet hall. A place is set for you.
O come and sit awhile. This gift is free.
Why do you buy food which cannot feed the soul?
Or labor on for that which will not make you whole?
Come unto me and taste the food I give.
Come unto me so that your soul may live.
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And stand with fear and trembling,
And lift itself above all earthly thought.
For the King of kings and Lord of Lords,
Christ our God, cometh forth to be our oblation,
And to be given for Food to the faithful.
Before Him come the choirs of angels, with every principality and power;
The Cherubim with many eyes, and winged Seraphim,
Who veil their faces as they shout exultingly the hymn, Alleluia.
Love Bade Me Welcome (David Hurd)
Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
guiltie of dust and sinne.
But quick-eyed Love observing me grow slack
from my first entrance in,
drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
if I lacked anything.
A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I, the unkinde, ungrateful? Ah, my deare,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?
Truth, Lord but I have marred them: let my shame
go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, sayes Love, who bore the blame?
My deare, then I will serve.
You must sit down, sayes Love, and taste my meat:
so I did sit and eat.
Ave verum corpus (William Byrd)
Hail, true body, born of the Virgin Mary:
You who truly suffered and were sacrificed on the cross for the sake of man.
From whose pierced flank flowed water and blood:
Be a foretaste for us in the trial of death.
O sweet, O merciful, O Jesus, Son of Mary.
Have mercy on me. Amen.
Ave verum corpus (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Ave verum corpus (Camille Saint-Saëns)
The Eyes of All (David Ashley White)
The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord;
and you give them their food in due season.
You open wide your hand
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and loving in all his works.
The Lord is near to those who call upon him,
to all who call upon him faithfully.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and helps them.
The Lord preserves all those who love him,
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever.
Soul of Christ (Lance Massey)
Soul of Christ, be my sanctification;
Body of Christ, be my salvation;
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins;
Water from Christ’s side, wash out my stains;
Passion of Christ, my comfort be;
O good Jesus, listen to me.
In thy wounds I fain would hide,
Ne’er to be parted from thy side.
Guard me when my foes assail me;
Guide me when my feet shall fail me;
Bid me come to thee above,
With thy saints to sing thy love,
For ever and ever. Amen.
Jesu dulcis memoria (Leo Nestor)
Jesus, sweet remembrance,
Granting the heart its true joys,
But above honey and all things
Is His sweet presence.
Nothing more pleasing can be sung,
Nothing gladder can be heard
Nothing sweeter can be thought
Than Jesus, son of God.
Jesus, hope of the penitent,
How merciful you are to those who ask,
How good to those who seek,
But O, what you are to those who find!
Tongue has no power to describe
Nor writings to express
But only belief can know by experience
What it is to love Jesus.
Be our joy, O Jesus,
Who will be the prize we win,
May all our glory be in you, always
And through all ages.
Amen.
Adoro te devote (arr. Andrew R. Motyka)
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived:
How says trusty hearing? That shall be believed;
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.
On the cross thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here thy very manhood steals from human ken:
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.
I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call thee Lord and God as he;
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.
O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
There be thou the sweetness man was meant to find.
Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican;
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran –
Blood whereof a single drop has the power to win
All the world salvation of its world of sin.
Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee send me what I thirst for so,
Someday to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest for ever with thy glory’s sight. Amen.
Tantum ergo (Kevin Allen)
Therefore, so greatly the Sacrament
Let us venerate with heads bowed
And let the old practice
Give way to the new rite;
Let faith provide a supplement
For the failure of the senses.
To the Begetter and the Begotten,
Be praise and jubilation,
Hail, honor, virtue also,
And blessing too:
To the One proceeding from Both
Let there be equal praise.
Amen.
Author of Life Divine (Peter Aston)
Author of life divine,
Who hast a table spread,
Furnished with mystic wine
And everlasting bread,
Preserve the life thy self hast giv’n,
And feed and train us up for heav’n.
Our needy souls sustain
With fresh supplies of love,
Till all thy life we gain
And all thy fulness prove,
And, strengthened by thy perfect grace,
Behold without a veil thy face.
O sacrum convivium (Tomás Luis de Victoria)
O sacred banquet, wherein Christ is received;
the memorial of his passion is renewed;
the soul is filled with grace;
and a pledge of future glory is given to us.
Alleluia.
This Gift is Free (Fred Gramann)
Come to the waters, all who are thirsty.
O come and drink. This gift is free.
Come to the table, all who are hungry.
O come and feast. This gift is free.
Come to the tree of life, laden with fruit for you.
O come and taste. This gift is free.
Come to the banquet hall. A place is set for you.
O come and sit awhile. This gift is free.
Why do you buy food which cannot feed the soul?
Or labor on for that which will not make you whole?
Come unto me and taste the food I give.
Come unto me so that your soul may live.
