Sub Tuum Praesidium Chant Pdf

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Denisha Cerniglia

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Aug 3, 2024, 10:08:21 AM8/3/24

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The earliest text of this hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas liturgy. Rylands Papyrus 470 records the hymn in Greek, and was dated to the 3rd century by papyrologist E. Lobel and by scholar C.H. Roberts to the 4th century.[2][3][4][5] By contrast, Hans Frster dates it to the 8th century and states that Roberts merely quoted Lobel, and that there is no consensus supporting the Lobel date.[6] Although he notes that a number of scholars support Lobel and Roberts, Towarek follows Frster and others in concluding that the earliest textual witness to the hymn is of 6th/7th century provenance and that it only became liturgically prevalent in the Middle Ages.[7]

The Sub Tuum was part of the Order of Sulpician custom that all classes ended with a recitation of this prayer.[10] Besides the Greek text, ancient versions can be found in Coptic, Syriac, Armenian and Latin.[11]

Henri de Villiers finds in the term "blessed" a reference to the salutation by Saint Elizabeth in Luke 1:42.[11] 'Praesidium' is translated as "an assistance given in time of war by fresh troops in a strong manner."[12]

The former medieval and post-medieval practice in several dioceses, especially in France, was to use the Sub tuum as the final antiphon at Compline instead of the Salve Regina,[11] and in the Rite of Braga, where it is sung at the end of Mass.

Pope Pius VI in the decree of 5 April 1786 granted the indulgence of one hundred days and, on Sundays, of 7 years and the same number of forty years to anyone who with a heart contrition recited in the morning the antiphon Salve Regina and in the evening the Sub tuum praesidium.[13]

In the Byzantine Rite used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, the hymn is the last apolytikion of Vespers celebrated during Great Lent on Sunday evenings and weekdays.[15] It is also the last apolytikion of Vespers on other Days of Alleluia outside of Great Lent.[16] In Greek practice, it is usually sung in Neo-Byzantine chant.

The prayer has a special importance in Ukrainian Orthodoxy because Ukrainians connect it to the Intercession aspect of the Mother of God, which in its turn is outstandingly hallowed in the Ukrainian tradition.

In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church it is used as the antiphon for the Nunc Dimittis at Compline in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in the Liturgy of the Hours may be used as the Marian antiphon after Compline or Vespers outside of Eastertide.

The prayer has a special significance for Marists,[10] and it is often heard in Marist schools and groups around the world. It is also commonly used by the Salesians in honor of Mary Help of Christians.

Since 2018, Pope Francis has asked to pray this hymn along with the Rosary and the Prayer to Saint Michael asking for the unity of the Church during October (2018) in the face of diverse scandals and accusations. In the official communiqu he added that "Russian mystics and the great saints of all the traditions advised, in moments of spiritual turbulence, to shelter beneath the mantle of the Holy Mother of God pronouncing the invocation 'Sub Tuum Praesidium'".[17]

Other than the traditional and modern chant settings, which are the most commonly used, the most well-known musical setting in Slavonic traditiona is perhaps that of the Ukrainian composer Dmitry Bortniansky. Another Ukrainian version was composed by Ihor Sonevytsky.

This version continues to be used by the Old Believers today, as well as those churches (Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic alike) which use the Ruthenian Recension.[20] In the 17th century, under the liturgical reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow, the Russian Orthodox Church adopted a new translation (but parishes continue to use the form given above):[citation needed]

Guest article by Henri de Villiers, Paris

The Sub tuum praesidium is probably the oldest Christian prayer dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This prayer was long used in both Eastern and Western rites, even if numerous variants existed at the time. In 1917, the John Rylands Library in Manchester managed to acquire a large panel of Egyptian papyrus -- the exact area where they were discovered is unknown -- including an 18 cm by 9.4 cm fragment containing the text of this prayer in Greek.

I. An Egyptian Papyrus of the Third Century

Note: There are various published versions of the "Sub tuum praesidium." To obtain the music with updated notation, please purchase the current Antiphonale Monasticum I (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, 2005) at solesmes.com . An earlier version may be found in the Antiphonale Monasticum (1934).

The Marian prayer Sub tuum praesidium is thought to be the oldest of prayers dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ancient forms of the prayer have been found in Greek, Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, and Latin. A third century Egyptian papyrus fragment of the prayer in its Greek form can still be viewed today at the John Rylands Library in England.

Nicholas Lemme is Professor of Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, and voice at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, and Choir Master at St. Francis of Assisi Oratory in Lincoln. You can learn more about his work on his website www.nicholaslemme.com.

I suspect somebody can find obscure hymns that are old, but I'm looking for old hymns that are still sung widely. Things like the Doxology, the Sanctus, or other parts of the Mass would be likely candidates: as long as the song is still sung widely, I'm fine with translations of the original lyrics, but I'd prefer that the original tune/music be at least known, if not used.

Probably the oldest text you'll find is the Phos Hilaron, sometimes known as "Hail gladdening light". The earliest music for it was a Byzantine Chant, and it's still largely sung in churches worldwide, though not so much in the West.

The text, "Let All Mortal Flesh keep Silence", may be a close contender to the Phos Hilaron. It is in common use in some English speaking churches in the West, and the text is thought by some authorities to date back to the third century, perhaps 275 AD, or about the time of the Phos.

But this begs the question of exactly what you are looking for by way of criterion for determination. "The Song of Miriam" from Exodus has been used in Western Churches for years, and was included in the Book of Common Prayer of 1549 in English. Do you date this to the time of original composition, just after the Crossing of the Red Sea, or does it only count from the time it was translated to English (late 15th / early 16th Centuries)? And some very old texts, like "Worthy is the Lamb", from Revelations 5:12-13, but was adapted as a hymn about 60 years ago, or so; the Phos Hilaron is a very old text, but it only became popular as a hymn within the past century, or so.

I was going to say Adeste Fideles "Oh Come all Ye Faithful" as it was anachronistically placed in my kids' cartoon about St. Nicholas of Myra. It's old, but, Te Deum (4th century) was attributed to St. Ambrose and is sung by lots of Catholic religious to this day while praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

Hymns by Clement of Alexandria. There are two in The Hymnal 1982: "Shepherd of Tender Youth," and "Sunset to Sunrise Changes Now." Most cite "Shepherd of Tender Youth" as the elder hymn, dating to around CE 200. We're using "Sunset to Sunrise Changes Now" today.

Not an expert, but "Savior of the Nations Come", I would think is surely in the top 10 of the oldest surviving hymns.St. Ambrose of Milan wrote this hymn in Latin ("Veni, Redemptor gentium") in the fourth century. In 1523, Martin Luther translated this text into German.Because of Martin Luther's influence and translation work, this hymn is probably one of the best known Advent hymns in Lutheran circles. However, a number of variations of this hymn found its way into a number of English church hymnals, including those published by Methodist and Presbyterian and Roman Catholic church.

The oldest hymn is, according to the Catholic Church, a simple hymn that was most likely written by an anonymous shepherd. The song was originally sang and played, but was written down, most likely several years later and probably sounded a little more like a Gregorian Chant than the hymn we know today. None the less, the song was very familiar in the time of St. Pius I, who served as Pope from 140 to 155 A.D. We do not know the date, but one year, St. Pius I issued a decree to the Christian Churches that they meet on a specific Sunday to celebrate the birth of Christ some 150 years before. We do not know if the date was December 25th, or some other date, or specifically which year. What we do know is the Decree instructed that each of the churches sing "the old familiar song." The song couldn't have been all that old, since Christianity itself was less than a hundred and fifty years old. The words of the song were included in the note, however, all that has survived to us is part of the chorus. But that is enough for us to know that the author was probably an eye-witness to the events in which he wrote (originally in Greek, later translated to Latin and French, and finally English), "Angels, we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plain."

The earliest text of this hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas liturgy. The papyrus records the hymn in Greek, dated to the 3rd century by papyrologist E. Lobel and by scholar C.H. Roberts to the 4th century. According to scholar Serafim Seppl "there are no determinate theological or philological reasons to reject the 3rd century dating."

The hymn is used in the Coptic liturgy to this day, as well as in the Armenian, Byzantine, Ambrosian, and Roman Rite liturgies. It was part of Sulpician custom that all classes ended with a recitation of this prayer. Besides the Greek text, ancient versions can be found in Coptic, Syriac, Armenian and Latin.

Henri de Villiers finds in the term "blessed" a reference to the salutation by Elizabeth in Luke 1:42. "Praesidium" is translated as "an assistance given in time of war by fresh troops in a strong manner."