The best Christmas Carols are the medieval ones! Last week’s Guggenheim concerts included Robert Pearsall’s luscious setting of “In dulci jubilo”, possibly my favorite carol of all. Merry Christmas!
The best Christmas Carols are the medieval ones! Last week’s Guggenheim concerts included Robert Pearsall’s luscious setting of “In dulci jubilo”, possibly my favorite carol of all. Merry Christmas!
"In dulci jubilo" (Latin for "In sweet rejoicing") is a traditional Christmas carol. In its original setting, the carol is a macaronic text of German and Latin dating from the Middle Ages. Subsequent translations into English, such as J. M. Neale's arrangement "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" have increased its popularity, and Robert Pearsall's 1837 macaronic translation is a mainstay of the Christmas Nine Lessons and Carols repertoire. J. S. Bach's chorale prelude based on the tune (BWV 729) is also a traditional postlude for Christmas services.
The original song text, a macaronic alternation of Medieval German and Latin, is thought to have been written by the German mystic Heinrich Seuse circa 1328.[1] According to folklore, Seuse heard angels sing these words and joined them in a dance of worship.[2] In his biography (or perhaps autobiography), it was written:
"In dulci jubilo" The melody as published in the 1582 Finnish music collection Piae Cantiones , which alternates the Latin with Swedish. Song Language German, Latin " In dulci jubilo" ( Latin for "In sweet rejoicing") is a traditional Christmas carol.