The Feast of the Transfiguration, observed today in some church calendars, is a relatively new addition, having only been "officially" observed since the fifteenth century in Western traditions. In more recent times, some denominations mark the occasion on the last Sunday before Lent, so I suppose there are churches where both dates are observed. Observing the Transfiguration on the final Sunday in the Epiphany season also brings together the theme of light which is part of both: the Epiphany star and the light from above that transfigures Jesus (as in Gustave Dore's woodcut here which will expand if you click on it). For some unremembered reason I didn't present a Transfiguration hymn back in February so here's another chance.
This hymn is also from the fifteenth century, originally in Latin and translated in the nineteenth century.
O wondrous sight! O vision fair
Of glory that the church may share,
Which Christ upon the mountain shows,
Where brighter than the sun Christ glows!
The law and prophets there have place,
Two chosen witnesses of grace,
And God's own voice from out the cloud
Proclaims the Savior Christ aloud.
With shining face and bright array,
Christ deigns to manifest that day
What glory shall be theirs above
Who joy in God with perfect love.
And faithful hearts are raised on high
By this great vision’s mystery;
For which in joyful strains we raise
The voice of prayer, the hymn of praise.
Sarum Breviary, 1495; tr. John Mason Neale, 1851
Tune: DEO GRATIAS (L.M.)
English melody, c. 1415
The tune DEO GRATIAS is adapted from a famous melody known as the Agincourt Carol, which originally accompanied a song recounting the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, in which the English defeated the French. It seems ideally suited for this hymn, though some hymnals prefer the somewhat more ordinary WAREHAM (even the Episcopalians, who supposedly have a reputation for more interesting musical settings).
2 comments:
Thanks. I'm rather fond of Brian Wren's hymn on this, myself; I've seen it in various redactions but probably the most common incipit is "Christ upon the mountain peak"; I don't necessarily prefer the tune Oremus gives, though it's good...
Leland aka Haruo
I do like Wren's modern Transfiguration hymn, and it's nice that Oremus has permission to publish it. I recently saw it in a hymnal with a date of 1962, which would make it one of his earliest hymns, though maybe it wasn't published until 1977, the copyright date. I think Taylor's tune MOWBRAY was written for this hymn; I'm not sure it would go well with any other text.
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