Te lucis ante terminum

General Information

Evening hymn (5th-6th cent., author anon.), sung liturgically as the Office hymn at Compline. See also O Lord, the maker of all thing for an English paraphrase.

Settings by composers

Ambrosian chant Gregorian chant Anon. (Trent codices) a 3 (1 verse) Cosmas Alder 3 verses, a 5 Henry Balfour Gardiner SATB div. & organ, in English Severus Gastorius 4 verses underlaid to same music SSA Orlando di Lasso SATB, "Procul" plus an Amen Giovanni Legrenzi all verses, SATTB & bc William Mundy "O Lord, the maker of all thing" a 4(5) Diego Ortiz a 4, alternatim

attr. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina a 4: All editions withdrawn Thomas Tallis (festal tone) alternatim, a 5 Thomas Tallis (ferial tone) alternatim, a 5, Francisco Valls a 4, string accompaniment de Wert Willaert Tomás Luis de Victoria , alternatim a 4: All CPDL editions withdrawn, but see link André Vierendeels a 4

Other settings possibly not included in the manual list above

• Sebastiano Cherici — Te lucis ante terminum
• Mariano Garau — Te lucis ante terminum
• Pietro Lappi — Te lucis ante terminum à 16
• Tanmoy Laskar — Te lucis ante terminum
• Caroline Lesemann-Elliott — Te lucis ante terminum
• Andrea Mattioli — Te lucis
• Christopher Upton — Te lucis ante terminum
• André Vierendeels — Te lucis ante terminum II

Text and translations

There are several versions of this text in Latin.

As found in the Monastic Breviary and the Roman Breviary: Latin text Te lucis ante terminum, Rerum Creator, poscimus, Ut pro tua clementia, Sis praesul et custodia. Procul recedant somnia, Et noctium phantasmata: Hostemque nostrum comprime, Ne polluantur corpora. Praesta, Pater piissime, Patrique compar Unice, Cum Spiritu Paraclito, Regnans per omne saeculum. Amen.   At Eastertide the last verse is replaced by: Deo Patri sit gloria Et filio, qui a mortis Surrexit et Paraclito, In sempiterna saecula. Until Ascension, when it changes to: Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui victor in caelum redis, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu In sempiterna saecula. At Marian feasts the following is substituted instead: Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui natus es de Virgine, Cum Patre et alma Spiritu In sempiterna saecula.

According to the Rev. E. J. Quigley in his book The Divine Office, the "unrevised" text is: Latin text Te lucis ante terminum, Rerum Creator poscimus, Ut solita clementia Sis praesul ad custodiam. Praesta pater omnipotens Per Jesum Christum Dominum Qui tecum in perpetuum Regnat cum Sancto Spiritu Tallis's settings of this hymn use the above "unrevised" version with an inserted second verse the same as the Monastic/Roman Breviary version listed first. The second verse is set in polyphony; the first and third verses use the plainsong setting.

The version in Liturgia Horarum is four verses. The first and last are as in the "unrevised" text first above, while the second and third verses are as below. Latin text Te corda nostra somnient, te per soporem sentiant, tuamque semper gloriam vicina luce concinant. Vitam salubrem tribue, nostrum calorem refice, taetram noctis caliginem tua collustret claritas.

Translations

English translation 1. To thee before the close of day, Creator of the world, we pray That, with thy wonted favor, thou Wouldst be our guard and keeper now. 2. From all ill dreams defend our sight, From fears and terrors of the night; Withhold from us our ghostly foe, That spot of sin we may not know. 3. O Father, that we ask be done, Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son, Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee, Doth live and reign eternally. Amen. Tr. John Mason Neale, 1852, alt.

German translation 1. Bevor des Tages Licht vergeht, o Herr der Welt, hör dies Gebet Behüte uns in dieser Nacht durch deine große Güt und Macht. 2. Hüllt Schlaf die müden Glieder ein, lass uns in dir geborgen sein und mach am Morgen uns bereit zum Lobe deiner Herrlichkeit 3. Dank dir, o Vater reich an Macht, der über uns voll Güte wacht und mit dem Sohn und Heilgen Geist des Lebens Fülle uns verheißt. Amen. Friedrich Dörr 1969

External links

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