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Use: Christmas
Required Resources: SATB choir, organ
Optional Resources: Contrabass
Language: Latin
This mystical text is the Benedictus antiphon for Lauds of the Feast of the Circumcision, written by Saint Sophronius (560-638), Patriarch of Jerusalem.
He was a staunch proponent, against prevailing heresies, of the two natures of Christ, human and divine.
This hymn defends the teachings of the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) and of Pope Saint Leo the Great.
Mirabile mysterium declaratur hodie,
innovantur naturae; Deus homo factus est.
A wondrous mystery is declared today,
natures are renewed; God has become man.
David Caudill sets the text in a slow, 6/8 time, for SATB choir and organ.
The pedal is an independent line, and can optionally be replaced or doubled by contrabass.
Mildly dissonant, this motet is quite accessible in range and style.
A wonderful, fresh option for Midnight Mass!
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