By Cynthia Kaldis

Description

Paperback:
Latin text, English translation, vocabulary, essays, and bibliography to accompany the musical performance. This is also the libretto for audio-cassette listening.

Cassette:
An original performance by The Lafayette Chamber Singers Directed by Clayton Lein.

These arrangements come from all periods of music, from 12th century Hildegard of Bingen to such 20th-century luminaries as Pablo Casals and Francis Poulenc.

Special Features

Paperback:
• an original Latin text for each of the 17 lyrics
• a professional English translation
• a list of key Latin vocabulary items
• a succinct background essay on each lyric
• commentary on the specific musical arrangement for each selection
• many illustrations

Cassette:
• O Sacrum Convivium
• Dulcis Amica
• The Virgin's Cradle Hymn
• Poculum Elevatum
• Ave Regina Coelorum
• Ubi Caritas
• O Vos Omnes
• Song of the Nuns of Chester
• Orientis Partibus
• Non Nobis, Domine
• Ave Verum
• Ave Generosa

Comments and Reviews

[Kaldis] has put together a collection of fifteen musical pieces extending from the fourth century A.D. to modern times in order to illustrate the enduring diversity and beauty of Latin verses and the equally beautiful music which they...inspired. ...Both the text and the cassette should whet our appetite for learning more about the role of Latin songs and hymns in the Western tradition and the kinds of artistic expression they prompted.

- The Classical Outlook

In sum, it is fair to say that the author has achieved her purposes. Teachers can use this publication to good advantage in their second or third year classes to enrich the student's experience and to expand their appreciation of Latin verses through the ages. Both the text and the cassette should whet our appetites for learning more about the role of Latin songs and hymns in the western tradition and the kinds of artistic expression they prompted.

— Louis J. Swift
University of Kentucky
The Classical Outlook
Fall, 1993