- Panis Angelicus
"Panis angelicus" is the penultimate
strophe of the hymn " [http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Hymni/SacrisSol.html Sacris solemniis] " written by SaintThomas Aquinas for theFeast of Corpus Christi as part of a complete liturgy of the Feast including prayers for the Mass and theLiturgy of the Hours .The strophe of "Sacris solemniis" that begins with the words "Panis angelicus" (bread of angels) has often been set to music separately from the rest of the hymn. Most famously, in 1872
César Franck set this strophe fortenor , organ,harp ,cello , anddouble bass ; later arranging it for tenor, chorus, and orchestra, he incorporated it into his "Messe solennelle" Opus 12. The1932 performance of that work by CountJohn McCormack inDublin 'sPhoenix Park became the highlight of his career. It has been also sung effectively byLuciano Pavarotti ,Plácido Domingo ,Richard Crooks , andRoberto Alagna , as well as by the sopranosMagda Olivero andRenata Scotto .The phenomenon whereby the strophe of "Sacris solemniis" that begins with the words "Panis angelicus" is often treated as a separate hymn has occurred also with other hymns that Thomas Aquinas wrote for Corpus Christi: "Verbum supernum prodiens" (the last two strophes begin with "
O salutaris Hostia ") and "Pange lingua gloriosi" (the last two strophes begin with "Tantum ergo ", in which case the word "ergo" ["therefore"] makes evident that this part is the continuation of a longer hymn).Text of "Panis angelicus", with doxology
The article [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13321b.htm Sacris Solemniis] in the
Catholic Encyclopedia discusses the merits of a number of different translations.External links
* [http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Hymni/SacrisSol.html full text of "Sacris Solemniis", with an English translation]
* [http://www.chantcd.com/lyrics/bread_of_angels.htm Gregorian Chants]
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