Oratory of Jesus: Humani Generis Cessent Suspiria: Transcribed Chant

 Introduction

The Oratory of Jesus was founded by Cardinal Pierre de Bérulle (1575-1629). Famous members include St. John Eudes (1601-1680)--before forming his own congregation--and Jean-Jacques Olier (1608-1657). The French school of spirituality, founded by Bérulle and perpetuated by the Oratory, was a major force in the spiritual formation of St. Louis Marie de Montfort (1673-1716). The Oratory is a society of priests, not a traditional religious order, and their emphasis is on Jesus and His humility in the Incarnation.  Their liturgical calendar has a few peculiar feasts, most notably the Solemnity of Jesus (January 28), as well as a special commemoration of the Incarnation on the 25th of every month.  However, the hymn transcribed here is simply a special sequence for the Feast of the Annunciation, taken from a book of hymns for the use of the Oratory.

I posted a translation of this sequence to my old website, "Undusted Texts," back in 2017.  What I've done here is simply transcribe the Gregorian chant melody for the sequence to modern Western musical notation, along with a transcription of the Latin text.  I've working on adapting my translation to this melody, and I hope to post a version of that soon.  The guide I used for transcribing the chant melody is the introduction of Kyriale seu Ordinarium Missarum in Recentioris Musicæ Notulas Translatum, Editio Altera (Rome/Tournay: Desclée, Lefebvre & Soc., 1904); a scan of this book can be found here.

Humani Generis Cessent Suspiria by Brandon P. Otto on Scribd

 

Scribd link for the above document: https://www.scribd.com/document/694293672/Humani-Generis-Cessent-Suspiria

Internet archive mirror: https://archive.org/details/humani-generis-cessent-suspiria

Text:

1. Humani generis
Cessent suspiria;
Beata miseris
Affert hic nuntia
Dies mortalibus.

2. Unicus scelere
Cuncti cecidimus;
Lapsos erigere
Venit altissimus,
De cœli sedibus.

3. Delectæ Virgini
Quæ Deum pariat,
Angelus Domini
Salutis nuntiat
Nostræ mysterium.

4. O beatissima
Præ mulieribus,
Virgo castissima,
Deum visceribus
Suscipe filium.

5. Virtute Spiritus
In sinu Virginis,
Innocens penitus
A labe criminis
Caro compingitur.

6. Per hanc infantibus
Lactescit teneris,
Ille qui mentibus
Panis a superis
In cœlis editur.

7. Quod siine tempore
De Patre nascitur,
Mortali corpore
Verbum induitur
Ut salvet hominem.

8. Corpus hoc offeret
In sacrificium:
Servos ut liberet,
Totum in pretium
Effundet sanguinem.

9. Errabam devius
Exul a patria,
Semitæ nescius
Ad vera gaudia
Per quam regrediar.

10. In mea Dominus
Venit exilia,
Viæque terminus
Ipse fit et via;
Tutus hac gradiar.

11. O veritas latens
Sub velo corporis,
Sed oculis patens
Mundati corporis,
Tu nos illumina.

12. Et tu promiseris
Supplica Numini,
Quæ te dum asseris
Ancillam Domini,
Fis mundi Domina.

Amen.

Source: Cantus varii, ad usum Congregationis Oratorii Domini Jesu et Mariae Immaculatae (Paris: Carolum Poussielgue, 1892), 24-25.

 

Transcription ©2023 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the transcriber.