Panis angelicus
Panis angelicus ( Latin for 'angel bread') is the beginning of the penultimate stanza of the hymn Sacris solemniis . It was written by Thomas Aquinas in 1264 on the occasion of the introduction of the feast of Corpus Christi by Pope Urban IV for the Matins of the Liturgy of the Hours . All the hymns of the festival are attributed to St. Thomas, such as Pange Lingua , Adoro te devote , Verbum supernum prodiens and the sequence Lauda Sion .
The two stanzas of Panis angelicus are also used as chants for the exposure of the Blessed Sacrament and for sacramental blessings .
The Panis angelicus stanzas have often been set to music for themselves. In 1872, César Franck composed a version for tenor , harp , cello and organ , which he subsequently added to his Mass solennelle à trois voix op.12 , which he composed in 1860 . John McCormack's 1932 performance at Phoenix Park, Dublin was considered a high point of his career. When the Panis angelicus is mentioned today, the Franck version is almost always meant, which is part of the standard repertoire of many tenors such as Luciano Pavarotti , Plácido Domingo , Andrea Bocelli , Roberto Alagna , but also of sopranos such as Charlotte Church , Kathleen Battle and groups such as Celtic Woman and Il Divo . Due to its crossover character, the hymn, although liturgically inappropriate, has become a popular chant at wedding celebrations .
Text by Panis angelicus
Latin | German |
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Panis angelicus |
Angel |
Web links
- Hugh Henry: Sacris Solemniis . In: Catholic Encyclopedia , Volume 13, Robert Appleton Company, New York 1912.
- Complete text of Sacris Solemniis
- Sheet music in the public domain of Panis angelicus in the Choral Public Domain Library - ChoralWiki (English)
- Mass, op. 12 (Franck) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project