Media vita in morte sumus

Last updated

Media vita in morte sumus (Latin for "In the midst of life we are in death") is a Gregorian chant, known by its incipit, written in the form of a response, and known as "Antiphona pro Peccatis" or "de Morte". [1] The most accepted source is a New Year's Eve religious service in the 1300s. [1] Reference has been made to a source originating in a battle song of the year 912 by Notker the Stammerer, a monk of the Abbey of Saint Gall: however, the Synod of Cologne declared in 1316 no one should sing this without prior permission of the residing bishop. [1]

Contents

Text

Media vita in morte sumus
quem quaerimus adjutorem
nisi te, Domine,
qui pro peccatis nostris
juste irasceris?

Sancte Deus,
sancte fortis,
sancte et misericors Salvator:
amarae morti ne tradas nos.

In the midst of life we are in death
of whom may we seek for succour,
but of thee, O Lord,
who for our sins
art justly displeased?

Holy God,
Holy mighty,
Holy and merciful Saviour,
deliver us not unto bitter death.

The English translation is a poetic adaption from the Book of Common Prayer .

Latin liturgical use

In the York Breviary "Media vita" was sung as an antiphon at Compline on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare . [2] In the Sarum Breviary it was the antiphon from the Third (Oculi) to the Fifth (Judica) Sundays of Lent, [3] a position it also occupies (in reduced format) in the Dominican Rite. [4]

In addition to its uses in the liturgy, "Media vita" was sung as a hymn to ask God for aid in times of public need, [5] and sometimes even as a sort of curse. In 1455 a group of nuns in Wennigsen, resisting the attempt of the Augustinian canon Johannes Busch and Duke William of Brunswick to reform their house, "lay down on their bellies in the choir with the arms and legs stretched out in the form of a cross, and bawled all through, at the top of their voices, the anthem "In the midst of life we are in death" ... Wherefore the Duke was afraid, and feared lest his whole land should go to ruin." Busch assured the Duke that no harm could come from the chant, so he responded to the nuns: "How were ye not afraid to sing the anthem "Media vita" over me? I stretch my fingers to God's holy gospels, and swear that ye must reform yourselves, or I will not suffer you in my land." [6]

In the Ambrosian Rite, "Media vita" was said with the Litany of the Saints on the Tuesday before Christmas, the Wednesday before Palm Sunday, and the Greater Rogation on 25 April. [7]

Adaptations

Popular in the Baroque period, the Latin phrase was translated into the vernacular early and has continued to circulate especially widely in German and English, in literature and in song.

German

"Media vita" appears in Hartmann von Aue's Middle High German narrative poem Der arme Heinrich (V. 93f.).

In 1524, Martin Luther translated it as "Mitten wir im Leben sind" and consequently it is now in the Evangelisches Gesangbuch hymnbook as number 518, or 654 in the Gotteslob hymnbook.

It is echoed in Rainer Maria Rilke's poem "Schlußstück": "Der Tod ist groß [...] Wenn wir uns mitten im Leben meinen/ wagt er zu weinen/ mitten in uns." [8] as well as in the title of Hermann Hesse's poem, "Media in vita".

English

The Latin phrase was translated by Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, whose English-language version became part of the burial service in the Book of Common Prayer . Cranmer's contemporary and fellow Anglican bishop Miles Coverdale wrote a poetic rendering of Luther's "Mytten wir ym leben synd", beginning "In the myddest of our lyvynge." [9] Catherine Winkworth made another English version of "Mytten wir ym leben synd" in her Lyra Germanica: Hymns for the Sundays and Chief Festivals of the Christian Year, beginning "In the midst of life, behold." [10]

Music

The Book of Common Prayer text of "In the midst of life we are in death" has been set to music in the Booke of Common praier noted (1550) by John Merbecke [11] and in Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary by Henry Purcell. A well-known adaptation is the 1550s choral work Media vita in morte sumus by John Sheppard. The text also comprises the first half of a 1573 motet by Orlande de Lassus. [12]

In popular music, the phrase "In the midst of life we are in death et cetera" is repeated in The Smiths' 1986 single "Sweet and Tender Hooligan".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Breviary</span>

The Roman Breviary is a breviary of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. A liturgical book, it contains public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially by bishops, priests, and deacons in the Divine Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vespers</span> Sunset evening prayer liturgy

Vespers is a liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Lutheran liturgies. The word for this prayer time comes from the Latin vesper, meaning "evening".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canonical hours</span> Christian concept of periods of prayer throughout the day

In the practice of Christianity, canonical hours mark the divisions of the day in terms of fixed times of prayer at regular intervals. A book of hours, chiefly a breviary, normally contains a version of, or selection from, such prayers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liturgy of the Hours</span> Liturgical prayers of the Catholic Church, used at fixed times throughout the day and night

The Liturgy of the Hours, Divine Office, or Opus Dei are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the Latin Church. The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official set of prayers "marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer." The term "Liturgy of the Hours" has been retroactively applied to the practices of saying the canonical hours in both the Christian East and West–particularly within the Latin liturgical rites–prior to the Second Vatican Council, and is the official term for the canonical hours promulgated for usage by the Latin Church in 1971. Before 1971, the official form for the Latin Church was the Breviarium Romanum, first published in 1568 with major editions through 1962.

A sequence is a chant or hymn sung or recited during the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Council of Trent (1543–1563) there were sequences for many feasts in the Church's year.

<i>Orgelbüchlein</i> Set of musical compositions for organ by Johann Sebastian Bach

The Orgelbüchlein BWV 599−644 is a set of 46 chorale preludes for organ — one of them is given in two versions — by Johann Sebastian Bach. All but three were written between 1708 and 1717 when Bach served as organist to the ducal court in Weimar; the remainder and a short two-bar fragment came no earlier than 1726, after the composer’s appointment as cantor at the Thomasschule in Leipzig.

Nones, also known as None, the Ninth Hour, or the Midafternoon Prayer, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of psalms and is said around 3 pm, about the ninth hour after dawn.

Walter Kraft was a German organist and composer, best known for his remarkably long tenure (1929–72) at the Marienkirche, Lübeck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist</span> Christian song by Martin Luther

"Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist" is a German Christian hymn. The first stanza is a leise from the 13th century which alludes to the Latin sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus for Pentecost. It was widely known, and aside from its Pentecostal origin was also used as a procession song and in sacred plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn</span> Protestant hymn

"Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn" is a Lutheran hymn by Elisabeth Cruciger. Printed in 1524 in the Erfurt Enchiridion, together with 18 hymns by Martin Luther, it is one of the oldest Lutheran hymns. The text combines Lutheran teaching with medieval mysticism. It has been the basis of musical settings such as Bach's chorale cantata Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn, BWV 96.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy God, We Praise Thy Name</span> Christian hymn

"Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" is a Christian hymn, a paraphrase of the Te Deum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott</span>

"Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott" is a Lutheran hymn for Pentecost, with words written by Martin Luther based on "Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium". The hymn in three stanzas was first published in 1524. For centuries the chorale has been the prominent hymn (Hauptlied) for Pentecost in German-speaking Lutheranism. Johann Sebastian Bach used it in several chorale preludes, cantatas and his motet Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin</span>

"Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin" is a hymn by Martin Luther, a paraphrase in German of the Nunc dimittis, the canticle of Simeon. Luther wrote the text and melody, Zahn No. 3986, in 1524 and it was first published in the same year. Originally a song for Purification, it has been used for funerals. Luther included it in 1542 in Christliche Geseng ... zum Begrebniss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitten wir im Leben sind</span>

"Mitten wir im Leben sind mit dem Tod umfangen" is a Lutheran hymn, with words written by Martin Luther based on the Latin antiphon "Media vita in morte sumus". The hymn in three stanzas was first published in 1524. The hymn inspired composers from the Renaissance to contemporary to write chorale preludes and vocal compositions. Catherine Winkworth translated Luther's song to English in 1862. It has appeared in hymnals of various denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend</span> 17th-century German Christian hymn

"Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend" is a Lutheran hymn from the 17th century. Its hymn tune, Zahn No. 624, was adopted in several compositions. It was translated into English and is part of modern hymnals, both Protestant and Catholic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan</span> 17th-century German Christian hymn by Samuel Rodigast

"Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" is a Lutheran hymn written by the pietist German poet and schoolmaster Samuel Rodigast in 1675. The melody has been attributed to the cantor Severus Gastorius. An earlier hymn with the same title was written in the first half of the seventeenth century by the theologian Michael Altenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr</span>

"Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" is an early Lutheran hymn, with text and melody attributed to Nikolaus Decius. With the reformers intending church service in German, it was intended as a German version of the Gloria part of the Latin mass, used in almost every service. Decius wrote three stanzas, probably in 1523, while a fourth was added, probably by Joachim Slüter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macht hoch die Tür</span> German Advent hymn, 1623

"Macht hoch die Tür" is a popular German Advent hymn, written in 17th century Ducal Prussia. The lyrics were written by Georg Weissel in 1623 for the inauguration of the Altroßgärter Kirche in Königsberg. The melody that is now associated with the text appeared first in 1704 in the hymnal by Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Das Grab ist leer, der Held erwacht</span>

"Das Grab ist leer, der Held erwacht" is a Catholic hymn for Easter, first printed in 1777 in the hymnal Landshuter Gesangbuch published by Franz Seraph von Kohlbrenner. Keeping only the first of five stanzas, with additional two stanzas, it appeared in hymnals of the 19th century, and later in different versions in several regional sections of the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob. It is a frequently sung hymn in Easter services.

<i>Mitten wir im Leben sind</i> (Mendelssohn) 1830 motet

Mitten wir im Leben sind a motet by Felix Mendelssohn as the third and final part of his Kirchenmusik, Op. 23, described as a "small choral work", for SSAATTBB choir, a cappella in the key of C minor in cut time. The text was written by Martin Luther, based on the Latin antiphon "Media vita in morte sumus". The motet was published in 1830.

References

  1. 1 2 3 White, William (1853). Notes and Queries. Vol. 8. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 177–178.
  2. Breviarium ad usum insignis Ecclesie Eboracensis, Volume 1. Surtees Society. 1880. p. 328. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  3. Procter, Francis; Wordsworth, Christopher (1879). Breviarium Ad Usum Insignis Ecclesiae Sarum. Fasciculus II. pp. 229–230. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  4. "Music for Lent: The Media Vita" . Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  5. Digby, Kenelm Henry (1847). Mores Catholici: or, Ages of Faith. Volume 3. London: C. Dolman. p. 41. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  6. Coulton, G. G. (1950). Five Centuries of Religion, Volume IV: The Last Days of Medieval Monachism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 123–124.
  7. Diurnum Ambrosianum. 1882. p. 101, 217, 388. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  8. "Schlußstück", Rilke
  9. Pearson, George (1846). Remains of Miles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 554–555.
  10. Winkworth, Catherine (1864). Lyra Germanica: Hymns for the Sundays and Chief Festivals of the Christian Year. Boston: E. P. Dutton and Company. pp. 236–237.
  11. "The Book of Common Prayer Noted (1550)". Society of Archbishop Justus. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  12. "Media vita (Orlando di Lasso)".