Pange lingua

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Pange lingua may refer to either of two Mediaeval Latin hymns:

Contents

There is a charming legend that is hinted at in both hymns: the wood of the Cross upon which Jesus was crucified was taken from that tree which was the source of the fruit of the fall in the Garden of Eden, and when Adam died, according to the legend, Seth obtained from the Cherubim guarding the Garden a branch of the tree from which Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and then planted it at Golgotha, being so named because Adam was buried there. As time went on, the Ark of the Covenant, the pole upon which the bronze serpent was lifted, and other items were made from this tree.

Musical settings

There are dozens of musical settings of the Aquinas, including a Josquin Mass (1514), a Bruckner motet (1868) and a Kodály hymn (1929). Charpentier alone wrote five settings:

See also

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References

  1. "Pange Lingua (Fortunatus)". www.preces-latinae.org.