Merry Christmas to all of our readers, students, and friends.

We thank all who have followed our Advent Calendar this year. It was our honor to share the journey with you.

On this Christmas Day, we invite you to listen to and contemplate this simple and elegant work by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976). The delicately beautiful, anonymous 14th-century text alternates between English and Latin. Taking advantage of that structure, Britten’s antiphonal setting assigns the English words to the main choir and the Latin text to a quartet.

Britten, A Hymn to the Virgin

Of one that is so fair and bright
  Velut maris stella [Like a star of the sea],
Brighter than the day is light,
  Parens et puella [both mother and maiden]:
I cry to thee, thou see to me,
Lady, pray thy Son for me
  Tam pia [so pure],
That I may come to thee.
  Maria!

All this world was forlorn
  Eva peccatrice [Because of Eve, a sinner],
Till our Lord was y-born
  De te genetrice [through you, his mother].
With ave it went away
Darkest night, and comes the day
  Salutis [of salvation]
The well springeth out of thee.
  Virtutis [of virtue].

Lady, flow’r of ev’rything,
  Rosa sine spina [Rose without thorn],
Thou bare Jesu, Heaven’s King,
  Gratia divina [by divine grace]:
Of all thou bear’st the prize,
Lady, queen of paradise
  Electa [chosen]:
Maid mild, mother es Effecta.
  Effecta [you are made].