Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It is a liturgical solemnity celebrating the Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
The feast is liturgically celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, or is assigned to the Sunday after the Most Holy Trinity as its proper day.
The hymn. "Pange lingua gloriosi corporis mysterium" is a Medieval Latin hymn attributed to Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) for the Feast of Corpus Christi.
The text of the first verse is:
Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory,
Of His Flesh, the mystery sing;
Of the Blood, all price exceeding,
Shed by our Immortal King,
Destined, for the world's redemption,
From a noble Womb to spring.
Of a pure and spotless Virgin-Born for us on earth below,
He, as Man, with man conversing,
Stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
Then He closed in solemn order
Wondrously His Life of woe.
Giulio Cesare Arresti (1619-1701) was an Italian organist , conductor and composer .
Throughout his life, Giulio Cesare Arresti was an organist and conductor in his home town of Bologna. From 1649 to 1699 he was organist at the Basilica of San Petronio as well as conductor at the Church of San Savatore and the Church of San Domenico.
He was co-founder and, from 1701 , president of the Academia Filarmonica. His works are conservative in nature.
His son, Floriano Maria Arresti (1667-1717) was a pupil of Bernardo Pasquini in Rome , where he worked until 1703.
It turns out that I uploaded this same piece (for Maundy Thursday) in 2023. You can find that performance here:
https://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/55645
This performance uses a different approach and a different organ.
To be honest, I had complete forgotten ever having done the piece. :-)
The score is attached below, as well as several photos of the Basilica of San Petronio, where Arresti served as organist.
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See what Agnus_Dei used to make this recording