Name That Tune

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William777

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Greetings, Brethren:

This question seems a bit hard to ask because I don’t think the apparent answer is the actual answer. I also hope this is the right forum, which I think it is for various reasons, but… anyway…

I am trying to figure out what tune this is:

vimeo.com/18173131

The song is allegedly the ancient Greek hymn of “Phos Hilaron”. Depending on the translation it may go by various titles, like “O Radiant Light” or “O Gladdening Light”. The lyrical translation is not really what I am concerned with, however - I am trying to figure out what the name of the tune is. The problem is many different composers have written versions upon this tune, so I’ve been struggling to figure out what the specific melody in the video is actually called. Googling “Phos Hilaron” or search YouTube etc - doesnt really help because there are many different versions of the tune.

I’ve heard this piece before - I thought in Gregorian Chant, so I searched the Liber Usualis, but it doesnt come up as Phos Hilaron (perhaps because the LU is in Latin whereas the Phos Hilaron is a Greek term).

OCP listed it as a “chant,” so maybe it is in the LU. Here’s the OCP link: ocp.org/compositions/9970#tab:indexes, but I haven’t researched OCP enough to determine if it the exact tune in the video.

Can someone help me identify the song I’m seeking please? I’d like to know enough about that specific melody he sings to be able to assess different composer’s arrangements of it.

I hope this question makes sense and is in the proper forum. Am sorry if I’m not in the right place. Feel free to move as needed.

Thanks and Blessings,

wm
 
Aha!

It IS a Gregorian Tune:

youtube.com/watch?v=Q7fhC70sr5o

Jesu Dulcis Memoria

Not sure how Phos Hilaron got turned into Jesu Dulcis Memoria, but at least I got to the tune’s name.

Rule - Always check your references. Was on the OCP sheet music under the generic tune title.

:o
 
Although admittedly I haven’t heard the Phos Hilarion in Greek for many years, it sounds to me sounds like a highly Westernized version of it (meaning that the artist seems to be doing it in a pseudo-Gregorian Chant style (and that for a guitar-accompanied solo)).
 
Thanks. I must have heard this a hundred times over the years. Nice.
 
Well, whichever you like is okay by me… what I’m trying to figure out is how the piece evolved…

I mean, the words seem to come from Phos Hilaron, but then the Phos Hilaron tune sounds nothing like the Jesu Dulcis Memoria Gregorian Chant in either of the videos above.

The actual hymn in the videos is Jesu Dulcis Memoria, and the lyrics to it are nothing like those of Phos Hilaron translations, including the lyrics to O Radiant Light.

So why, how and when O Radiant Light (the Phos Hilaron translation) got placed over Jesu Dulcis Memoria (a completely distinct Gregorian Chant melody) is a mystery to me.

Church hymnals sometimes come with metrical sections, so you can tell what lyrics might fit over different hymns. Maybe that had something to do with it.
 
William777 said:
Well, whichever you like is okay by me… what I’m trying to figure out is how the piece evolved…

I mean, the words seem to come from Phos Hilaron, but then the Phos Hilaron tune sounds nothing like the Jesu Dulcis Memoria Gregorian Chant in either of the videos above.

The actual hymn in the videos is Jesu Dulcis Memoria, and the lyrics to it are nothing like those of Phos Hilaron translations, including the lyrics to O Radiant Light.

So why, how and when O Radiant Light (the Phos Hilaron translation) got placed over Jesu Dulcis Memoria (a completely distinct Gregorian Chant melody) is a mystery to me.

Church hymnals sometimes come with metrical sections, so you can tell what lyrics might fit over different hymns. Maybe that had something to do with it.
Click to expand...
My guess is that the Jesu Dulcis Memoria tune is in the public domain and the song-writer needs not worry about copyright-infringement. Aside from the beauty and recognition of the melody.
 
Hmm, I may give this a try as well. I’ve been trying to figure out what the processional at the beginning of this mass is for some time. I cannot find it anywhere but this video! Anyone have any ideas? It starts around 2:30

youtube.com/watch?v=DSIN9Rk5eeE
 
Hmm, I may give this a try as well. I’ve been trying to figure out what the processional at the beginning of this mass is for some time. I cannot find it anywhere but this video! Anyone have any ideas? It starts around 2:30

youtube.com/watch?v=DSIN9Rk5eeE
 
Esrb99 said:
Hmm, I may give this a try as well. I’ve been trying to figure out what the processional at the beginning of this mass is for some time. I cannot find it anywhere but this video! Anyone have any ideas? It starts around 2:30

youtube.com/watch?v=DSIN9Rk5eeE
Click to expand...
I don’t know, but it’s a pretty hymn.

Beautiful mass, too.

Thank you for sharing.

I hope your query finds an answer.
 
BTW, I decided to start a group for traditional music and pastoral musicians. If anyone would like to join, then the group can be found here:

forums.catholic-questions.org/group.php?groupid=1667

I’ve never run a group before, so it’s just in its fledgling stages. Any help in getting started would be most appreciated.

Ty.

wm
 
William777 said:
I don’t know, but it’s a pretty hymn.

Beautiful mass, too.

Thank you for sharing.

I hope your query finds an answer.
Click to expand...
I have trouble hearing the words above the din. It seems to be the introit but with the antiphon in polyphony, not Gregorian chant. The psalmody is Gregorian, mode VI to be precise.
 
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