"In paradisum" ( English: "Into

paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

") is an

antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are usually taken from the Psalms or Scripture, but may also be freely compo ...

from the traditional Latin liturgy of the Western Church

Requiem Mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...

. It is sung by the choir as the body is being taken out of the church. The text of the ''In paradisum'' — with or without the Gregorian melody itself — is sometimes included in musical settings of the

, such as those by Gabriel Fauré and by Maurice Duruflé.

Text

:''In paradisum deducant te angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.'' :"May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your arrival and lead you to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive you and with Lazarus, once (a) poor (man), may you have eternal rest." In the

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

es for the dead, this antiphon is sung in procession on the way from the final blessing of the corpse in church to the graveyard where burial takes place. The Gregorian melody for ''In paradisum'' is in the

Mixolydian mode Mixolydian mode may refer to one of three things: the name applied to one of the ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' or ''tonoi'', based on a particular octave species or scale; one of the medieval church modes; or a modern musical mode or diatonic s ...

. The special nature of this mode — with its lowered seventh degree, which makes it different from the modern major mode — is heard twice in this melody at cadences on the words ''Chorus Angelorum'' and ''quondam paupere''. The melodic highpoint in this setting comes on the name of Lazarus, the poor beggar in

Luke's Gospel The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...

Modern variations

There are many contemporary English settings of the text, offered by Catholic publishers including Oregon Catholic Press. Bob Dufford wrote a version called "Songs of the Angels". James Quinn also wrote a version titled "May Flights of Angels Lead You On Your Way", accompanied by ''Unde et Memores''. Others include settings by Grayson Warren Brown, Ernest Sands, and others. In Paradisum served as the inspiration for popular Protestant jazz piece "

When the Saints Go Marching In "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn, but is often played by jazz bands. One of the most famous jazz recordings of "The Saints" was made o ...

", which share the same first four notes, similar textual meaning, and use during the funeral procession of the body from the church to the cemetery in Black Protestant churches.

References

External links

Audio
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

Requiems Christian hymns in Latin Catholic liturgy Christian funeral music {{Latin-vocab-stub

Text

Modern variations

See also

References

External links