Te Deum

In thanksgiving for the election of the new pope, I thought it makes sense to post the traditional Catholic hymn of thanksgiving, the Te Deum, first in the Gregorian Chant, and then in a baroque setting from the 1600's, by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The former is what would be done in ordinary church settings, and is probably about what Columbus would have used when he landed in the New World. The latter is a setting which I first heard when I was in college. It may have been my first real introduction to baroque music, and I was hooked. (This performance is significantly faster than people took it 50 years ago.)

Longtime followers may remember that I also posted links to other performances a few years ago for Thanksgiving Day. You can find that post under the label "Te Deum."

Thanksgiving

     As mentioned on my other blog, in honor of Thanksgiving Day, here are videos of a performance of the ancient hymn of thanksgiving, "Te Deum." But rather than the traditional Gregorian chant, this is a setting by the French baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

     Here's the first video.

     And here's the second.

     They take it faster than I'm used to hearing it, but at least the proportions seem right. (I'd give you William David Christie's version with Les Arts Florissants if I could find the whole thing on video.) You'll also note that they pronounce the Latin as if it were French. Presumably that is how scholars believe it was done in 17th Century France.

      If you want to hear it in the "original" Gregorian chant setting, try this, which I also posted on my other blog. There is further info and a good translation in the wiki article on Te Deum.