Songs of joy

I’ve been doing some thinking about joy recently. Which coincides nicely with this being Gaudete Sunday in the season of Advent.

There are many seasonal songs related to joy; one of my favorites is “Gaudete”, which dates well back into Renaissance times or beyond. The streaming of the polyphonies into and around each other makes me think of a flowing river, especially when sung a capella.

My favorite version is by Mediaevel Baebes. There’s something about the purity of all women’s voices to evoke the sense of joy for me.

Here are the refrain and first verse, in Latin and English, to get you started.

Gaudete, gaudete! Christus est natus

Ex Maria virgine, gaudete!

Tempus adest gratiæ

Hoc quod optabamus,

Carmina lætitiæ

Devote reddamus.

Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born

Of the Virgin Mary – rejoice!

The time of grace has come—

what we have wished for,

songs of joy

Let us give back faithfully.

Here’s to joy—today and every day.