Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Divine flame


Today’s Advent piece is kind of obscure. At least, I can’t find a lot of information about it. The melody for “Bel astre que j’adore” dates to the 15th Century at least; the text may as well.

I like it because its delicate weaving in a minor key just appeals to me. It seems to suit cold winter nights, when the ancients would look to the light in the sky and hope for the return of warmth, for the sun at full strength.

Anyway, the singer speaks of deep love for the Beautiful Star, which of course is a proxy for the Christ child. The second verse in particular describes the divine and pure fire that descends from heaven and fills the soul. The final verse brings in angelic choirs singing “hymns of praise and songs of my happiness.”

We could all use some of that.




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