Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benedictus.

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), maestro británico nacido en Down Ampney. Se formó con Hubert Parry y Charles Villiers Stanford (que recibían directamente la influencia de Brahms). Poco a poco Vaughan Williams se fue introduciendo en el mundo de la música popular británica. A la vez absorbía distinto tipo de música e influencia como la de Stravisnky, Hindemith, Debussy, Bach, Ravel, etc. Con todos estos ingredientes Vaughan Williams se creó un estilo propio y una voz peculiarísima dentro del panorama musical internacional. Compuso una gran cantidad de obras de todos los géneros: sinfónico, de cámara, vocal, óperas, oratorios,... En particular sobresalen sus nueve sinfonías como nueve cimas, obras cumbre del sinfonismo del siglo XX.
En 1938 el maestro Vaughan Williams compuso el "Servicio en re menor 'Christ's Hospital'" cuyo Benedictus te traigo hoy. Fue compuesto específicamente para C.S. Lang y su coro del Christ's Hospital de Horsham, West Sussex. El servicio anglicano, de estructura similar a nuestra liturgia de las horas, en su "morning prayer" (laudes), tiene principalmente tres himnos importantes: Te Deum, Benedictus y Jubilate Deo. Es el Benedictus el que te traigo. Craig Sellar Lang era director del coro de dicho hospital, y consiguió que los miembros del Coro de la Abadía de Westminster fueran evacuados durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Fue un músico importante al que Vaughan Williams quiso homenajear con esta emocionante obra, muy sencilla y bella, en un estilo inglés muy directo y con una polifonía que encanta por lo simple y lo directa que nos llega al corazón.
La interpretación es la del Choir of St Michael at the North Gate (Oxford) dirigido por Tom Hammond-Davies.
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benedictus
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Latin text
Vulgate

Benedictus [Dominus] Deus Israhel quia visitavit et fecit redemptionem plebi suae
et erexit cornu salutis nobis in domo David pueri sui
sicut locutus est per os sanctorum qui a saeculo sunt prophetarum eius
salutem ex inimicis nostris et de manu omnium qui oderunt nos
ad faciendam misericordiam cum patribus nostris et memorari testamenti sui sancti
iusiurandum quod iuravit ad Abraham patrem nostrum daturum se nobis
ut sine timore de manu inimicorum nostrorum liberati serviamus illi
in sanctitate et iustitia coram ipso omnibus diebus nostris
et tu puer propheta Altissimi vocaberis praeibis enim ante faciem Domini parare vias eius
ad dandam scientiam salutis plebi eius in remissionem peccatorum eorum
per viscera misericordiae Dei nostri in quibus visitavit nos oriens ex alto
illuminare his qui in tenebris et in umbra mortis sedent ad dirigendos pedes nostros in viam pacis
puer autem crescebat et confortabatur spiritu et erat in deserto usque in diem ostensionis suae ad Israhel
Translations
English (Book of Common Prayer)
BLESSED be the Lord God of Israel : for he hath visited and redeemed his people;
And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us : in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets : which have been since the world began;
That we should be saved from our enemies : and from the hand of all that hate us.
To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers : and to remember his holy Covenant;
To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham : that he would give us;
That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies : might serve him without fear;
In holiness and righteousness before him : all the days of our life.
And thou, Child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest : for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people : for the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God : whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death : and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen.
English (Douai-Challoner Bible)
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning:

Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,
In holiness and justice before him, all our days.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins:
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the …