Te lucis ante terminum

General Information

Evening hymn (5th-6th cent., author anon.), sung liturgically as the Office hymn at Compline. See also O Lord, the maker of all thing for an English paraphrase.

Notes on selected settings

Anon. (Trent codices) a 3 (1 verse) Anon. (GB-Cmc MS 1236) a 3 (2nd verse) Cosmas Alder 3 verses, a 5 Amadio Freddi 3 verses SSTTB +violin, cornetto, organ. Henry Balfour Gardiner SATB div. & organ, in English Severus Gastorius 4 verses underlaid to same music SSA Orlando di Lasso SATB, "Procul" plus an Amen Giovanni Legrenzi all verses, SATTB & bc William Mundy "O Lord, the maker of all thing" a 4(5)

Diego Ortiz a 4, alternatim attr. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina a 4 Thomas Tallis (festal tone) alternatim, a 5 Thomas Tallis (ferial tone) alternatim, a 5, Francisco Valls a 4, string accompaniment de Wert Willaert Tomás Luis de Victoria , alternatim a 4

Settings by composers (automatically updated)

• Cosmas Alder — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin AATBB
• Ambrosian chant — Te lucis  Latin Unison
• Anonymous — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin ATT
• Anonymous — Te lucis ante terminum (GB-Cmc MS 1236)  Latin SAT
• Jennifer Bastable — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SATB
• Sebastiano Cherici — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin ATB
• Amadio Freddi — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SSTTB
• Mariano Garau — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SABB
• Henry Balfour Gardiner — Evening Hymn  Latin SATB
• Severus Gastorius — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SSA
• Gregorian chant — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin Unison
• Pietro Lappi — Te lucis ante terminum à 16  Latin SATB.SATB.ATTB.SATB
• Tanmoy Laskar — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SATB.SATB
• Orlando di Lasso — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SATB
• Giovanni Legrenzi — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SATTB
• Caroline Lesemann-Elliott — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin ATB
• Andrea Mattioli — Te lucis  Latin S
• Diego Ortiz — Compline Service  Latin SATB
• Diego Ortiz — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SATB
• Carlos Rodríguez Otero — Te lucis ante terminum  English SATB
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SATB, ATBB
• Thomas Tallis — Te lucis ante terminum (festal tone)  Latin ATTBB
• Thomas Tallis — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin ATTBB
• David Evan Thomas — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SATB
• Christopher Upton — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SATB
• Francisco Valls — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SSAT
• Tomás Luis de Victoria — Te lucis ante terminum  Latin SATB
• André Vierendeels — Te lucis ante terminum I  Latin SATB
• André Vierendeels — Te lucis ante terminum II  Latin TTBB

Text and translations

There are several versions of this text in Latin.

As found in the Monastic Breviary and the Roman Breviary: Latin text Te lucis ante terminum, Rerum Creator, poscimus, Ut pro tua clementia, Sis praesul et custodia. Procul recedant somnia, Et noctium phantasmata: Hostemque nostrum comprime, Ne polluantur corpora. Praesta, Pater piissime, Patrique compar Unice, Cum Spiritu Paraclito, Regnans per omne saeculum. Amen.

According to the Rev. E. J. Quigley in his book The Divine Office, the "unrevised" text is: Latin text Te lucis ante terminum, Rerum Creator poscimus, Ut solita clementia Sis praesul ad custodiam. Praesta pater omnipotens Per Jesum Christum Dominum Qui tecum in perpetuum Regnat cum Sancto Spiritu Tallis's settings of this hymn use the above "unrevised" version with an inserted second verse the same as the Monastic/Roman Breviary version listed first. The second verse is set in polyphony; the first and third verses use the plainsong setting.

The version in Liturgia Horarum is four verses. The first and last are as in the "unrevised" text first above, while the second and third verses are as below. Latin text Te corda nostra somnient, te per soporem sentiant, tuamque semper gloriam vicina luce concinant. Vitam salubrem tribue, nostrum calorem refice, taetram noctis caliginem tua collustret claritas.

At Eastertide the last verse is replaced by: Deo Patri sit gloria Et filio, qui a mortis Surrexit et Paraclito, In sempiterna saecula.

Until Ascension, when it changes to: Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui victor in caelum redis, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu In sempiterna saecula.

At Marian feasts the following is substituted instead: Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui natus es de Virgine, Cum Patre et alma Spiritu In sempiterna saecula.

Translations

English translation 1. To thee before the close of day, Creator of the world, we pray That, with thy wonted favor, thou Wouldst be our guard and keeper now. 2. From all ill dreams defend our sight, From fears and terrors of the night; Withhold from us our ghostly foe, That spot of sin we may not know. 3. O Father, that we ask be done, Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son, Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee, Doth live and reign eternally. Amen. Translation by John Mason Neale, 1852, alt.

English translation 1. Before the ending of the day, Creator of the world, we pray, that with thy wonted favour thou wouldst be our guard and keeper now. 2. From all ill dreams defend our eyes, from nightly fears and fantasies; tread under foot our ghostly foe, that no pollution we may know. 3. O Father, that we ask be done, through Jesus Christ thine only Son, who, with the Holy Ghost and thee, doth live and reign eternally. Amen. Translation by John Mason Neale

German translation 1. Bevor des Tages Licht vergeht, o Herr der Welt, hör dies Gebet Behüte uns in dieser Nacht durch deine große Güt und Macht. 2. Hüllt Schlaf die müden Glieder ein, lass uns in dir geborgen sein und mach am Morgen uns bereit zum Lobe deiner Herrlichkeit 3. Dank dir, o Vater reich an Macht, der über uns voll Güte wacht und mit dem Sohn und Heilgen Geist des Lebens Fülle uns verheißt. Amen. Translation by Friedrich Dörr, 1969

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