Rorate caeli

General information

Rorate caeli (sometimes spelled cæli, celi, coeli or cœli) is drawn from Isaiah 45:8. It has two common uses: as the Introit for the 4th Sunday of Advent (with the verse cœli enarrant) and as the refrain of the Advent prose, sung throughout Advent.

See also Rorate caeli (Traditional), a metrical paraphrase of the choral O Heiland reiss den Himmel auf.

Settings by composers

Anonymous Gregorian chant, mode I introit (caeli enarrant) [[Gregorian chant, 'Advent prose' with verses mostly from Issaiah Trent 89 SAT with celi enarrant Trent 93 (15c) STT (without verse) William Byrd SATTB or ATTBarB with verse "Benedixisti" Christoph Dalitz SATB harmonization of Advent prose refrain, both Latin and German Charles H. Giffen SATB "Caeli"" & "Gloria Patri" Jacob Handl SSATBB (no verse)

Jens Klimek SSA (div. SSMMA) (no verse) Josef Rheinberger, Op. 176, No. 1 SATB, without verse Jacob Reiner ATTTB (no verse) Treiffet ihr Himmel von oben (Johann Rosenmüller) S with 2 Violine & bc Salamone Rossi SSATB (arranged from an instrumental work) Heinrich Schütz SSB & bc (no verse) C. Titsek SAB Jan Tollius SATTB with verse "Veni Domine" Samuel Webbe SATB with organ (Coeli enarrant but not Gloria patri included)

Other settings possibly not included in the manual list above

• Anonymous — Rorate caeli et nubes (D-Ju MS 33)
• Gregorian chant — Rorate coeli 2
• Heinrich Isaac — Rorate caeli (Advent IV)

Text and translations

Latin text Rorate caeli desuper et nubes pluant iustum. Aperiatur terra et germinet salvatorem. French translation Que les cieux répandent d'en haut Et que les nuées laissent couler la justice! Que la terre s'ouvre, que le salut y fructifie. German translation Träufelt, ihr Himmel, von oben, und ihr Wolken, regnet Gerechtigkeit! Die Erde tue sich auf und bringe den Erlöser hervor. Italian translation Cieli, stillate dall’alto, e faccian le nuvole piover la giustizia! S’apra la terra, e sia ferace di salvezza. Spanish translation Rociad, cielos, de arriba, y las nubes destilen la justicia; ábrase la tierra, y prodúzcanse la salud. Czech translation Rosu dejte nebesa s hůry, a nejvyšší oblakové dštěte spravedlnost; otevři se země, a ať vzejde spasení. Danish translation Lad regne, I Himle deroppe, nedsend Retfærd, I Skyer, Jorden åbne sit Skød, så Frelse må spire frem og Retfærd vokse tillige. Dutch translation Drupt, gij hemelen! van boven af, en dat de wolken vloeien van gerechtigheid; en de aarde opene zich, en dat allerlei heil uitwasse.

English translation Drop down ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: Let the earth open and bring forth a Saviour. Finnish translation Tiukkukaa, te taivaat, ylhäältä, vuotakoot pilvet vanhurskautta. Avautukoon maa ja antakoon hedelmänänsä pelastuksen. Norwegian translation Drypp, I himler, fra oven, og fra skyene strømme rettferdighet ned! Jorden skal åpne sig og bære frelse som frukt. Polish translation Spuście niebiosa rosę z góry, a obłoki niech kropią sprawiedliwość; niech się otworzy ziemia, a niech wyrośnie zbawienie. Portuguese translation Destilai, ó céus, dessas alturas, e as nuvens chovam justiça; abra-se a terra, e produza a salvação. Russian translation Кропите, небеса, свыше, и облака да проливают правду; да раскроется земля и приносит спасение, и да произрастает вместе правда. Swedish translation Drypen, I himlar därovan, och må skyarna låta rättfärdighet strömma ned. Må jorden öppna sig, och må dess frukt bliva frälsning.