Aurora Lucis Rutilat

Aurora lucis rutilat is an Easter hymn sung at Lauds, or Morning Prayer. I currently use the Mundelein Psalter, and this is how the chant appears in the Mundelein Psalter, courtesy of Google books. As you can see, the chant is at the top of the page, with all the text below. I’m still learning how to read chant, so I found this too hard to attempt in the early morning. Since this hymn will be used for about 2 weeks, I figured it was worth learning!

If you have trouble sight-reading chant too, the audio and full image of the chant (shown below) should help you learn it.

Sheet Music

Found online at GregoBase.

Audio

Note: A few words in the video do not match the score.

If the YouTube video doesn’t work, you can also listen on Spotify.

Text and Translation

AURORA LUCIS RUTILAT

1. Auróra lucis rútilat,
cælum resúltat láudibus,
mundus exsúltans iúbilat,
gemens inférnus úlulat,

2. Cum rex ille fortíssimus,
mortis confráctis víribus,
pede concúlcans tártara
solvit caténa míseros.

3. Ille, quem clausum lápide
miles custódit ácriter,
triúmphans pompa nóbili,
victor surgit de fúnere.

4. Inférni iam gemítibus
solútis et dolóribus,
quia surréxit Dóminus
respléndens clamat ángelus.

5. Esto perénne méntibus
paschále, Iesu, gáudium
et nos renátos grátiæ
tuis triúmphis ággrega.

6. Iesu, tibi sit glória,
qui morte victa prǽnites,
cum Patre et almo Spíritu,
in sempitérna sǽcula. Amen.

This hymn was modified by Pope Urban VIII, and many translations have been made. Here is one translation by Fr. Edward Caswall from his “Lyra Catholica” in 1849. It is the translation of the modified hymn, Aurora coelum purprat. Confused? Yeah, me too. Here is a little explanation from Matthew Britt in his “Hymns of the Breviary and Missal”.