Nicholas O’Neill (b1970): Ave Verum Corpus – Schola Cantorum of Oxford

By  | May 3, 2012 | 2 Comments | Filed under: Choral Music

Nicholas ONeillNicholas O’Neill composed his setting of 'Ave Verum' corpus in 1994. It's a modern setting of 'Ave Verum Corpus ' a hymn originally for the feast of Corpus Christi that dates back to the 13th Century and has been set time and time again by composers ranging from Byrd to Mozart to Lizst.

O'Neill's setting is for for eight voices and grows from a single note, slowly and gradually O'Neill paints a picture of suffering and redemption. It's sung here by the Schola Cantorum of Oxford under their conductor Jeremy Summerly. You'll find the mp3 file, text, and a translation to English below the fold.

Enjoy :-)

markfromireland

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.


Latin: English

Ave verum corpus natum de Maria virgine:
Vere passum, immolatum in cruce pro homine.
Cuius latus perforatum fluxit aqua et sanguine:
Esto nobis praegustatum mortis in examine.
O Jesu dulcis! O Jesu pie! O Jesu fili Mariae.

Hail true body, born of the virgin Mary:
truly you died, sacrificed on the cross for mankind.
From whose pierced flank flowed water and blood:
behold, he was tested for us in the trial of death.
Sweet Jesus! Holy Jesus! Jesus, son of Mary.

If you liked this performance you might enjoy these posts as well:

  1. William Byrd: Ave verum corpus – Helsinki Chamber Choir The Helsinki Chamber Choir, conducted by Tim Brown performing Byrd's 'Ave Verum Corpus' at the German Church, Helsinki, Finland,  on March 19th 2011. Don't pass this one up unlistened to...
  2. Edward Elgar: Ave Verum Corpus – Hereford Cathedral Choir Elgar composed his music for 'Ave Verum Corpus' in January 1887 following the death of of his father's friend (and Elgar's first employer) W A Allen. He originally marked it...
  3. Peter Philips (1560-1628): Ave Verum Corpus: Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge Richard Marlow Peter Philips was born in either 1560 or 1561. He became a choirboy at St. Paul's Cathedral where the first record of him dates from 1574. He was first a...
  4. Thomas Weelkes: When David heard — Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum Thomas Weelkes (1576–1623) was a talented, popular, and gifted madrigalist, who moved from one job to another because of his unruly and drunken behaviour. Perhaps this was why none of...
  5. Byrd: Nunc Dimittis: Choir of Magdalen College Oxford The Magnificat and Nunc dimittis have been sung at Evensong in the Church of England (Anglican) from the time of its foundation during the reformation. Evensong took the place of...
Tags: , , , ,

2 Responses to Nicholas O’Neill (b1970): Ave Verum Corpus – Schola Cantorum of Oxford

  1. Nicholas O'Neill December 29, 2012 at 13:20

    Hello Mark,

    Thank you for featuring my Ave Verum Corpus. It's not an easy work to perform (it was written as a competition entry), but the Schola Cantorum give a brilliant account of it.

    It's only fair to say that the middle section of the work is inspired by Jonathan Harvey's wonderful setting of Come, Holy Ghost. Harvey died very recently, and I would strongly recommend that anybody who likes my piece seek out Come, Holy Ghost and give it a listen.

    Good luck with your blog, and best wishes for a wonderful and music-filled 2013,

    Nick

    http://www.nicholasoneill.com
    ukcomposer.wordpress.com

    Reply
    • markfromireland December 30, 2012 at 15:23

      Thanks Nick,

      I agree with you about the Schola Cantorum's singing of your piece - just brilliant.

      I hadn't realised that Jonathan Harvey had died thanks for the sad news - he'll be missed.

      Thanks for your good wishes - I wish you every success and happiness in 2013.

      Mark

      Harvey's setting of "Come Holy Ghost" is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZlOhJvweuM

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*


Forthcoming Posts

  • Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Let the night perish ‘Job’s curse’
  • John Jacob Niles (1892–1980): Black is the Color (Of my true love’s hair)
  • Sunday Concert: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893): Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48 – Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra(Fedoseyev)

Special Pages