Vivos Voco

Poet/Lyricist: 

Medieval Latin virtutes and Julian of Norwich (1342-ca.1416)

Commissioned by the San Francisco Girls Chorus for presentation by Chorissima at the 2005 IFCM World Symposium on Choral Music in Kyoto,Japan.

Text sources for this dramatic and compelling work are Medieval: virtues,literally,"moral virtues," the name given to the short statements inscribed (primarily in Latin) on church tower bells in medieval times. Bells rang outward, chasing away the evil spirits that were believed to hover over the rooftops, and upward, as prayers to the heavens. And, the consoling words of English Christian mystic, Julian Norwich (14th c): "…all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." Her book, Revelations, has had a lasting impact to this day; it stressed that everything is held in being by the love of God.

Level: 

Advanced
Item Voicing/Instrumentation Duration Price Audio View Score Quantity
SBMP 615 SSAA, piano, handbells 4:00 $2.10 https://joanszymko.com/sites/joanszymko.com/files/SBMP%20615%20Vivos%20Voco.mp3 Santa Barbara Music Press
Publisher Link

Publisher: 

SBMP
Text

Vivos Voco

vivos voco
fleo mortua
mortuos plango
consolo viva
dissipo ventos
compello nubila,

all shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well

vivos voco
vivos voco

Translation: 

I call the living
I cry for the dying
I wail for the dead
I console the living
I disperse the winds
I drive away the overcast of the sky

all shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well

Video