Latin Hymns

by Adrian Fortescue

Vatican II mandated that the Church's treasury of sacred music is to be preserved and cultivated with great care -in particular, Gregorian chant and Latin were to retain pride of place. That's the last most Catholic heard of either. But a half-century before Vatican II, the great priest-liturgist Adrian Fortescue was doing for his own parishioners what the Church would later demand. How? By compiling the greatest Latin hymns of the ages-with his own exquisite translations-into one volume, for singing and meditation. This new facsimile edition reproduces the 1913 edition-as set by Stanley Morison, the finest typographer of his time. It also includes Fr. Fortescue's original Preface and a new Afterword by Michael Davies. Please note that this book contains the words only - no musical notation.

Hardcover

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Adrian Henry Timothy Knottesford Fortescue was an English Catholic priest and polymath. An influential liturgist, artist, calligrapher, composer, polyglot, amateur photographer, Byzantine scholar, and adventurer, he was also the founder of the Church of St Hugh of Lincoln in Letchworth.