O nata lux

O nata lux
by Thomas Tallis
"Qui carne quondam contegi, Dignatus es pro perditis" containing modulation and an English cadence at the end of the phrase. CCA 4.0 Complete Score by Daniel Van Gilst on IMSLP.org
English"O Light born of Light"
GenreRenaissance Choral music
FormMotet
TextAnon. Office hymn for Lauds of the Feast of the Transfiguration, 6th August
LanguageLatin
Composedc. 1575
Scoring5 voices a cappella

O nata lux is a 5-part motet by Thomas Tallis in his 1575 Cantiones quae ab argumento sacrae vocantur. It is notable, and has been quoted by Academic commentators,[1][2] for its frequent and clear use of English cadences.[3]

Text

The text is a Latin hymn for the Feast of the Transfiguration, a feast on the 6th of August for the Western church. However, by the 1570s, the motet would have served outside of its native Sarum use as a general communion anthem for Elizabeth's chapel, as part of injunctions allowing for the occasional use of sacred polyphony in Anglican churches.[4]

Latin

O Nata Lux, de Lumine,
Jesu redemptor saeculi,
Dignare clemens supplicum
Laudes precesque summere.
Qui carne quondam contegi,
Dignatus es pro perditis,
Nos membra confer effici
Tui beati corporis.

English translation

O Light born of Light,
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
with loving-kindness deign to receive
suppliant praise and prayer.
Thou who once deigned to be clothed in flesh
for the sake of the lost,
grant us to be members
of thy blessed body.

History

O nata lux was published in 1575 as part of a set of Latin-texted pieces that Tallis contributed to a joint-publication with his pupil, William Byrd. Some pieces in the 1575 Cantiones, such as Dum transisset sabbatum, are clearly older works from Tallis' early career, while O nata lux is more mature, Elizabethan in style and homophonic.[5] Milsom has hypothesised that the motet was purposely composed in a complex technique to "show off" English polyphony and promote its reputation on the continent.[6] Nevertheless, the Cantiones were a financial disaster, possibly due to both composers being Catholic,[7] and Tallis, being "verie aged", was granted manors as recompense in 1577.[8]

Unusually, unlike Tallis' other Latin motets in the 1575 Cantiones (such as O sacrum convivium and Salvator mundi), O nata lux never produced any English contrafacta for use in the Jacobean chapel.[n 1] O nata lux was therefore neglected until the Victorian period, when its use of English cadences was described as quintessentially "English" by commentators.[1][6] Today, the work is well-acclaimed and frequently used by Academics as containing an example of the English cadential method.[9][2]

Analysis

The mode is Phrygian when viewing the first and ending notes of the motet modally. However, descending modulation occurs at "de Lumine" and "Dignatus es" and both phrases share a similar melodic motif; the textual passages for these two moments correspond thematically, with "O nata lux de Lumine" describing Christ's uncreated divine light that illuminates mankind and sanctifies it for salvation,[10] and "Qui carne quondam contegi Dignatus es pro perditis" describing the need of Christ's human incarnation so that the light may be revealed and witnessable through Christ ("exegetes", John 1:18). The hymn's textual subject in itself concerns the hypostatic union's role in the bridging between God and man for the single theandric action.[11] The motet's metre is ambiguous[6] but is generally transcribed today as 3/4, which is uncommon for Tudor choral music. The ending of the motet "Nos membra confer effici" repeating twice is, however, more stylistically typical of English composers.[5] The cross-relations at "redemptor" (redeemer); "perditis" (lost); "corporis" ([Christ's] body) represent pain and illustrate the suffering of Christ according to redemptive theology.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ A contrafactum styled "O salutaris hostia" on CDPL is modern and was transcribed by the user, Lewis Jones.

References

  1. ^ a b Cole, Suzanne (2008). Thomas Tallis and his music in Victorian England. Music in Britain, 1600-1900. Woodbridge, UK ; Rochester, NY: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-380-2.
  2. ^ a b Chan, Eleanor (8 October 2024), Chan, Eleanor (ed.), "Introduction: The False Note, Descant, String: A History of a Foundling", Syrene Soundes: False Relations in the English Renaissance, Oxford University Press, p. 0, doi:10.1093/9780197748206.003.0006, ISBN 978-0-19-774817-6, retrieved 19 July 2025
  3. ^ Bray, R. H., ed. (1995), Music in Britain. 2: The sixteenth century / ed. by Roger Bray, Oxford: Blackwell, ISBN 978-0-631-17924-5, retrieved 19 July 2025
  4. ^ Willis, Jonathan (2016). Church Music and Protestantism in Post-Reformation England: Discourses, Sites and Identities. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-16624-5.
  5. ^ a b "O nata lux de lumine (Tallis) - from CDA67548 - Hyperion Records - MP3 and Lossless downloads". www.hyperion-records.co.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "O nata lux de lumine - Hyperion Records - CDs, MP3 and Lossless downloads". www.hyperion-records.co.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  7. ^ Lord, Suzanne; Brinkman, David (2003). Music from the age of Shakespeare: a cultural history. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-31713-2.
  8. ^ Doe, Paul (2001), Allinson, David (ed.), "Tallis [Tallys, Talles], Thomas", Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.27423, ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0, retrieved 19 July 2025
  9. ^ a b Blackwell, Albert (10 February 2012). "O Light from Light - Furman University" (PDF). furman.edu.
  10. ^ Fassler (2000). The Divine Office in the Latin Middle Ages. Oxford Academic.
  11. ^ Connelly, Joseph (1957). Hymns of the Roman Liturgy. pp. 124–125.
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