"Gaudete".
Sung by: Steeleye Span.
Available on YouTube at
Gaudete (English: /ˈɡaʊdeɪteɪ/; Ecclesiastical Latin: [gawˈdetɛ] "rejoice" in Latin) is a Sacred Christmas Carol, which is thought to have been composed in the 16th-Century, but could easily have existed as a monophonic Hymn in the Late-Medieval period, with polyphonic Alto, Tenor, and Bass parts added during the 15th-Century, particularly due to its Mediaeval Latin lyrics.
The song was published in Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finnish/Swedish Sacred Songs published in 1582. No music is given for the Verses, but the standard tune comes from older Liturgical Books.
The Latin Text is a typical Mediaeval Song of Praise, which follows the standard pattern for the time – a uniform series of four-line stanzas, each preceded by a two-line refrain (in the Early-English Carol this was known as the Burden). Carols could be on any subject, but typically they were about The Virgin Mary, The Saints or Christmastide themes.
The Latin Text is a typical Mediaeval Song of Praise, which follows the standard pattern for the time – a uniform series of four-line stanzas, each preceded by a two-line refrain (in the Early-English Carol this was known as the Burden). Carols could be on any subject, but typically they were about The Virgin Mary, The Saints or Christmastide themes.
