Adoro Te Devote (Humbly We Adore Thee) by Gerald Near
An Excellent Meditative Selection with Many Uses
As Corpus Christi approaches, I am reminded of all the great music that is associated with this particular solemnity. One of my absolute favorite pieces for the occasion is the Prelude on Adoro Te Devote by Gerald Near.
This piece consists of a prelude along with a handful of interesting variations on the beloved melody “Adoro Te”. I’ll share some samples below.
For those unfamiliar with this text, here’s the translation of the first verse (from the Parish Book of Chant):
Devoutly I adore thee, hidden Godhead, who truly stayest hidden under these forms: to thee doth my whole heart subject itself, because, in contemplating thee, everything [else] is found lacking.
Sample Recordings
Here are a few samples of my favorite variations from this piece (recorded on a Viscount Virtuoso 350). If you can, try to listen on headphones or literally anything else other than tiny phone speakers (because physics).
Variation 1
Variation 2
Variation 4
When to Use
This piece works especially well as a prelude or communion meditation. You can leave out any of the variations or play them all together (if there is time). You can also insert specific variations between verses of the sung chant with a choir or cantor. This has worked very effectively for me in the past.
Because of the Eucharistic nature of this piece, you can pretty much use it anytime, especially during Communion. However, you might consider it for Corpus Christi, any First Holy Communion Masses, throughout Easter, and so on.
Where to Find
You can find this piece as part of the St. Augustine's Organbook collection. This resource consists of 10 pieces based on chant melodies. I use almost all of the pieces from this collection with regularity. In fact, I would say that this particular resource is one of the most useful resources in my collection!
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