These last few weeks I have spent a lot of time studying Christmas music lyrics. I realized for the first time that Christ is referred to as a Rose. I always thought that only Mary was associated with this symbol. Two of my favorite pieces feature this symbolism. The first one is translated from German. The second one is translated from Italian. Here are excerpts:
Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming
Lo how a rose e'er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung
Of Jesse's lineage coming
As men of old have sung
It came, a flow'ret bright
Amid the cold of winter
When halfspent was the night.
Here is the link to the YouTube that I featured in my first Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming post. It's still my favorite.
Gesu Bambino
When blossoms flower e'er 'mid the snow
Upon a winter night
Was born the Child, the Christmas Rose
The King of Love and Light.
Here is a link to a YouTube video of Luciano Pavarotti singing Gesu Bambino with Joan Osborne. It is especially nice because he sings the Italian, and she sings the English. I apologize for Ms. Osborne's inappropriate dress.
Yesterday, when I was thinking about writing this post, I got an e-mail letting me know that a longtime friend of Emma's had opened an online stained glass shop. When I looked at her items, I found the beautiful rose that you see at the top of this post. It would be a lovely reminder all year long of Christ, the Christmas Rose.
2 comments:
I love Christmas music! And Lo How a Rose and Gesu Bambino are two favorites. I love how the Church makes Easter and Christmas so special by giving us all this wonderful music to sing. In fact, that's a large part of what makes those two seasons (and the accompanying seasons of Advent and Lent) so special for me. I look forward to them all year.
ME TOO!
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