Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Latin Lyrics for Christmas Carols

Latin Lyrics for Christmas Carols Singing Christmas carols in Latin is a fun way to celebrate the history of Christmas. Carols have their roots in the 13th century CE, based on secular songs that were popular then. Franciscan friars took the form and music of the pop songs and recast them with religious texts in Latin, for use in strictly religious contexts. Their function was as a type of religious propaganda, and many were sung specifically in holy processions.   By the middle of the 14th century, the texts had been translated into vernacular languages- Middle French and English–and they became secularized again by the 15th century, becoming carols, sung by people outside of religious ceremonies.   Over the subsequent centuries, the text was updated as the languages developed- for examples, as Middle English developed into Modern English- so when you sing a carol in Latin, you can show off your sense of history.  Here are a handful of the most well-known English carols in their Latin forms. Veni, Emmanuel (O Come, , O Come, Emmanuel)Veni, veni Emmanuel!Captivum solve Israel!Qui gemit in exilio,Privatus Dei Filio,Gaude, gaude, EmmanuelNascetur pro te, Israel.Veni, veni o oriens!Solare nos adveniens,Noctis depelle nebulas,Dirasque noctis tenebras.Gaude, gaude EmmanuelNascetur pro te, Israel.Veni, veni Adonai!Qui populo in SinaiLegem dedisti vertice,In Maiestate gloriae.Gaude, gaude EmmanuelNascetur pro te Israel. Regis olim urbe David (Once in Royal Davids City)Regis olim urbe David,Sub bovili misero,Mater posuit infantemIn praesaepi pro lecto:Mitis Maria mater;Iesus Christus is puer.De caelo ad nos descenditDeus, Dominus orbis;Ei tectum est bovileEt praesaepe pro cunis.Pauperum virum amatorSancte vixisti Salvator.Et puertiam per miramObservanter parebatVirgini eidem matri,Quae cum pepererat:Tentent et discipuliEsse similes ei.Nam exemplum ille nobis:Nostri crescebat instar;Parvus quondam, imbecillus,Flens et ridens nobis par,Perticeps tristitiaeIdem et laetitiae. Tandem illum nos cernemusEx amore aeterno:Puer enim ille parvusSummo regnat iam caelo,Atque eo nos ducitQuo et ipse praeiit.Nec in stabulo misello,Bubus prope stantibus,Tunc videbitur, sed celsus,Sedens Deo proximus:Comites tum coronatiCircumstabunt candidati. Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)English Lyrics and history: Adeste Fideles Laeti triumphantesVenite, venite in BethlehemNatum videteRegem angelorumVenite adoremus, Venite adoremus,Venite adoremus, DominumCantet nunc ioChorus angelorumCantet nunc aula caelestiumGloria, gloriaIn excelsis DeoVenite adoremus, Venite adoremus,Venite adoremus, DominumErgo qui natusDie hodiernaJesu, tibi sit gloriaPatris aeterniVerbum caro factusVenite adoremus, Venite adoremus,Venite adoremus, Dominum Dormi, Jesu! The Virgins Cradle-Hymn Words by S. T. Coleridge, Sibylline Leaves, 1817 Dormi, Jesu! Mater ridetQuae tam dulcem somnum videt,Dormi, Jesu! blandule!Si non dormis, Mater plorat,Inter fila cantans orat,Blande, veni, somnule. Sleep, sweet babe! my cares beguiling:Mother sits beside thee smiling;Sleep, my darling, tenderly!If thou sleep not, mother mourneth,Singing as her wheel she turneth:Come, soft slumber, balmily! Source: The Hymns and Carols of Christmas Gloria in Excelsis Deo The refrain of the French Carol translated into English as Angels We Have Heard on High is in Latin - Gloria in Excelsis Deo. Heres one version of the English version of the carol from the same online source as the last. The translation from French to English is by Bishop James Chadwick (1813–1882): 1. Angels we have heard on highSweetly singing oer the plains,And the mountains in replyEchoing their joyous strains.RefrainGloria, in excelsis Deo!Gloria, in excelsis Deo! 2. Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?What the gladsome tidings beWhich inspire your heavenly song? Refrain 3. Come to Bethlehem and seeHim whose birth the angels sing;Come, adore on bended knee,Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Refrain 4. See Him in a manger laid,Whom the choirs of angels praise;Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,While our hearts in love we raise. Refrain Sources Anderson, Douglas. The Hymns and Carols of Christmas, 2002.Gibbs, Laura. Gaudete, Gaudete! Latin Christmas and Holiday Songs! LatinTeach, 2010. Rickert, Edith. Ancient-English Christmas Carols. Wildside Press, 1910.Reichl, Karl. The Middle English Carol. A Companion to the Middle English Lyric. Ed. Duncan, Thomas Gibson. Cambridge: Boydell Brewer, 2005. 150–70. Robbins, R. H. The Earliest Carols and the Franciscans. Modern Language Notes 53.4 (1938): 239–45. Robbins, Rossell Hope. Middle English Carols as Processional Hymns. Studies in Philology 56.4 (1959): 559–82.

Monday, March 2, 2020

My Best Teaching Experience (Personal Story)

My Best Teaching Experience (Personal Story) Teaching can be a demanding profession. There are times when students can seem uninterested in learning and disruptive to the classroom environment. There are plenty of studies and educational strategies for  improving student behavior. But personal experience may be the best way to show how to turn a difficult student into a dedicated pupil. I had such an experience: one where I was able to help change a student with major behavioral issues into a learning success story.   Troubled Student Tyler was enrolled in my senior American government class for a semester, followed by a second semester by economics. He had impulse-control and anger management issues. He had been suspended many times in previous years. When he entered my class in his senior year, I assumed the worst. Tyle sat in the back row. I had never used a seating chart with students on the first day when I was just getting to know them. Every time I talked at the front of the class, I would ask questions of students, calling them by name. This helped me to get to know the students. Unfortunately, every time I called on Tyler, he would respond with a glib answer. If he got an answer wrong, he would become angry. About a month into the year, I was still trying to connect with Tyler. I can usually get students involved in class discussions or at the least motivate them to sit quietly and attentively. By contrast, Tyler was just loud and obnoxious. Battle of Wills Tyler had been in so much trouble through the years that it had become his modus operandi. He expected his teachers to know about his  referrals, where he was sent to the office, and suspensions, where he was given mandatory days to stay out of school. He would push every teacher to see what it would take to get a referral. I tried to outlast him. I had rarely found referrals to be effective because students would return from the office behaving worse than before. One day, Tyler was talking while I was teaching. In the middle of the lesson, I said in the same tone of voice, Tyler why dont you join our discussion instead of having one of your own. With that, he got up from his chair, pushed it over and yelled something. I cant remember what he said other than that he included several profanity words. I sent Tyler to the office with a discipline referral, and he received a weeks out-of-school suspension. To this point, this was one of my worst teaching experiences. I dreaded that class every day. Tylers anger was almost too much for me. The week Tyler was out of school was a wonderful hiatus, and we got a lot accomplished as a class. However, the suspension week would soon come to an end, and I dreaded his return. The Plan On the day of Tylers return, I stood at the door awaiting him. As soon as I saw him, I asked Tyler to talk to me for a moment. He seemed unhappy to do it but agreed. I told him that I wanted to start over with him. I also told him that if he felt like he was going to lose control in class, he had my permission to step outside the door for a moment to collect himself. From that point on, Tyler was a changed student. He listened and he participated in class. He was a smart student, something I could finally witness in him. He even stopped a fight between two other students one day. He never abused  his break time privilege. Giving Tyler the power to leave the classroom showed him that he had the ability to choose how he would behave. At the end of the year, Tyler wrote me a thank you note about how well the year had gone for him. I still have that note today and find it touching to reread when I get stressed about teaching. Avoid Prejudgment This experience changed me as a teacher. I came to understand that students are people who have feelings and who dont want to feel cornered. They want to learn, but they also want to feel as if they have some control over themselves. I never made assumptions again about students before they came into my class. Every student is different; no two students react in the same way. It is our task as teachers to find not only what motivates each student to learn but also what motivates them to misbehave. If we can meet them at that point and take away that motivation, we can go a long way toward achieving more  effective classroom management  and a better learning environment.