*Hymne latin cité par Wilhelm LEVISON d’après un manuscrit du Xle siècle :
Salvator bone, rex, vita, salus, via,
Gengulfi meritis martiris optimi
Devotum populum respice, protégé
Clementerque tuis crimina submove.
Psallentes tibi nos, inclite, suscipe
Et sancto renovans dirige munere
Caelestisque chori vocibus accine
Et vitam superam, poscimus, annue.
Non fisi meritis hoc tibi pangimus,
Gengulfi meritis sed tua poscimus,
Largiri solitus es quia nobile,
Quod nescit hominum mens prece sumere.
Exaudi, petimus, organa, carmina
Extendensque manum porrige dexteram.
Confer laeticiam, nubila discute,
Aufer mesticiam lumine perpete.
Hoc presta, genitor omnipotens pie,
Per Christum genitum, omnia qui tenet
Et nos vivificat flamine compare,
Aeterno moderans secula tempore. Amen.
*Editor: Found this information from a French website – therefore a bit of homage for this lead by heading this piece in French. Hope to find a melody for this hymn soon. Welcome suggestions. Here’s the first:
“The Hymn appears to be Iambic trimeter – melodies for the Hymn ‘Quodcumque in orbe’ (older text ‘Quodcumque vinclis’) part of the longer ‘Felix per omnes’, should fit. It is not a common meter but has a few melodies. Interestingly the ‘Felix per Omnes’ is a Hymn used today, for The Feast of St. Peter’s Chair in Rome.” (Thanks to Tomjaw on the Musica Sacra forum for this analysis.)
May 2022: We have elected to choose a more ancient melody in the present Liber Hymnarium which we have slightly adapted to fit the words – only three notes. Details to follow.