Ave verum

Tomorrow, June 26th is the Feast of Corpus Christi.

The Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ), also known as Corpus Domini, is a Latin Rite liturgical solemnity celebrating the tradition and belief in the body and blood of Jesus Christ and his Real Presence in the Eucharist. It emphasizes the joy of the institution of the Eucharist, which was observed on Maundy Thursday in the somber atmosphere of the nearness of Good Friday. The feast is liturgically celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, "where the Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is not a holy day of obligation, it is assigned to the Sunday after the Most Holy Trinity as its proper day". At the end of Holy Mass, there is often a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, generally displayed in a monstrance. The procession is followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Any "Ave verum" is not a proper Corpus Christi, but it is Eucharistic, and I wanted something to upload for the day.

The composer Victor Van Geyseghem (13 August 1859 — 8 May 1943) was also known by his monastery name, Pater Didacus, O.F.M.

O.F.M. stands for Orders of Capuchin Friars Minor, and also tells us that he was a Franciscan.

The piece is a flowing setting of the Latin plainsong, and is written for two manuals, alternating between "forte" and "piano." The alternations are "gentle" and the registration is mostly 8' stops, which sings and floats in the Utrecht acoustics.

The score is attached below.