O sons and daughters, let us sing!

Today is the 2nd Sunday of Easter.

It's often called "Low Sunday," because things are pretty "quiet" after the great festival of Easter, and few people go to church.

It's also called "Thomas Sunday," as this is the day that we hear about "doubting Thomas," who is not present when the risen Jesus first appears to the disciples, and will not believe until he has "seen it for himself."

This is where we get the phrase about being a "doubting Thomas!"

The great hymn of the day, is the famous "O filii et filiae, which is often sung as Gregorian chant. However, there is a later version of the tune, a French melody dating from the 17th century, and this is the one that I've uploaded here.

The original Latin text is by a Franciscan monk, Jean Tisserand (d. 1494). The most famous English translation was done largely by John Mason Neale (1818-1866).

The "more modern," 17th century version of the melody is very exciting, with more "flourish" than the plainsong version. Incidentally, if you are looking for a hymn to provide an opportunity for pedal practice, this may be your ticket, as it has a highly-active pedal part.

This performance includes the "full" 9 verses of text, and the score is attached below, as well as a photo of John Mason Neale.

The full text is given in the First Comment.

I think you will find that the organ sounds amazing in this, and the music really rocks! :-)

May all of us be blessed with the gift of faith!