In Dulci Jubilo
In Dulci Jubilo Lyrics
In Dulci Jubilo (in progress, for 2027)
Note: This carol traditionally blends Latin and English phrases.
Verse 1
In dulci jubilo (In sweet rejoicing)
Now sing we high and low!
Heav'n and earth aligns
In praesepio (In a manger).
And like a bright star shines
Matris in gremio (In the mother's lap).
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
Now sing we high and low!
Heav'n and earth aligns
In praesepio (In a manger).
And like a bright star shines
Matris in gremio (In the mother's lap).
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
Verse 2
O Jesu parvule (O tiny Jesus)!
I long for you each day!
Bring comfort to this place,
O Puer optime (O most excellent child)!
Through your grace,
O Princeps gloriae (O Prince of glory),
Trahe me post te (Draw me after thee),
Trahe me post te (Draw me after thee)!
I long for you each day!
Bring comfort to this place,
O Puer optime (O most excellent child)!
Through your grace,
O Princeps gloriae (O Prince of glory),
Trahe me post te (Draw me after thee),
Trahe me post te (Draw me after thee)!
Verse 3
O Patris caritas (O love of the Father),
O Nati lenitas (O gentleness of the Son)!
We were all alone
Per nostra crimina (Through our sins);
But now we have been shown
Coelorum gaudia (The joys of heaven).
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
O Nati lenitas (O gentleness of the Son)!
We were all alone
Per nostra crimina (Through our sins);
But now we have been shown
Coelorum gaudia (The joys of heaven).
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
Verse 4
Ubi sunt gaudia (Where are those joys),
Ubi sunt gaudia (Where are those joys)?
There are angels singing
Nova cantica (New songs),
There the bells are ringing
In Regis curia (In the King's court):
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega)!
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
O!
Ubi sunt gaudia (Where are those joys)?
There are angels singing
Nova cantica (New songs),
There the bells are ringing
In Regis curia (In the King's court):
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega)!
Alpha es et O (You are Alpha and Omega).
O!
Translation of In Dulci Jubilo
Program Notes for In Dulci Jubilo
Musical Overview
About the Work
“In Dulci Jubilo” is a 14th-century traditional Christmas carol with a medieval macaronic text that blends German and Latin.
Origins and Medieval History
The text of In dulci jubilo (“In sweet rejoicing”) is traditionally attributed to the German Dominican mystic Heinrich Seuse (Henry Suso) around 1328. According to folklore, Seuse experienced a mystical vision wherein angels appeared to him, bidding him to cast off his earthly sorrows and join them in a heavenly dance around the infant Jesus. The melody first surfaced in manuscript form around 1400 in the Leipzig University Library.
Throughout the centuries, the tune evolved into a cornerstone of European Yuletide music, inspiring legendary polyphonic and instrumental adaptations by masters like Michael Praetorius, J.S. Bach, and Dietrich Buxtehude. In the 19th century, English composer Robert Lucas Pearsall refashioned it into an enduring multi-part choral anthem, while John Mason Neale penned the loose English adaptation “Good Christian Men, Rejoice”.
Contemporary Orchestral-Choral Settings
Modern choral composer Michael John Trotta frequently re-imagines ancient liturgical texts—such as his popular treatments of “Dies Irae”—infusing historical sacred models with contemporary cinematic warmth, accessible harmonic structures, and sweeping dynamic contours. When modern arrangers score In dulci jubilo for combined choir and orchestra, they typically honor its dance-like 14th-century triple meter while expanding the sonic architecture through lush string textures, celebratory brass countermelodies, and soaring choral voicings that evoke Seuse’s original vision of celestial jubilation.
