Ave verum corpus

William Byrd

 

Ave verum corpus natus De Maria Virgine, Vere passum, immolatus In cruce pro homine: 

Cuius latus perforatum Unda fluxit et sanguine, Esto nobis praegustatum In mortis examine. 

O dulcis, O pie, O Jesu Fili Mariae; Miserere mei. Amen. 

Hail the true body, born of the Virgin Mary: You who truly suffered and were sacrificed on the cross for the sake of man. 

From whose pierced flank flowed water and blood: Be a foretaste for us in the trial of death. 

O sweet, O merciful, O Jesus, Son of Mary; Have mercy on me. Amen. 

 

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William Byrd (c. 1540 – 4 July 1623)
Was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He wrote in many of the forms current in England at the time, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard (the so-called Virginalist school), and consort music. Although he produced sacred music for Anglican services, sometime during the 1570s he became a Roman Catholic and wrote Catholic sacred music later in his life.