Thee Do I Adore, O Hidden Deity (SATB)
This famous medieval text, written by the theologian Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century, was written as a hymn to Christ honoring the Eucharist. It marvels at the wonder that the bread and the wine in the Supper are Christ’s body and blood. Along with that, Aquinas connects the sacrament with other narratives: the unbelief of Thomas, the thief on the cross, and the ancient image of the pelican. It ends with the Christian’s hope of the Beatific Vision—seeing God face-to-face in heaven.
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Aquinas’ text Adoro Te Devote has been newly translated by the composer in its entirety, in an attempt to strike a balance between faithfulness to the Latin and poetic beauty.
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This setting is a simple one, using the chant tune traditionally associated with the hymn. It brings subtle harmonic interest to the text, but for the most part, keeps a traditional, hymnic feel.
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