ON THIS DAY, EARTH SHALL RING ("PERSONENT HODIE")

Music: From Piae Cantiones, 1582
Text: From Piae Cantiones, 1582; trans. Jane M. Joseph
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

The Finnish song collection Piae Cantiones, from 1582, included dozens of medieval songs with Latin texts, most of them overtly religious, including the Christmas carols “Good King Wenceslas,” “Good Christian Men, Rejoice,” and “On This Day, Earth Shall Ring.” The carols in Piae Cantiones weren’t entirely new—many of them were from earlier centuries and were probably brought to Finland from Central Europe. “On This Day” (or “Personent hodie” in the original Latin) uses, for example, a melody already known in Germany in 1360, and its text was adapted from a 12th century song in honor of St. Nicholas. 

“Personent hodie” was translated into English by Jane M. Joseph, an English composer working in the early 20th century who was a student and, later, colleague of Gustav Holst. For The Tabernacle Choir’s 2021 Christmas concert, Mack Wilberg arranged “On This Day, Earth Shall Ring” into a dramatic processional that preserves the renaissance reverence of the original.

On this day earth shall ring 
With the song children sing 
To the Lord, Christ our King 
Born on earth to save us; 
Him the Father gave us. 
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo! 

His the doom, ours the mirth; 
When He came down to earth, 
Bethlehem saw His birth; 
Ox and ass beside Him, 
From the cold would hide Him. 
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo! 

God’s bright star, o’er His head, 
Wise men three to Him led; 
Kneel they low by His bed, 
Lay their gifts before Him, 
Praise Him and adore Him. 
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo! 

On this day angels sing; 
With their song Earth shall ring, 
Praising Christ, heaven’s King, 
Born on earth to save us; 
Peace and love He gave us. 
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo! 
Amen.