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  • there pronunciation is appalling......good singing, but cringeworthy.

  • @Xanaseb I'm assuming your spoken latin is more in keeping with that of ancient Rome? I assume you practiced on an exchange?

    Also cringeworthy is substituting "their" for "there" XD

  • @WishItWereSimpler LOL trew trew, my Inglish iz not perfekt of caws ov corse. ;)

    But seriously, "e" in Latin should be more akin to "e" in perf-e-ct. But, it was of course t-h-e-i-r choice how they sung it. Personally, it just detract from the full potential impact o the song :)

    But yes "XD" indeed ;)

  • @WishItWereSimpler "they sing it" and "detracts".....sorry ;) ;)

  • If you like this listen to Joglaresa. Saw them preform this in Sheffield just before Christmas. Great to hear it live again. (Last heard it at the Liverpool Empire with Maddy Prior in fullflow.)

  • Regarding their singing accents and to those who're mocking it; Non-English people speaking English sounds just as ridiculous to the English.

  • Can never pass the sign on the A14 to Fenstanton without laughing

  • @lebroisky

    I'm sorry, I travel that road a few times a year but you've lost me on that comment, please enlighten!

  • @KeithAtHomeInBury Another Alan Partridge reference from the episode where this song featured.

  • @lebroisky Ah, thank you very much for the explanation!

  • Listening to this on the way back from the owl sanctuary.

  • literally blew my socks off.

  • Listen to this, it'll blow your socks off.

  • sounds like boycie is singing it!

  • So many compilation Christmas albums have a version that is NOT this. Thanks for the upload.

  • listen to this, it'll blow your socks off!

  • Thanks for the translation, I love this song x

  • I Like this song :)

  • When I was little and this came on our Christmas CD I used to get scared and cry. Somehow that's morphed into me absolutely adoring it now I'm nineteen!

  • @Angusismyhero OMG we had the same christmas album. I look back at this and think its not very christmassy, try listening to it when playing a fantasy game. Brilliant

  • @theonetruephil Haha - 'Mistletoe and Wine' was before it, and 'A Spaceman Came Travelling' was afterwards. Oooh, interesting idea, any game in particular?

  • @Angusismyhero Skyrim after you become thane of whiterun or anything along those lines

  • THIS SONG ALLWAYS REMINDS XMAS, I REMEMBER THE BBC USED IT FOR LIKS, IN THE 70'S

  • like it - BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN.

  • Rejoice, Rejoice! Christ is born Of the virgin Mary, Rejoice! It is now the time of grace That we have desired; Let us sing songs of joy, Let us give devotion. God was made man, And nature marvels; The world was renewed By Christ who is King. The closed gate of Ezechiel Has been passed through; From where the light rises Salvation is found. Therefore let our assembly now sing, Sing the Psalms to purify us; Let it praise the Lord: Greetings to our King
  • @knuckey63 Sorry about the formating

    

  • Loved this ever since it was first released by Steeleye Span.

  • I'm meant to be singing this in choir but all I can think of when I sing/hear this is Partridge and his amazing valentines day... best one he had in 8 years. He also went to Silverstone. Shook Jackie Stewart's hand. Superb. His marriage fell apart soon after that.

    I wouldn't have known the song if it weren't for him. I ruddy owe him one now.

  • @ heirihunziker

    What an utter twit. Obviously a yank.

  • @yekdeli

    Do you realise that most of the monks and priests in those times could not speak, read or pronounce Latin? Belive it or not, it's true!

  • I remember this song when it came out. I like it.

  • Great song, nice to listen to. But "Gau-day-tay" lololol.

  • @Noelle678 it's how people in the westcountry spoke latin back in tthe day

  • Somewhere,In a drawer, I have three albums on tape.SES is made of win.

    My 2c on the issue of the pronunciation: as a California native, and renfaire-brat, I can say this this is likely to be fairly close to the way it would have been sung. I will also point out that the song varies from church-to-church, specifically the solo parts. these are descriptions of varying places that the singers would pause by. further, a priest would be the only one versed in Latin, certainly the serfs would not be.

  • I think most people regardless of taste would enjoy the vertion done at my school for christmas concerts where there is backing light drums, a full choir and the orchestra playing the tune

  • I would like to hear this in a large cathedral.

  • did they have chewing gum in the medieval ages?? though i love the song, i can't get into the medieval mood hearing this horrible American accent. i tried, but it just makes me cringe. i'm going to thumbs up the versions from English/European/South American musicians.

  • @heirihunziker

    You have a really bad accent recognition. These guys are a British Folk band, and they couldn't sound more English than they do in this piece. Personally I think their distinct accents add a lot of character to their recording of the carol.

    And this shouldn't put you in the medieval mood, it was composed in the 16th century.

  • @CometGoat you're right, they are indeed English. i'll keep my insult about American pronounciation but have to retract my compliment about English singers. you're also right that this is a 16th century song. which pretty much leaves me bereft of arguments. perhaps my taste is overly drilled on the classical Latin i learned in school (for 7 years, 6-7 classes a week) our teacher was a real old school hardliner, actually even medieval Church Latin pronounciation was too modern for him.

  • @heirihunziker I'm probably part of a minority who likes this kind of accent for this song, I just find it different.

    I would say that proper choral renditions of it, perhaps Welsh or Continental would definitely be more widely enjoyed. Sorry for stealing your thunder! :)

  • i think Maddy has a wonderfull voice and just love this adaptation. Couldnt realy give a fuck where it has its origins. Oh I LOVE KATE bUSH 2!

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  • at first it sounded like time crystals of Spartacus, ex-married virgin. Eh, Dante?

  • I am amused by the comments about accents - this is a language that has not been spoken in over `000 years: nobody has the faintest clue what a good accent is, least of all those of us who natively speak English and are world famous for being terrible at other languages

  • @Taicondariel the accent debate is ridiculous indeed..but you are wrong on one account. Latin is a language that is very much alive. it's only been a handful of decades that mass is not said in latin anymore, and it still is the lingua franca of the clergy.

  • Listen to this it'll blow your socks off...

  • i don't think the accents are right.. lol very weird accents other than that great

  • My mother used to play this for me in my crib. Although i have heard it since i dont think ive heard it in decades. I feel ive always known this song. I think i should translate it now. =P

  • My mother used to play this for me in my crib. I've heard is since.... but it feels ive always known this song. Time to translate it! =)

  • alan partridge has a strange taste in music lol.

  • No wait they sound like andy parsons

  • haha they sound like Jason Statham in a Guy Ritchie film trying to speak latin or something.

  • Thank you

  • Gaudete, gaudete! Christus est natus

    Ex Maria virgine, gaudete!

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  • What if I'm not wearing a sock?

  • THUMBS UP if you came here because you heard Alan Partridge play Jill the song in his car on Valentines day....

  • @mattrehmhext haha I knew it before, it just reminded me of it. at the above comment says, listen to this- It'll blow your socks off.

  • @mattrehmhext I know it from Saxondale

  • @mattrehmhext Going through my old dvds and heard this.

  • @mattrehmhext Listen to this - it'll blow your socks off!

  • @mattrehmhext Wow, you're good! I just paused the DVD just to google the song XD

  • @mattrehmhext. No I just put the thumbs up becuase I think it's a blinding song.

  • what accent should it be sang in? Antarctica neutral?

  • An extremely gaudete type of song. Shame about the naff accents.

  • @fasfadsfsd As fabulous as Gaudete is, I think the new accents are a breath of fresh air.

  • Pure joy.

  • Beautiful... no matter what the accent. If the pope were to sing it, it would be too German, I suppose?

  • I love this carol but this is just a little too "British" on the accent.

  • Piae Cantiones by way of Liverpool.

  • we head it in latin class.. the song is stuck in your head instantly :D

  • I have always been of the belief that when singing Latin you have an obligation to minimize your accent as much as possible for most accurate singing.

    I was wrong. This is fucking fantastic.

  • omg hahahahahahahahahahahahhaha "gaudaytay!!!!" hahahahahahahahaha this is like the munchkins of "the wizard of oz" singing!!!! Ha! Hilarious!

  • I have thus, after consideration and challenges by James Kraus, my estemed college radio college (sp?) I will fill the 12 daylight broadcasting hours on CHRISTMAS DAY, on KXLU LA to Latin languaged rock songs. !!!!!!!!!!! I can and will, then- all is settled. !!!!!!!!!!!

    GAUDETTE by S S is just one of the enduring favorites in this musical dynasty.!!

  • It sounds like "Nell's" lost tribe in West Virginia are singing it!

  • Are 'span singing ... 'ex Maria viginae' or ...'ex Mari a virgin maid' anyone know?

  • @transuk68

    Ex Maria virgine gaudete :}

  • my chorus is doing this and it sounds alot more chorus-y

  • Im not a religious man these days, however Gaudete is such a lovely Latin carol. Steeleye Span really made a good job of it too back in the early 70's. i certainly agree with "jackendasgrock's" above comment....it certainly blew my socks off too. Sadly they don't make 'em like they used to, it's all commercialised guff nowadays.

  • Horrible Latin...how funny!

  • @yekdeli Exactly: the horrible, coarse Latin of medieval English villagers, who might have learnt it by ear, (from a monk perhaps) and sung it their in own low accents and who were not singing it to win a Latin competition. Perhaps while not even knowing what they were singing, they would have *felt* it - and been joyful that their singing was in glorification of their God.

    *This* is the spirit Span were conveying - that you, in your wretched and supercilious stupidity, seem to have missed.

  • @HARSHREALITYSLAP I think if you look at the more recent comments, they are certainly more "supercilious" than my simple statement. It was not me that mentioned that it sounded like a "lost tribe in West Virginia" nor I that said that it sounds like "munchkins". I didn't say that it wasn't heartfelt....I wouldn't pretend to know "the spirit the Span were conveying". And it is you who stooped to an unprovoked ad hominem attack, simply because of a 4 word statement here. Who's "supercilious"?

  • @yekdeli "Ah, but the idiocy of others is even greater than mine" - if you think about it, that's not such a crackerjack of a defence, is it?

    And the rest of this load of wounded bleating you just vomited up only makes it worse. Let it go.

  • @yekdeli Oh, give me a break. I just prefer Joculatores Upsalienses version. You're the one who became an offended apologist for your opinion. And continue to insult. Weak.

  • @yekdeli a puny plan indeed

  • @ucihapokujin Huh?

  • @HARSHREALITYSLAP

    I agree. The English language is spoken with accents that change with time and place. Who knows what the Latin of medieval England sounded like--or for that matter, how the Latin of the Romans sounded. I don't think there is such a thing as "no accent"--only an absence of accents that we can identify, and that is highly individual.

    As for this rendition, I love it! It has a raw, earthly quality to it.

  • @HARSHREALITYSLAP Nobody nowadays knows how "classic" Latin was pronounced. Probably it was much closer to "gutter Italian" than the scholarly scholars would like.

  • @Pitfossil There's another a cappella "pop singer version" if you like :) The performers are Finnish singing latin so you can compare the way they pronounce e.g the letters r and c and word virginese. v=ulc5XbBsfaY

  • @HARSHREALITYSLAP Nice historically accurate observation, well put!, although I really don't consider myself wretched or stupid. Watch that, mate...

  • @TheEldoradoKid I was directing my conclusions in respect of the individual I was replying to - and in specific regard of the hugely pompous, disparaging, self-regarding and self-righteous tone of his criticism?

    By that specific token, *you* appear to have absolutely nothing at all in common with *him*: so my conclusions cannot apply to you and I would not wish them to.

  • @HARSHREALITYSLAP Yes of course, I apologize for making the wrong assumption in the first place, I didn't look at the post close enough to see how they were linked, and the fact that I was responding to your response and not the original message, as I should have; sorry about that! Anyway....I do think the Steeleye Span rendition of Gaudete is haunting and beautiful. What a great group!

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  • @HARSHREALITYSLAP

    Gaudete is a sacred Christmas carol, composed sometime in the 16th century. The song was published in Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finnish/Swedish sacred songs published in 1582. No music is given for the verses, but the standard tune comes from older liturgical books.

  • @HARSHREALITYSLAP you know your comment here mate is so good, it pretty much instantly changed my perception of the pronunciation in this song. It feels SO english, how it's meant to feel, when sung this way.

  • Absolutely LOVE this 'organic' version of Gaudete - having a kind of 'of the people,by the people' feel.....my tastes usually fall to classical -The King's Singers, Libera, etc but this is my ultimate favourite version of this very old music.

  • I thinking of naming my daughter "ex maria"

  • It sounds somewhat Protestant.

  • @jamesfish05 I think this is a Medieval tune, so predates Luther.

  • love it that it gets louder as it goes on almost as though theyre walking to an past you

  • I remember this! Seems as though it was round Christmas '72, because yes I indeed remember them on Top of the Pops with this song at that time. Damned that makes me feel old.

  • this could be played next to gouge away by the pixies.

  • Yeah them crazy romans!

    

  • americans speaking english sounds terrible XP

  • Hahah laughter explosion

  • ooo there's me working on my monothongs and Steeleye Span are getting away with dipthongs! Love it.... breaking all the rules.... here's to the impurists! x

  • I love this version and the song per se so much!

  • I know its Christmas once I hear this song. Ever since I was little I play it, my absolute favorite <3

  • alan partridge

  • Don't comment on atfatw people. He's just angry because he's not got a culture.

  • @twlthtegorwhatever,

    you've certainly got a culture a yeasty one in your english brains you shabby wimp

  • @atfatw I bet you say that to all the boys, you silver-tongued devil you! O.k., you've got me, your place or mine????

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  • Jill... do you like owls?

  • Lived in the UK when this played on Top O f The Pops on the BBC in Dec in the early 70s. What a female voice! They were so clear and pure. I have the 45 of this on the back side is the Holly and the Ivy.

  • Maddy Prior on female vocals, back in 1970's, 1973. 37 years ago, I was in school aged 15. Fab tune 1970's.

  • Definitely a medieval vibe here. You just know this was sung during the coronation of William I or some shit like that.

  • Great performance on BBCs Top of the Pops during December 1973, unfortunately the 2" master tape was wiped by the BBC.

    This record sounds great on CD, full of echo and a very long fade out!

  • I much prefer this to the 'authentic' properly pronounced latin formal versions. This is probably much closer to how it was really sung in the middle ages. The formal versions with correct pronunciation (and how do we know it's really correct? They didn't have tape recorders back then!) just don't have the life or spark this does. It always seems the singers are concentrating so hard on the Latin they forget to give the song any soul. Bah to the so called 'right' way!

  • @shadowcatphase

    Must say I agree with you remember when they sang it in the Stadium in Dublin when they did it as an encore and started from the left and walked off the stage on the right with there voices growing and then disappearing great stuff.

    And that must have been 1973/4 and I still recall it and still sing along

  • Alan Partridge loves this song

  • @britladd9 - Bet he loves cretins like you as well 'brit' lad.

  • @britladd9 - Bet he loves cretins like you as well 'brit' lad.

  • very Dead can dance

  • Increadible !! I have just found and heard this song for the first time in 38 years. Just goes to show what a powerful song it was that I should have carried it around in my head for so long...

  • Am I the only one who just loves their heavy English accents???

  • @gio73vanna

    No you're not. Latin may have been "international" for europeans but see how we all sing in our all accents !

    Should I reach heaven beyond the curse of bable everuone will sing with a south manchester accent !

  • @nique197 Hear,hear!You know,I have caught myself singing along in that very same accent,and I'm not even from England...anyway,the singing is so darn perfect ang gorgeous,that in the end you don't care for the pronunciation being correct or not.

  • Gaudete means Rejoice - so the chorus means, "Rejoice, Rejoice, Christ is born of the Virgin." It's a Christmas Hymn.

  • Our choirmaster would go ballistic if we sang like that, as well. He once chided us for inserting vowels like these into one of our pieces, saying "Hey! Hey! Where are you from?" One bloke who was from Colchester called back: "Essex! Does it show?"

  • If I sang wit those vowels my choir teacher would kick me out of music. Lol, I still love their rendition of I;m sure this is simular to the original version.

  • Am I the only one that feels haunted when I listen to this music? This is beautiful, very well performed.

  • @VinylLad no VinylLad, I hear it too and am haunted. It's ancient, mysterious and beautiful.

  • Gaudaytay, Gaudaytay, Kristus est natus. Ex Mareea Verginay Gaudaytay.

    I love that accent. :P

  • @Nibor7301 Actually its Gaudete , Gaudete, Christus estnatus ex maria virgine gaudete. o.o D; Sorry for being a grammer nazi.

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  • @zelilbrat i think nibor is engaging in the ancient art of taking the piss...

  • @zelilbrat I know what it actually is. :P I just wrote what I was actually listening because I found the accent amusing.

  • @Nibor7301 Ahahaha Okay

    @harpyams >> Grammar** >>

  • @Nibor7301 I find it funny, or to better put it, an amusement

  • @Nibor7301

    Gaudete, gaudete! Christus est natus

    Ex Maria virgine, gaudete!

    Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born

    Of the Virgin Mary — rejoice!

    (Latin spellcheck ... just saying)

  • @Nibor7301 that's pretty much what it sounds like in latin...

  • I think you will find it is Gaudete, Gaudete, Christus, est natus, ex Maria virgine, Gaudete. But you probably already knew that, and I agree, the accent is a fantastic change to the song. Not that the song was not already fantastic.

  • @Nibor7301 I know, it's awful, isn;t it? But they do have good voices.

  • @Elvoalven  Twat

  • @WENGERGOONER Excuse me?

  • @Elvoalven I SAID TWAT

  • @Elvoalven This recording must owe some of its popularity to the ordinary English accents lent to the Latin text.

    I do like the Tallis Scholars, the Hilliard Ensemble, the King's Singers (with 'Madrigal History Tour'), Gothic Voices, Blue Heron, etc.—the English groups who've brought polyphonic music back to listeners during the past thirty years. But Steeleye Span, on this track, kill me with their guilelessness. It's as if they saw through the Church Latin to find the musical phrases.

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  • love it just pure brilliance

  • Now there is a memory was it really 37 years ago

    Where does the time go

    Thanks for the post

  • superb and its british

  • This took more finding than the holy grail! Thanks for posting.

  • @JasonMaximHall Indeed

  • listen to this... it willl blow you're sock off

  • Thanks, Alan!

  • i nearly died laughing the first time i saw that!

  • Thats simply because you are a Tosser

  • @jackendasgrock wow ur right it just has

  • @jackendasgrock I came here to post this very thing.

  • @jackendasgrock Ab-solute legend. :'D

  • @jackendasgrock Dr Pepper? Taste like fizzy benylin

  • @jackendasgrock just the one lol.....

    

  • @jackendasgrock What, only one sock? Surely it's better than that.

  • At last! Somebody has posted a version of this great song with proper audio levels! Thank you! All of the other versions that I have heard, or have struggled to hear so far have been recorded with really poor audio levels. Thanks again!