Music on My Mind

Praeconium Paschale (also known as the Easter Proclamation or Exsultet), sung by Rev. Jonathan Gaspar. I truly think this song, on the Easter Candle, has claim to being one of the great songs of Western civilization. The felix culpa section, which has had an extraordinary influence on thought and literature, is based on discussions by Ambrose and Augustine; the awesome section about the bees is influenced by Virgil's Georgics. Jesus is referred to as the Morning Star in the book of Revelation. The origins of it are not clearly known; but the melody is thought to go back at least to the seventh century, perhaps much earlier, and some of the lyrics as well. In one form or another it has been sung at Easter Vigil in the West for over a thousand years.