Last year, on Easter Sunday, our choir sang a setting of Christus resurgens by Peter Philips (1561-1628). A boy chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London under the Roman Catholic choirmaster Sebastian Westcott, Philips was eventually ordained a Roman Catholic priest and spent most of his life — and very successful musical career — in Italy, Spain, France, and the Low Countries.
The text to Christus resurgens is one that we were planning on singing this year, in a setting by a different composer.
Christus resurgens ex mortuis, jam non moritur, mors illi ultra non dominabitur.
Christ, rising again from the dead, dieth now no more. Death shall no more have dominion over him.
Quod enim mortuus est peccato, mortuus est semel, quod autem vivit, vivit Deo,
For in that he died to sin, he died once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Alleluia.
Alleluia
Mortuus est enim propter delicta nostra: et resurrexit propter justificationem nostram,
He died for our sins and rose again for our justification,
Quod autem vivit, vivit Deo,
who liveth unto God.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
The New Zealand-based Tudor Consort has recorded a number of sacred motets by Philips, including Christus resurgens. They are conducted in the performance below by Peter Walls.