About this arrangement

The text is a Lorica, a traditional Celtic form of protective prayer cohabiting the Latin word for armor, hence the English name 'Breastplate.' This text is found in the 7th C. Liber Hymnorum, in an ancient Celtic dialect, and where it was attributed to St. Patrick (5th C.). A translation of the original Lorica is available here. A Latin version later appears, in the 9th C. Book of Armagh, of which the Irish Diocese of Meath has written a commentary. These documents are all housed and on display at the library of Trinity College, Dublin. The tune was originally arranged and harmonized by C.V. Stanford, but most hymnals publish the more familiar harmonization by Ralph Vaughn Williams. The text was translated into metrical form for singing by Cecil Frances Alexander (Once in Royal David's City, All Things Bright and Beautiful).

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(R09.0120)