Hymn to St. Olav -- links

Some links to information about the hymn Ljoset over landet dagna (Norwegian) or Lux illuxit laetabunda" (Latin), a medieval hymn to St. Olav, patron saint of Norway. The hymn is derived from a musical sequence associated with Olsok, the saint's July 29 festival day, and pilgrimages to the cathedral at Nidaros (Trondheim.) It is No. 741 in the current (1985) hymnal of the State Church of Norway

I first heard it when I blundered onto a MIDI file of "Ljoset over landet dagna" on a website called "Martin's Magazine" maintained by Martin Eidhammer that has interesting information on Norwegian culture and music. Also a directory listing a dozen MIDI files of Norwegian hymns and folksongs including "Ja, vi elsker" and "Per Spilleman." It's enchanting. The melody dates from the 1100s, and it sounds like it. It's modal, chantlike ... but very melodious and intricate like Norwegian folk tunes.

It's mentioned -- very briefly -- in an English-language survey "1000 Years of Norwegian Church Music" by Harald Herresthal on the Norwegian Information Centre website. A more detailed account is in a history of Norwegian liturgical music by Carl Petter Opsahl, who wrote it for a practical theology seminar at the University of Oslo:

Rundt de forskjellige pilegrimsstedene i Europa oppstod det forskjellige liturgiske tradisjoner. Også i Norge hadde vi vi valfartssteder, og det mest kjente var selvfølgelig Nidarosdomen, der relikviene etter Hellig Olav ble bevart. Hellig Olav ble feiret med en oktav, det vil si en uke med liturgisk fest, der 29. juli var høydepunktet i feiringen. Olavsfeiringen ga inspirasjon til ny salmediktning. Olavssekvensen Lux illuxit laetebunda står i NoS 741, "Ljoset over landet dagna".

NoS is the Norsk Salmebok (1985).

Two recordings of the hymn are available on the internet, both from the Kirkelig Kulturverksted label. Both cost 165 Kroner (about $25.52 when I looked on Oct. 19).

One is by Schola Sanctae Sunnivae, a women's choir that sings in a traditional monastic style. The catalog listing says:

SCHOLA SANCTAE SUNNIVAE: REX OLAVUS (2000)
Catalog no.: FXCD227 Duration: 0:53:49
St. Olav’s Day (29th July) was an important celebration in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages. On this day the St. Olav Mass was sung everywhere, from the great cathedral of Nidaros to the smallest village church. This was without doubt the most widely known music before Grieg, and the sequence Lux illuxit has in modern times represented the flag ship of Norwegian medieval music. And this is a truly magnificent piece of music. Finally we may now listen to it in its original context. Most of this material has never been released on CD before.

The other is by Kalenda Maya, a folk group that specializes in medieval music. The catalog says:

KALENDA MAYA: PILEGRIMSREISER (1997)
Katalognr.: FXCD184 Spilletid: 1:02:02

Also a link to my theory on "how a blog is like the old-fashioned oak filing cabinet in my home office ... [i.e.] kind of an electronic filing cabinet where I can tuck away information that would get lost otherwise." I posted it to Hogfiddle last year, and keep posting stuff that would pile up on my desk if I didn't post it electronically.