Credo Translation
Posted by moonstruck on the NUS Choir Forum
24 May 2005
02:03
Hello everyone. I hope this won't be long-winded, but bear with me anyway since I feel this is important for our interpretation of the songs, esp Credo.
Like I said during the open choir discussion earlier tonight, I feel it is important that we thoroughly understand what we're singing in order for us to give justice to the songs. More specifically, I feel that it is not enough to know that we have a rough idea of the song's meaning, and thus churn out a performance that roughly depicts what we think the song says. It's a competition and we're aiming to win; and thus we must step up the interpretation, and thoroughly understand and feel every line of the songs we sing, as this will ultimately be reflected in how we express the music.
Here's a translation of Credo which I got from Lingwei's post months ago. I edited and corrected some parts, though, with the help of this and my weekly Church visits. I've divided the real (spoken) creed into the phases as we sing it.
CREDO
Credo in Deum
I believe in God
Patrem omnipotentem
the Father Almighty
creatorem caeli et terra
creator of heaven and earth
et in Jesum Christum, Filium eius, unicum, Dominum nostrum
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord
qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto
who was conceived [by the power] of the Holy Spirit
natus ex Maria Virgine
born of the Virgin Mary
passus sub Pontio Pilato
suffered under Pontius Pilate
crucifixus, mortuus, sepultus
crucified, died, and buried
descendit ad inferos
descended into hell
Ascendit ad caelos
[He] ascended into Heaven
sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris Omnipotentis
and is seated at the right hand of God the Almighty Father
venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos
[He will] come again to judge the living and the dead
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum
I believe in the Holy Spirit
sanctam ecclesiam catholicam
the holy and apostolic Catholic church
sanctorum communionem
the communion of saints
remissionem peccatorum
the forgiveness of sins
carnis resurrectionem
the resurrection of the body
vitam, vitam aeternam
and life everlasting
Amen
Amen ("So be it" or "Let it be done")
I'd like to emphasize that Credo is not just a song about Jesus and his death and resurrection and glory in heaven, or just some ordinary "church song". It is much more than that.
If you pay attention to the lines carefully, the Creed (Credo, or The Apostles' Creed) encapsulates the entire Catholic doctrine. It is the declaration (or proclamation even) of what the Catholic faith is all about. These are sacred stuff, that form the very foundation of the Catholic faith, and must be treated with utmost reverence. (BTW, the "ascendit" part is of course representative of the Jesus' resurrection, which is a core belief in the faith, since it was through it that ancient prophecy of the Messiah was fulfilled. Thus it requires a deeper, grander outburst of joy and faith)
Let me make clear again though, that I am not trying to convert anyone (God knows I've been a not-too-good Catholic too anyway) nor am I attempting to persuade you to pretend to believe the Catholic faith just so we can sing well.
What I'm saying is that we can treat Credo as a work of art, separate from its religious and spiritual implications, and realize that this artwork requires of us a certain set of strong emotions. It is our duty as choristers to churn these out, regardless of whether or not we believe what we're singing in real life. Like what Yan Ting said last practice, we have to attach the song to something we strongly feel for, like some experience or some pet or person or item, in order to produce the necessary emotion and expression.
_______
Whew, this was a heavy post (and probably the heaviest I've ever made)! I hope everyone will go through the translation and feel the song better next time. ;) Good luck to us all!
And oh yeah, for Ashita, please refer to page 29 of the yellow book for the English translation! =P
Joseph
