In November 1995, along with Greg Ellis, Ali formed Vas, producing four albums: Sunyata (1997), Offerings (1998), In the Garden of Souls (2000), and Feast of Silence (2004).
In 2002 she released her first solo album, Portals of Grace, which saw her expand her repertoire even farther and prove her to be equally as adept in singing in 13th century French-Provençal, Galician and Ladino as she is in Arabic.
In 2005, Ali worked on a new project called Niyaz with solo artist Carmen Rizzo and Axiom of Choice member Loga Ramin Torkian. Its self-titled album, Niyaz features Ali's vocals sung in Urdu and Farsi, backed up by more electronica-style music.
In June 2006, Ali released another latest solo album, Elysium for the Brave, where she includes English singing in her repertoire.
Azam Ali collaborated with Keyavash Nourai and Shahrokh Yadegari on the album Green Memories, released in September of 2008.
In 2011, the latest album, From Night to the Edge of Day was released. It features Ali's unique take on traditional Middle Eastern songs and lullabies.
O Quanta Qualia
Azam Ali Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
quæ semper celebrat superna curia
quæ fessis requies, quæ merces fortibus
cum erit omnia Deus in omnibus
Vere Ierusalem est illa civitas
cuius pax iugis est, summa iucunditas,
ubi non prævenit rem desiderium
Quis rex, quæ curia, quale palatium
quæ pax, quæ requies, quod illud gaudium
huius participes exponant gloriam
si quantum sentiunt, possint exprimere
Illic ex sabbato succedet sabbatum
perpes lætitia sabbatizantium
nec ineffabiles cessabunt iubili
quos decantabimus et nos et angeli
Perenni Domino perpes sit gloria
ex quo sunt, per quem sunt, in quo sunt omnia
ex quo sunt, Pater est, per quem sunt, Filius
in quo sunt, Patris et Filii Spiritus
The song "O quanta qualia" by Azam Ali is a Latin hymn that praises heavenly rest and reward. The opening lyrics, "O quanta, qualia sunt illa sabbata, quæ semper celebrat superna curia," translate to "Oh how great and wonderful are those sabbaths that the heavenly court always celebrates." The following verse speaks of the city of Jerusalem as a place of eternal peace and joy, where wanting is never experienced, and reward is always bestowed.
The hymn asks about the nature of the king, the court, and the palace of this heavenly place and wonders about the glory that would be experienced by those who partake in it. The final verse speaks of eternal glory for the Lord, and that everything in creation ultimately finds its source in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Overall, the song is a celebration of eternal rest and reward, and an acknowledgment of the divine source of all that exists.
Line by Line Meaning
O quanta, qualia sunt illa sabbata
Oh, how great and wonderful are those Sabbaths
quæ semper celebrat superna curia
which the heavenly court always celebrates
quæ fessis requies, quæ merces fortibus
which provides rest for the weary and reward for the strong
cum erit omnia Deus in omnibus
when God will be all in all
Vere Ierusalem est illa civitas
Truly, that city is Jerusalem
cuius pax iugis est, summa iucunditas,
whose peace is eternal and joy is supreme,
ubi non prævenit rem desiderium
where desire precedes nothing
nec desiderio minus est præmium
nor is the reward less than the desire
Quis rex, quæ curia, quale palatium
What king, what court, what palace is there
quæ pax, quæ requies, quod illud gaudium
which peace, which rest, what joy is there
huius participes exponant gloriam
Those who partake of it will explain the glory
si quantum sentiunt, possint exprimere
if they are able to express as much as they feel
Illic ex sabbato succedet sabbatum
There, one Sabbath will follow another,
perpes lætitia sabbatizantium
an eternal joy for those who keep the Sabbath,
nec ineffabiles cessabunt iubili
nor will the unutterable rejoicing ever cease
quos decantabimus et nos et angeli
which we and the angels will sing
Perenni Domino perpes sit gloria
May eternal glory be to the everlasting Lord
ex quo sunt, per quem sunt, in quo sunt omnia
from whom they are, by whom they are, and in whom they are all things
ex quo sunt, Pater est, per quem sunt, Filius
from whom they are, the Father; by whom they are, the Son
in quo sunt, Patris et Filii Spiritus
in whom they are, the Spirit of the Father and the Son
Contributed by Molly L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.