Although most of its work focuses on music of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, the Hilliard Ensemble also performs contemporary music, working frequently with the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and including in its concerts works by John Cage, Gavin Bryars, Giya Kancheli, and Heinz Holliger.
The group was originally founded by Paul Hillier, Paul Elliott, and David James, although the membership was flexible until Hillier left in the late 1980s. Since 1990 the core members have been David James, Rogers Covey-Crump, John Potter, and Gordon Jones.
The Hilliard Ensemble has recorded extensively for the ECM label. In 1993, when popular interest in Gregorian chant was at its height, the ensemble released the CD Officium, an unprecedented collaboration with the Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek. The disc became one of ECM's biggest-selling releases of all time, reaching the pop charts in several European countries. (Officium's sequel, the 2-CD set Mnemosyne, followed in 1999.)
Edi beo thu hevene quene
The Hilliard Ensemble Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mi swete levedi, her mi bene
And reu of me yif thi wille is.
Edi beo thu, hevene quene,
Folkes froure and engles blis,
Moder unwemmed and maiden clene,
Swich in world non other nis.
On thee hit is wel eth sene,
Of all wimmen thu havest thet pris;
Mi swete levedi, her mi bene
And reu of me yif thi wille is.
Edi beo thu, hevene quene,
Folkes froure and engles blis,
Moder unwemmed and maiden clene,
Swich in world non other nis.
The Hilliard Ensemble's song "Edi beo thu, hevene quene" is a medieval hymn that was composed in the late 13th or early 14th century. The lyrics are written in Middle English and the melody is believed to be of Anglo-Saxon origin. The hymn is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, referring to her as "hevene quene" (queen of heaven) and "folkes froure" (comfort of the people).
The first verse begins with "Of all wimmen thu havest thet pris" which translates to "Of all women, you have the prize." The singer then addresses the Virgin Mary as "mi swete levedi" (my sweet lady) and asks for her mercy if it is her will. The second verse repeats the same words in a slightly different order, emphasizing the unique and holy status of the Virgin Mary as "moder unwemmed" (unblemished mother) and "maiden clene" (pure maiden) who is without equal in the world.
The refrain "Edi beo thu, hevene quene" is repeated throughout the hymn, and translates to "Blessed be thou, Queen of heaven." The final line of each verse, "And reu of me yif thi wille is" (and have mercy on me if it is your will), is a reminder that the singer is a humble and unworthy supplicant asking for the Virgin Mary's intercession.
Line by Line Meaning
Of all wimmen thu havest thet pris;
You, heaven's queen, hold the highest honor among all women.
Mi swete levedi, her mi bene
My sweet lady, hear my prayers
And reu of me yif thi wille is.
Have mercy on me if it is your will.
Edi beo thu, hevene quene,
Hail to you, queen of heaven,
Folkes froure and engles blis,
Comforter of people and joy of angels,
Moder unwemmed and maiden clene,
Unblemished mother and pure maiden,
Swich in world non other nis.
There is no other like you in the world.
On thee hit is wel eth sene,
It is easily seen on you,
Of all wimmen thu havest thet pris;
You, heaven's queen, hold the highest honor among all women.
Mi swete levedi, her mi bene
My sweet lady, hear my prayers.
And reu of me yif thi wille is.
Have mercy on me if it is your will.
Contributed by Isaiah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Will Ford
@William Ford For those of you who want to know, I have the proper spellings below: (Stanza : Line : Word : Proper spelling)
1 : 8 : 3if : yif
2 : 1 : aste3e : asteghe
2 : 1 : dai3 : daiy
2 : 4 : ili3t : ilight
4 : 2 : li3te : lighte
4 : 2 & 8 : deú3 : deúgh
4 : 4 : séu3 : séugh
4 : 6 : breú3 : breúgh
5 : 2 : drei3 : dreigh
5 : 5 : 3e : þe
5 : 8 : isau3t : isaught
Marcelo C. V. Jorge
Blessed are you, queen of heaven, people’s comfort and angels’ bliss,
Mother unblemished, maiden pure, such in this world none other is.
It is clear for all to see, of all women, you have the prize.
My sweetest lady, hear my prayer, have pity on me if your will it is.
You ascend as the ray of dawn which rises out of the darkest night.
From you springs new illumination, bathing the whole creation in light.
There is no maid of your complexion, fair and beautiful, fresh and bright.
Sweet lady, on me have compassion and have mercy on me, your knight.
Blossom sprung from a single root, the Holy Ghost made you heavenly queen.
That was for the good of all people, for our eternal souls to redeem.
Lady, mild, soft and sweet, I cry for mercy, I am your man,
Both hand and foot and all completely, serving you in all ways that I can.
You are earth’s goodly seed, on you falls the heavenly dew.
From you springs the blessed fruit the Holy Ghost has sown in you.
You bring us out of care and dread that Eve so bitterly for us brewed.
You shall us into heaven lead, so well sweet is that heavenly dew.
Mother, full of noble virtue, maiden so patient, lady so wise.
I am in your love now bonded, and for you is all my desire.
Shield me from the fiend of hell, as you are noble, and may and will
Help me till my life is ended, reconcile me to your son, his will.
Mark Grago
I'm VERY thankful for whoever posted the original Latin and English translation of this beautiful chant! Bless you for taking such time to do it!
Justin CB
It took you that long? The spelling of "be thou" as b-e-o thorn-u is a dead giveaway for early middle english. Thorn-u was used in middle and early modern english, and b-e-o was used in old and early middle english. The only overlap is early middle english, which is confirmed by the date given, the 13th century, which is early middle english(the 14th and 15th centuries are late middle english).
umbrellashotgunman
This isn't in Latin; it's in Middle English, as evidenced by the line "moder unwemmed and maiden clene".
OriginalAstroTard
My wife and I have seen them in concert twice and it's unforgettably beautiful. They're as superb in person as they are on their recordings.
WarriorsBiggestFan2
I need to sing this during a monolague at school. c: so sweet
Empyrium
This type of music, spiritual and traditional, is truly, as one musician described it, "the ladder between the Soul and God."
Philip Kane
truly lovely and soul-stirring!
Medieval Richard
Wonderful.
YPO6
Bread and fish: protein, carbs and fiber. Hevene Quene ate healthy food.
skittlez
so pretty