Rorate caeli

General information

Rorate caeli (sometimes spelled cæli, celi, coeli or cœli) is drawn from Isaiah 45:8. It has two common uses: as the Introit for the 4th Sunday of Advent (with the verse cœli enarrant from Psalm 19 (18 vulgate) and doxology Gloria Patri, both of which which may or may not be set to polyphony) and as the refrain of the Advent prose, sung throughout Advent.

See also Rorate caeli (Traditional), a metrical paraphrase of the choral O Heiland reiss den Himmel auf.

Settings by composers

Anonymous Gregorian chant, mode I introit (caeli enarrant) Gregorian chant, 'Advent prose' with verses mostly from Isaiah Trent 89 SAT with celi enarrant Trent 90, another version of Tr 93 I below STT Trent 93 I (15c) STT (without verse) D-Ju MS 33 (Jena choirbooks) 16c SATB Giovanni Francesco Anerio SSATB & bc Giovanni Matteo Asola ATTB Ercole Bernabei SATB William Byrd SATTB or ATTBarB with verse "Benedixisti" Christoph Dalitz SATB harmonization of Advent prose refrain, both Latin and German Charles H. Giffen (distinct settings) Rorate caeli desuper SATB "Caeli"" & "Gloria Patri" Let the clouds rain down SATB with introit verse & doxology Jacob Handl SSATBB (no verse)

Heinrich Isaac Choralis Constantinus I, for Advent IV ATTB Choralis Constantinus III, for Annunciation ATTB Jens Klimek SSA (div. SSMMA) (no verse) Tiburtio Massaino SAATB verse:Et justitia oriatur Palestrina: opening of 2nda pars of Canite tuba SSATB Michael Praetorius SATTB Josef Rheinberger, Op. 176, No. 1 SATB, without verse (also here) Jacob Reiner ATTTB (no verse) Treiffet ihr Himmel von oben (Johann Rosenmüller) S with 2 Violine & bc Salamone Rossi SSATB (arranged from an instrumental work) Heinrich Schütz SSB & bc (no verse) C. Titsek SAB Jan Tollius SATTB with verse "Veni Domine" Samuel Webbe SATB with organ (Coeli enarrant but not Gloria patri included)

Other settings possibly not included in the manual list above

• Anonymous — Rorate caeli et nubes (D-Ju MS 33)
• Gregorian chant — Rorate coeli 2

Text and translations

Latin text Rorate caeli desuper et nubes pluant iustum. Aperiatur terra et germinet salvatorem. versus: Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei: et opera manuum ejus annuntiat firmamentum. Gloria Patri &c.

English translation Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let it bring forth a Saviour. V: The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament showeth [sheweth (BCP)] his handiwork. Glory be…

Czech translation Rosu dejte nebesa s hůry, a nejvyšší oblakové dštěte spravedlnost; otevři se země, a ať vzejde spasení. Danish translation Lad regne, I Himle deroppe, nedsend Retfærd, I Skyer, Jorden åbne sit Skød, så Frelse må spire frem og Retfærd vokse tillige. Dutch translation Drupt, gij hemelen! van boven af, en dat de wolken vloeien van gerechtigheid; en de aarde opene zich, en dat allerlei heil uitwasse. Finnish translation Tiukkukaa, te taivaat, ylhäältä, vuotakoot pilvet vanhurskautta. Avautukoon maa ja antakoon hedelmänänsä pelastuksen. French translation Que les cieux répandent d'en haut Et que les nuées laissent couler la justice! Que la terre s'ouvre, que le salut y fructifie. German translation Träufelt, ihr Himmel, von oben, und ihr Wolken, regnet Gerechtigkeit! Die Erde tue sich auf und bringe den Erlöser hervor. Translation by Peter Rottländer Ihr Himmel, tauet von oben herab, und ihr Wolken, regnet den Gerechten. Die Erde öffne sich und aus ihr sprieße der Heiland. V: Die Himmel sprechen von der Ehre Gottes, Und das Firmament verkündet die Werke seiner Hände. Ehre sei…

Italian translation Cieli, stillate dall’alto, e faccian le nuvole piover la giustizia! S’apra la terra, e sia ferace di salvezza. Norwegian translation Drypp, I himler, fra oven, og fra skyene strømme rettferdighet ned! Jorden skal åpne sig og bære frelse som frukt. Polish translation Spuście niebiosa rosę z góry, a obłoki niech kropią sprawiedliwość; niech się otworzy ziemia, a niech wyrośnie zbawienie. Portuguese translation Destilai, ó céus, dessas alturas, e as nuvens chovam justiça; abra-se a terra, e produza a salvação. Russian translation Кропите, небеса, свыше, и облака да проливают правду; да раскроется земля и приносит спасение, и да произрастает вместе правда. Spanish translation Rociad, cielos, de arriba, y las nubes destilen la justicia; ábrase la tierra, y prodúzcanse la salud. Swedish translation Drypen, I himlar därovan, och må skyarna låta rättfärdighet strömma ned. Må jorden öppna sig, och må dess frukt bliva frälsning.