Der Gesang der Geschöpfe (Der Sonnengesang des Heiligen Franziskus von Assisi) | Allerhabener, allmächtiger, gütiger Gott

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by Francis of Assisi, Saint (1182 - 1226)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Altissimu onnipotente bon signore

Language: Italian - Medieval (Volgare)

Our translations: GER

Altissimu onnipotente bon signore. 
tue so le laude la gloria e l onore et onne benedictione. 
Ad te solo altissimo se konfano. 
et nullu homo ene dignu te mentouare.

Laudato sie mi signore cum tucte le tue creature 
spetialmente messor lo frate sole. 
lo quale iorno et allumini per loi. 
Et ellu e bellu e radiante cum grande splendore. 
de te altissimo porta significatione.

Laudato si mi signore per sora luna e le stelle. 
in celu l ai formate et pretiose et belle.

Laudato si mi signore per frate uento 
et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo. 
per lo quale a le tue creature dai sustentamento.

Laudato si mi signore per sor acqua. 
la quale e multo utile et humile et pretiosa. et casta.

Laudato si mi signore per per frate focu. 
per lo quale ennallumini la nocte. 
ed ello e bello et iucundo et robusto et forte.

Laudato si mi signore per sora nostra matre terra. 
la quale ne sustenta et gouerna. 
et produce diuersi fructi con coloriti fiore et herba.

Laudato si mi signore per quelli ke perdonano per lo tue amore. 
et sostengo infirmitate et tribulatione. 
beati quelli ke l sosterranno in pace. 
ka da te altissimo sirano incoronati.

Laudato si mi signore per sora nostra morte corporale. 
da la quale nulla homo uiuente po skappare. 
guai a cquelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali. 
beati quelli ke trouara ne le tue sanctissime uoluntati 
ka la morte secunda nol farra male.

Laudate et benedicete mi signore et rengratiate 
et seruiteli cum grande humilitate.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• P. Heininen

W. Killmayer sets stanza 8 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
W. Killmayer sets stanza 9 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Miscellanea Francescana. Di storia, di lettere, di arti, Vol III, Foligno: Presso la Direzione, 1888, page 4. The punctuation and capitalization follows this publication, but we have added some line-breaks to make it fit on the page. There are many other versions with many spelling variations.

Text as set by Heininen:

Altissimu, onnipotente bon Signore,
Tue so' le laude, la gloria e l'honore et onne benedictione.
Ad Te solo, Altissimo, se konfano,
et nullu homo ène dignu te mentovare.

Laudato sie, mi' Signore cum tucte le Tue creature,
spetialmente messor lo frate Sole,
lo qual'è iorno, et allumini noi per lui.
Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore:
de Te, Altissimo, porta significatione.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per sora Luna e le stelle:
in celu l'hai formate clarite et pretiose et belle.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per frate Vento
et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo,
per lo quale, a le Tue creature dài sustentamento.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per sor'Acqua.
la quale è multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per frate Focu,
per lo quale ennallumini la nocte:
ed ello è bello et iocundo et robustoso et forte.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per sora nostra matre Terra,
la quale ne sustenta et governa,
et produce diversi fructi con coloriti fior et herba.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per quelli che perdonano per lo Tuo amore
et sostengono infrmitate et tribulatione.
Beati quelli ke 'l sosterranno in pace,
ka da Te, Altissimo, sirano incoronati.

Laudato s' mi Signore, per sora nostra Morte corporale,
da la quale nullu homo vivente pò skappare:
guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali;
beati quelli ke trovarà ne le Tue sanctissime voluntati,
ka la morte secunda no 'l farrà male.

Laudate et benedicete mi Signore et rengratiate
e serviateli cum grande humilitate.

Text Authorship:

by Francis of Assisi, Saint (1182 - 1226), "Cantico del le creature", written 1224? [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Sandro Fuga (1906 - 1994), "Cantico delle creature", 1943 [sung text not yet checked]
by Sofia Gubaidulina (1931 - 2025), "Il cantico delle creature" [ violoncello, chamber chorus, and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Paavo Heininen (b. 1938), "Cantico della Creature", op. 17 (1968-70) [ baritone and orchestra or piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Altissimu", published 1969 [ soprano, tenor recorder, bongo, 3 tom-toms, and timpano ], Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
by Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Laudatu I", 1967, stanza 8 [ SSAATTBB chorus a cappella ], Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
by Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Laudatu II", 1969, first performed 1969, stanza 9 [ SSAATTBB chorus a cappella ], Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
by Franz (Ferenc) Liszt (1811 - 1886), "Cantico del sol di San Francisco d'Assisi", S. 4 no. 1 (1862), published 1987, first performed 1863 [ baritone, men's chorus, and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Hermann Suter (1870 - 1926), "Le Laudi di San Francesco d’Assisi", subtitle: "Cantico delle Creature", op. 25 no. 1 (1923), first performed 1924 [ chorus, soli, organ, orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by C. Mertz ; composed by Theo Van der Bijl.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by David Evan Thomas.
- Go to the text.
Also set in English, a translation by Matthew Arnold (1822 - 1888) , "The Canticle of the Sun", appears in Essays in Criticism ; composed by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, Howard Leake Boatwright, Raymond Hockley, Joseph Roff, Martin Edward Fallas Shaw, Leo Sowerby, Virgil Garnett Thomson.
- Go to the text.
Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Gino Perara ; composed by Charles Martin Tornov Loeffler.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Also set in Portuguese (Português), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ernst Mahle.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Also set in Spanish (Español), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre.
- Go to the text.

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2006-06-14
Line count: 33
Word count: 259

Der Gesang der Geschöpfe (Der Sonnengesang des Heiligen Franziskus von Assisi)

Language: German (Deutsch) after the Italian - Medieval (Volgare)

Allerhabener, allmächtiger, gütiger Gott,
Dir sei Lobgesang, Ruhm und Ehre und aller Menschen gutes Wort.
Dir allein, Höchster, stehen sie zu,
und kein Mensch ist würdig, Dir einen Namen zu geben.

Gelobt seist Du, mein Gott, mit allem, was Du erschaffen hast,
besonders die herrliche Sonne, unsere Schwester,
durch die Tag ist und Licht.
Schön ist sie und strahlt mit großer Pracht,
gleich Dir, Erhabener.

Gelobt seist Du, mein Gott, durch unsere Brüder, Mond und Sterne;
ans Himmelszelt hast Du sie gestellt, leuchtend, prächtig und schön.

Gelobt seist Du, mein Gott, durch unseren Bruder, den Wind,
und durch die Luft, durch wolkiges und heiteres, jedwedes Wetter,
durch das Du Deine Geschöpfe nährst.

Gelobt seist Du, mein Gott, durch unsere Schwester, das Wasser;
es spendet Leben, ist uns ergeben, kostbar und rein.

Gelobt seist Du, mein Gott, durch unseren Bruder, das Feuer,
das die Nacht erhellt;
schön ist es und hilfreich, lodernd und stark.

Gelobt seist Du, mein Gott, durch unsere Schwester, Mutter Erde,
die uns nährt und leitet.
Vielerlei Frucht, farbprächtige Blüten und Wiesen bringt sie hervor.

Gelobt seist Du, mein Gott, durch die aus Liebe zu Dir Vergebenden,
durch die Schwachen und Geknechteten.
Selig, die es in Frieden tragen,
denn durch Dich werden sie gekrönt.

Gelobt seist Du, mein Gott, durch unseren Bruder, den Tod des Leibes,
dem kein Lebender entrinnen kann.
Wehe denen, die sterben in schwerer Schuld.
Selig, die er trifft, ergeben in Deinen heiligsten Willen,
denn ihnen wird der zweite Tod kein Leid antun.

Lobt und preiset meinen Herrn.
Dankt und dienet ihm in tiefer Demut.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Italian - Medieval (Volgare) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2008 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Italian - Medieval (Volgare) by Francis of Assisi, Saint (1182 - 1226), "Cantico del le creature", written 1224?
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-17
Line count: 33
Word count: 260