The Latin text for this hymn (Finita iam sunt praelia) first appeared in a 1695 collection of music for Jesuit schools titled Symphonia Sirenum Selectarum. While some have claimed the text dates to the twelfth century, no evidence for it exists prior to 1695. The English translation we sing today was completed by Francis Pott and published in his 1861 collection Hymns Fitted to the Order of Common Prayer. The majestic melody, named VICTORY, was brilliantly adapted by William Henry Monk from a piece by the Renaissance master Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Monk took two phrases from Palestrina’s original music, repeated the first phrase as the ending, and composed entirely original music for the resounding “Alleluia” sections. The text draws heavily from Paul’s taunt against death in 1 Corinthians 15:54–57 (“O death, where is your sting?”), employing the language of warfare to unfold the Easter narrative: Christ’s battle against death was hard-won, yet He prevailed; He rested briefly in the tomb and rose glorious from the dead; He broke the chains of hell and opened heaven’s portals. A triumphant triple “Alleluia” frames the entire hymn.
Sung at Our Saviour
2025