This powerful piece is a musical interpretation of the Latin phrase "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," which translates to "Glory to God in the highest.". It is often associated with the Christian tradition and is commonly used during the Christmas season. Personent hodie in the 1582 edition of Piae Cantiones, image combined from two pages of the source text. "Personent hodie" is a Christmas carol originally published in the 1582 Finnish song book Piae Cantiones, a volume of 74 Medieval songs with Latin texts collected by Jacobus Finno (Jaakko Suomalainen), a Swedish Lutheran cleric, and published by T.P. Rutha. Hodie Christus natus est. hodie Salvator apparuit: hodie in terra canunt Angeli, laetantur Archangeli: hodie exsultant justi, dicentes: Gloria in excelsis Deo, alleluja. Today is Christ born; today the Savior has appeared; today the Angels sing, What is Gloria Angel? "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest") is a Christian hymn known also as the Greater Doxology (as distinguished from the "Minor Doxology" or Gloria Patri) and the Angelic Hymn/Hymn of the Angels. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria. Gloria in excelsis Deo is one of the oldest Christian hymns still sung. In the East it forms part of the Office. In the West it was traditionally used early in the Eucharistic liturgy - just prior to the collect. That's the position it had in the first Book of Common Prayer, but 1552 BCP moved it to the conclusion of the Eucharist. In the early church, in the east, the Greek supplication Kyrie eleison ("Lord, have mercy") was the common response to intercessory biddings addressed to the people. It is now used in the eucharist at the entrance rite and the general intercessions. 1) In the Episcopal Church, Kyrie eleison may be sung or said in place of the Gloria in .

what does gloria in excelsis mean