Panis Angelicus
The text most singers know as Panis Angelicus is the penultimate stanza of Aquinas's longer Corpus Christi hymn Sacris solemniis. César Franck's 1872 setting — for tenor, harp, cello, and organ — is the standard reference and what most listeners expect.
Line-by-line IPA
Panis angelicus
[ˈpa.nis anˈdʒɛ.li.kus]
fit panis hominum;
[fit ˈpa.nis ˈɔ.mi.num]
Dat panis cœlicus
[dat ˈpa.nis ˈtʃɛ.li.kus]
figuris terminum:
[fiˈɡu.ɾis ˈtɛɾ.mi.num]
O res mirabilis!
[ɔ rɛs miˈɾa.bi.lis]
Manducat Dominum
[manˈdu.kat ˈdɔ.mi.num]
pauper, servus et humilis.
[ˈpau̯.pɛɾ ˈsɛɾ.vus ɛt uˈmi.lis]
English translation
The bread of angels becomes the bread of mankind; the heavenly bread puts an end to symbols. O wondrous thing! The Lord is eaten by the poor, the servant, and the humble.
Diction notes
- angelicus — /anˈdʒɛ.li.kus/. The g before e is /dʒ/. The same rule gives regina /rɛˈdʒi.na/.
- hominum, humilis — silent h. Begin both words cleanly on the vowel: /ˈɔ.mi.num/, /uˈmi.lis/.
- cœlicus — /ˈtʃɛ.li.kus/. The œ ligature collapses to /ɛ/, and c before that /ɛ/ is /tʃ/. Same as caelum.
- mirabilis — /miˈɾa.bi.lis/. Single tapped /ɾ/ between vowels — don't roll it into /r/ here.
- pauper — /ˈpau̯.pɛɾ/. The au diphthong starts on a bright /a/ and glides to /u̯/ in the same syllable; the final r can be tapped or rolled depending on the conductor's preference.
- servus — /ˈsɛɾ.vus/. In Franck's setting this falls on a long, exposed phrase. Keep the /ɛ/ open and forward; resist closing toward /e/.
- final -us endings — six in this short stanza (angelicus, panis, cœlicus, Dominus, servus, humilis). Match the vowel quality across all of them so the line stays unified.