I have read that both Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti said a prayer to St. Cecilia before each performance. That encouraged me to start searching for an appropriate prayer; one full of meaning. Finally, I found Cecilia, volgi un sguardo, and in particular, two selections within it: "Tu, armonica Cecilia" (tenor recitative) and "Splenda l'alba in oriente" (tenor aria). PDF HTML
Here they are, both in English, and in the original Italian:
RecitativeYou, harmonious Cecilia,
who ravished with your singing,
who enchanted with your playing,
let it be granted to this gathering
of your worthy followers
that they may imitate your merits,
for a noble birth becomes obscure
without Virtue to match.Tu, armonica Cecilia,
che rapisti col canto,
che incantasti col suono,
fa pur che sia concesso
a questo stuol de’ tuoi seguaci egregi
imitarne i tuoi pregi,
perché un nobil natale
si rende oscur senza Virtute eguale.Aria
Whether the dawn shines in the east,
or the sun sinks in the west,
I shall always extol Virtue.
Let my voice be more melodious,
let my lyre be more harmonious,
beyond heaven and beyond the stars
I shall exalt
her high and beautiful glories.
Whether the dawn shines in the east,
or the sun sinks in the west,
I shall always extol Virtue.Splenda l’alba in oriente,
cada il sole in occidente,
Virtù sempre esalterò.
Sia la lingua più canora,
sia la cetra più sonora,
oltre il ciel, oltre le stelle,
le sue belle
alte glorie innalzerò.
Splenda l’alba in oriente,
cada il sole in occidente,
Virtù sempre esalterò.
There is a nice rendition of "Splenda l'alba in oriente" by the American mezzo-soprano, Vivica Genaux.
