Beethoven's new chant

Here is the new Pange Lingua arrangement by Beethoven that turned up recently.

Wow, it is slow!

That was my first thought. It depends on where you go to church, of course, but in my experience Gregorian chant is never this slow. I read somewhere, in an explanation of this arrangement, that chant was slower in Beethoven's day.

Everything was probably slower in Beethoven's day!

Anyway, to my ears, about the time you get to, oh, 1:20, it sounds pretty dirge-like.

I will have to listen to it multiple times so I adjust.

I will have to go back in time!

Speaking of which, you may read about the Pange Lingua here.

This little bit o' Beethoven would be more accurately described as Tantum Ergo Sacramentum which is part of the Pange Lingua.

Compare and contrast!