"In paradisum" (English: "Intoparadise") is anantiphon from thetraditional Latin liturgy of the Western ChurchRequiem Mass. It is sung by the choir as the body is being taken out of the church. The text of theIn paradisum — with or without theGregorian melody itself — is sometimes included in musical settings of theRequiem Mass,such as thoseby Gabriel Fauré andby Maurice Duruflé.
In theMasses for the dead, this antiphon is sung in procession on the way from the final blessing of the corpse in church to the graveyard where burial takes place. The Gregorian melody forIn paradisum is in theMixolydian mode. The special nature of this mode — with its lowered seventh degree, which makes it different from the modern major mode — is heard twice in this melody at cadences on the wordsChorus Angelorum andquondam paupere. The melodic highpoint in this setting comes on the name ofLazarus, the poor beggar inLuke's Gospel.
There are many contemporary English settings of the text, offered by Catholic publishers includingOregon Catholic Press.Bob Dufford wrote a version called "Songs of the Angels".James Quinn also wrote a version titled "May Flights of Angels Lead You On Your Way", accompanied byUnde et Memores. Others include settings by Grayson Warren Brown, Ernest Sands, and others.
In Paradisum served as the inspiration for popular Protestant jazz piece "When the Saints Go Marching In", which share the same first four notes, similar textual meaning, and use during the funeral procession of the body from the church to the cemetery inBlack Protestant churches.[1][2]
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