black sanctus

9.9

A choir song sung during a religious service that sounds solemn or mocking

noun

Formal

: sanctus negro

During the service, the choir sang a moving black sanctus that reflected the solemnity of the occasion.

Examples

The sound of the black sanctus echoed throughout the cathedral, leaving the congregation in awe.
During the service, the choir sang a moving black sanctus.
He was familiar with the tradition of performing the black sanctus at certain ceremonies.
The choir performed the black sanctus beautifully.
Have you ever heard a black sanctus during a service?
At the wedding, they chose to include a black sanctus which added a unique tone to the ceremony.
As the final notes of the black sanctus faded, the audience sat in respectful silence, impressed by the performance.

Synonyms

Sanctus

vsblack sanctus

Formal

1 8.3

A short religious song of praise sung during the Christian Mass beginning with 'Holy, Holy, Holy'

is a hymn sometimes sung in services with a solemn or mocking tone

Surface Forms

black sanctus singular

black sanctuses plural

Morphology

black + Sanctus

Given 'black' (grim/mordant) modifying 'Sanctus' (a hymn of praise), a B1 learner who knows both words can compositionally infer a hymn with a dark, solemn, or mordant tone. The adjective-noun combination follows normal semantic composition and is therefore predictable from its parts, though 'Sanctus' is a specialized term so background knowledge of that word is required.

Etymology

Black sanctus may come from an old church custom where sanctus, a holy hymn, was sung in a darker or changed way, and the word black showed that change. One popular story says singers used low voices or odd words to make the hymn feel sad or even 'mocking', so black sanctus now means a hymn with a 'serious' or 'mocking' tone.