Hymnal of Praise to the Lord of Incense and Decay

This hymnal manuscript was recently discovered in the Biblioteca Centrală Universitară of Bucharest. Radiocarbon dating suggests it was composed in the early 18th century. Based on its fragmented state, it is believed that most of the original work has been lost—only eight movements remain. Each begins with a quatrain that vividly and concisely encapsulates the essence of the music, adorned with the opulence characteristic of the Baroque style.

The manuscript is deeply entwined with themes of pagan ritual and mystical experience. The hymnal centers on a noble figure known as the Lord of Incense and Decay. Yet to this day, no definitive clue has surfaced to reveal the true identity of this enigmatic aristocrat.

The manuscript’s author is believed to have been Olivier de Cardinale, a pupil of Jean-Baptiste Lully. Cardinale briefly served in the French court’s musical ensemble before joining a cultural envoy led by Marc Antoine de Saumery, ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. In 1688, the envoy became embroiled in the chaos of the Balkan uprisings near Poloniak, and Cardinale’s fate remains unknown. Nevertheless, this manuscript suggests he later found patronage under the mysterious lord and composed this hymnal, drawing inspiration from ancient pagan traditions.

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First Movement: Where Ancient Stars Do Fall

When the silver moon doth wane, and shadows rise,

The heavens mourn beneath their shrouded skies.

A starry hymn through solemn silence glides,

To lead us back where glory's light abides.

Second Movement: I Seek the Glimmer of That Star

In night's still veil, where whispers softly sigh,

Through boundless voids, 'neath starlit streams, I fly.

Unmoved by years, unshaken by the deep,

For truth I wander, life's bright flame to keep.

Third Movement: Adrift in the Infinite Void

Adrift within the boundless, dark abyss,

Where starlight swells, a trembling heart to kiss.

Though grace and glory fade like fleeting streams,

The stars still shine with everlasting gleams.

Fourth Movement: Ah, Life! How Eternal and Yet So Frail!

Ah, life! How eternal, yet fragile, thy reign,

In sorrow's embrace, we seek meaning through pain.

Though veiled in the shroud of the unknown we tread,

With hope as our lantern, through mists we are led.

Fifth Movement: He Comes, the Savior from Distant Lands

Behold, the Savior from a foreign shore,

Who teaches love and mercy evermore.

Within men's hearts, His kingdom stands supreme,

Though fleeting worlds may fade, His truth shall gleam.

Sixth Movement: When the Stars Align and Dance

When stars align and graceful dances bloom,

The heavens spin 'neath constellations’ plume.

Their paths entwine, like dancers’ fleeting flight,

A painted treasure, sparkling through the night.

Seventh Movement: Grace and Glory of a Distant Land

From distant realms, at dawn His wonders rise,

The breaking light unveils celestial skies.

Each morn anew, each step divinely steered,

By grace and glory, ever bright and revered.

Eighth Movement: How Majestic, Ever-Changing

My thoughts ascend with incense’ curling flight,

The soul drifts far, beyond the bounds of night.

Transcendent visions, dreamlike realms unfold,

A cosmic splendor, more than earth can hold.

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Ah, ancient lord from time’s unfathomable expanse,
Who listens to the countless murmurs of this world...
In that endless, non-Euclidean palace deep below the earth,
Where incense coils in sacred stillness,
I am lost in a joy beyond all telling...