Adiemus (Song)

Karl Jenkins’ “Adiemus” sounds really deep, “Latinesque” as one critic has described it. And whenever a modern-musical piece is rendered in Latin, the now-outdated language upon which Western civilization is based, the implication would be that yes, there is some type of lost historical truth embedded therein. But in reality the lyrics of this song, if you want to refer to them as such, are instead a collection of Latin-sounding ramblings, so to speak.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Karl Jenkins's Adiemus at Lyrics.org.

That’s another way of saying that even though the phrases being uttered don’t actually translate into anything, the general consensus is that they still sound like they do. Or put differently, “Adiemus”, actually being influenced just as equally by traditional African and European sounds, effectively relays a feeling of peace, which may be its primary purpose. 

And at the same time, it also sounds like a track that can, say, serve as the theme song to a show like Game of Thrones. Indeed this piece is “world music” in the truest sense of the word, as in having no identifiable point of origin.

So conclusively, “Adiemus” is like a cross between a song with actual words and an instrumental – if such an assertion actually makes sense. Simply put, even though there are vocals being put forth, since there is nothing actually being said it’s still the kinda track that a listener can meditate to using their own thoughts as opposed to those being relayed by a vocalist. But still there is this feeling of grandeur, if you will, underneath it all.

Lyrics to "Adiemus"

What musical genre is “Adiemus”?

This track falls under a genre called world music. And apparently, what such a classification entails, in practical terms, is a mixing of different styles from around the world. For instance, the track is led off by the sounds of a flute, before segueing into what comes off like African chanting (and the title reads like something from Ancient Greece).

Technically, according to a number of sources, the two prevailing musical styles in this song are Celtic and African tribal. And to note, the aforementioned ‘chants’ are truly just that, in that they have no actual meaning.

Who sings “Adiemus”?

The lead vocalist of “Adiemus” happens to be from the Motherland, South Africa to be exact, though being of British descent. And that would be Miriam Stockley even though, based on the version of the song we perused as available on YouTube, it sounds more like an orchestral piece, i.e. being devoid of a lead singer.

Another vocalist straight from the UK, named Mary Carewe, also participated in terms of rendering the chorus.

Karl Jenkins

Karl Jenkins is a composer from Wales. As of the writing of this post, he has been professionally active for over half a century.  And “Adiemus” is his signature piece. Jenkins solely composed this masterpiece.

Jenkins came up with the title of this song himself, apparently thinking that it didn’t actually mean anything. But it was later discovered that it is in fact a Latin term. And the said term can be translated to the phrase “we will draw near”.

When was “Adiemus” released?

Adiemus was officially released on 10 October 1995. It served as the title piece to a nine-track project entitled “Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary”. This project was actually Karl Jenkin’s debut album. 

And in 1994, before it was issued in its entirety, the song was used on a television advertisement for Delta Airlines. In fact it went viral, if you will, after being featured on said commercial.

Adiemus

More Interesting Facts!!!

“Adiemus” appeared on the UK Singles Chart though fared most impressively in Switzerland, where it peaked at number four on the Schweizer Hitparade. And the label that dropped the song is Caroline Distribution, which is a subsidiary of Virgin Records.

The BBC also used this epic-sounding track as the musical theme during their airing of a project entitled Testament: The Bible in Animation (1996).

This classic is commonly and erroneously attributed to another musician from the UK, that being a popular Irish singer known as Enya. However, it should be noted that Enya has absolutely no connection to this song.

The bulk of the instrumentals on the official version of “Adiemus” are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.  And the flutist is one Mick Taylor.

More about Karl Jenkins

Karl Jenkins is an iconic Welsh composer. He is considered one of his generation’s greatest instrumentalists and composers. He began his music career when he joined the Graham Collier Music group in 1964. There, he served as their lead instrumentalist, having skills in playing the soprano saxophones, keyboard, baritone, and oboe. 

He later joined the jazz-rock band Nucleus in 1969. He later became the lead songwriter of the group, Soft Machine in 1974, after joining them for two years. The most renowned work of his career is the composing of Adiemus.

Karl has earned multiple doctorates in music from the University of Leicester and the University of Wales. He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, Cardiff University, and several prominent universities in the UK. In 2016, he became the recipient of the BASCA Gold Badge award.

The Monarch of the UK made him a Knight Bachelor in 2015, for his enormous contributions to British music culture.

Who is Miriam Stockley?

South African-British female vocalist and composer, Miriam Arlene Stockley is recognized internationally for her distinctive African vocals on Adiemus. She also sang most of the vocals on the Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary project.  

Miriam began her career at age seven with Avrilher older sister in South Africa. The pair formed a group called Stockley Sisters. In 1976 they did a successful cover song of Shocking Blues’, Venus. The song reached the top 30 in the South African music charts.  

The World of Peter Rabbit, a very popular BBC children’s show that ran from 1992 to 1995, used her hit song, Perfect day, as the show’s theme song. She also made soundtracks for many programs and films including Look and Read, and One Night Stand.

3 Responses

  1. But what does the word, “adiemus”, itself, actually mean?

  2. Jel Beckhams says:

    I would have loved to have a song like this in English word after word
    Not really satisfied by what I just read. I believe technology back then wasn’t so common for Jenkins himself to write a satisfying epilogue for us the younger generation ????

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like...