"Vox clara ecce intonat" is a Latin hymn used traditionally in the Liturgy of the Hours at Lauds during Advent. An alternative version of the same hymn begins "En clara vox redarguit".
The original version of the hymn dates from the 6th century. Whilst it has been attributed to a number of different authors, including St Ambrose, it is generally recorded in modern books as "anonymous." As a result of Pope Urban VIII's revision of the Breviary, the hymn was re-written in a more classical Latin style and published in 1632, with the opening line "En clara vox redarguit."
The hymn is written in iambic dimeter and it is a retelling of the preaching of John the Baptist, announcing the coming of Christ in the Gospel of Luke.
It is estimated that there are at least 27 English translations of the hymn. The following examples were widely used in the nineteenth and twentieth century.
The Caswell translation is often sung to the tune Merton (87.87) by William Henry Monk.