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January 24, 2017 12:52 PM

Back in the Sixties, English MP Eddie O'Hara taught Latin. To make the language relevant, he put Beatles songs into Latin. Former pupil and current Latin teacher Keith Massey sings one or two in an older language. And not just Beatles

(But if you do want just Beatles...)

posted by BWA (6 comments total)

Very, very cool. I wish I knew Latin, but alas! I am a monoglot.

Speaking of interesting contemporary teaching tools, I heard recently of teachers asking students to translate the clauses of the Declaration of Independence into 140 character tweets.
posted by dfm500 at 1:11 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

I prefer Penny Lane in the original Klingon.
posted by blue_beetle at 4:07 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

"For educational use only."
posted by bertran at 5:16 PM on January 24, 2017

My Latin is minimal -- one year in college -- but some of this is very lovely.

Cuncta habeo quod cupis
Fidelissimum cor mihi

It kind of reminds of the language of renaissance sacred devotional music. Like from a Magnificat of Monteverdi. (Though he's using the classical pronunciation, eg. 'v' = /w/, 'c' = /k/ no matter what vowel follows, not the Italianate one used today for renaissance music in Latin.)
posted by bertran at 5:33 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Rondellus' Sabbatum - a medieval tribute to Black Sabbath
posted by lumensimus at 6:50 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

I was taking high school Latin the year Dr Dre's "The Chronic" came out. And learned that "deez nutz" in Latin is "hi nuces".
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 11:07 PM on January 24, 2017