Here's the beautiful Corpus Christi Alleluia, sung at "Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, City of Westminster, 18 September 2010."
Dom Dominic Johner, in Chants of the Vatican Gradual, writes, about this Alleluia (as he compares it to various other chant Alleluia propers during the church year):
With
what earnestness the disciples on the way to Emmaus besought the Lord
to remain with them, for the night was approaching! Here our Saviour
not only gives us the assurance that He will remain with us, but that He will remain in us
when we are united with Him in Holy Communion. Thus the indefectible
Light itself, the Light which can never be dimmed, is within us! Our
souls will be the house where Truth dwells, where falsehood can never
intrude. We shall be filled with the life and strength from which all
the saints, whom we rightly admire, have drawn. Hence He truly is what
our hungering and thirsting soul needs in life and still more in death.
Our present song expresses thanks for these many graces.
Alleluia with its jubilus
has the form abc; no inner relationship exists between it and the
melody of the verse. Several times during the year we meet this melody:
first, on Corpus Christi; second, on the feast of the Transfiguration;
third, on the feast of St. Lawrence; fourth, on the feast of St.
Michael (second Alleluia); and fifth, on the feast of the Holy Rosary.
In the most ancient manuscripts it is found with the text Laetabitur Justus:
'The just shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall hope in Him: and all
the upright in heart shall be praised." The melody is entirely begotten
of the text, an energetic song of exultation, which leaves this earth
far below it and soars up to the ethereal blue—describing the joy and
the delight of the singer. The original, unfortunately, is no longer
sung. In it the beauty and clarity of the structure, which is psalmodic
in character, is better revealed. Two phrases begin with an intonation
and then have a florid middle cadence. In the first phrase there
follows not a mere recitation on the tenor, but a very ornate melisma
with a repetition; finally comes the closing cadence. The melody of alleluia with its jubilus is
joined to the last words of the verse to form the third phrase. In the
first part of the original an independent thought is expressed: "The
just shall rejoice in the Lord," thus fully justifying the pause on the
dominant after the middle cadence. But b towers above the two a parts. A
brief survey will show the relation between the original composition
and the adaptations mentioned and numbered above.
FIRST PART
Intonation
Laetabitur
1. Caro mea
2. Candor est
3. Levita
4. Concussum
5. Solemnitas
justus vere est cibus
lucis
Laurentius
est mare
gloriosae
Middle Cadence
in Domino
et sanguis meus
aeternae
bonum opus
et contremuit
Virginis
Florid Melisma
Et
spera-
1. vere est potus, qui manducat
2. et speculum sine ma-
3. opera-
4. terra
5. Mariae ex semine
Closing Cadence
-bit in eo
meam carnem
-cu-la
-tus est
[without closing cadence]
Abrahae.
SECOND PART
Intonation
et lauda-
1. et bibit
2. et
3. qui per signum
4. [irregular]
5. ortae
Middle Cadence
-buntur
meum
imago
crucis
ubi Archangelus
de tribu
Closing Cadence
omnes
sanguinem
bonitatis
caecos
Michael descende-
Juda
THIRD PART
recti corde
1. in me manet et ego in eo.
2. illius.
3. illuminavit.
4. -bat de caelo.
5. clara ex stirpe David.
The structure is clearest in the verse Laetabitur.
Of the others, verse 2, that is, that of the feast of the
Transfiguration, bears the closest resemblance. The third also is good.
In 1, a new thought begins with the melisma that is repeated, thus
handicapping the effectiveness of the melody; for its upward surge,
about which there can be no doubt in this type of Alleluia, is thereby
weakened. The third part, whose melody is formed somewhat differently,
does not give the feeling of a finished organic whole in which all
parts are attuned to one another.
(anno C) 1 Cor. 11, 24.25 Hoc corpus (1m02.9s - 370 kb) Score
Corpus Christi is not an official feast on the Anglican Calendar, but it is observed by many Anglicans. For instance, here are some photo albumss from Corpus Christi services - including the procession - at the Flickr page of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, NYC.
The
Liturgy of the Passion and the Eucharist: the traditional scripture
text from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 22:14–23:56) will be used in the
reading of the Passion, which will be chanted in an improvisational
style by members of the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, with participation
by the congregation in a sung refrain. Music also provided by the
Trinity Youth Chorus and the Family Choir.
In an interesting touch, a shortened and dissonantly-harmonized version of Fortunatus' The Royal Banners Forward Go is sung as an introduction to St. Luke's Passion; the singing of the Passion itself begins at 15:55.
This feast was displaced by Sunday this year, but here are two videos
of beautiful songs in honor of St. Nicholas. Both are sung by the
ensemble Peregrina: Kelly Landerkin, Agnieszka Budzinska-Bennett and
Hanna Järveläinen. I haven't (yet) got the words for either of these
songs, but I am working on it. So let these just be for pure
enjoyment, for now. EDIT: Well, yes, I do, at least for Gaudeat Ecclesia. See below.
This one is described at the
YouTube page as "a three-part Benedicamus trope for St. Nicholas based
on popular Clementiam-melody."
And
this lovely song (Gaudeat ecclesia - "The church rejoices") is described as "a beautiful and simple rondellus from
13th century Paris to praise Saint Nicholas and his miracles." I seem
always to be attracted to French melodies!|
Dignus est Agnus,
qui occísus est accípere virtútem,
et divinitátem, et sapiéntiam, et fortitúdinem, et honórem.
Ipsi glória et impérium in saécula saeculórum.
Ps: Déus, judícium túum Régida: et justítiam túam Fílio Régis.
The Lamb that was slain
is worthy to receive power
and divinity and wisdom and strength and honour;
to Him be glory and empire for ever and ever.
Ps: Give to the King, O God, Thy justice, and to the King's Son Thy judgment.
Here's the chant score:
I'm interested to know where this chant has come from, since Christ the King is a new feast day, instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI in his encyclical Quas primas. Will investigate a bit and return to post what I find.
Although
Anglicans do not officially celebrate the Feast of Christ the King
this Sunday (on our Calendar, it's simply "The Last Sunday After
Pentecost"), many of us do observe it anyway - and the Collect for the
day is a breathtakingly beautiful and Kingly one:
Almighty
and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your
well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant
that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be
freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
And the readings for today, Year B in the 3-year Calendar, are absolutely wonderful - kingly, too, and spooky and apocalyptic (as befits this time of year):
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
and an Ancient One took his throne,
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued
and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed.
Psalm 93 Page 722, BCP
Dominus regnavit
1 The LORD is King;
he has put on splendid apparel; *
the LORD has put on his apparel
and girded himself with strength.
2 He has made the whole world so sure *
that it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; *
you are from everlasting. \
4 The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice; *
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5 Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea, *
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
6 Your testimonies are very sure, *
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
for ever and for evermore.
Revelation 1:4b-8
Grace to you and peace from him
who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits
who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful
witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of
the earth.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his
blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and
Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
John 18:33-37
Pilate
entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him,
"Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this
on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I
am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have
handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom
is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my
followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to
the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked
him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a
king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to
testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to
my voice."
(It's not really so strange, then, that this Sunday - the last before Advent - has been referred to in the Evangelical Church of Sweden as "the Sunday of Doom"!)
There is no set of historic lectionary readings for today, because this is a new feast. However, according to this page, the historic Lutheran lectionary for today ("the last Sunday") consists of these readings, which are mostly about the Last Things as well: Isaiah's "New Creation," Thessalonians 5 ("For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."),
and the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. (It appears that the old
Catholic and Anglican lectionaries did not provide for "the Last
Sunday," but merely used the readings for the appropriate Sunday After
Trinity. I must say I like the Lutheran and current "Christ the King
Sunday" arrangement better.)
Because truly, this is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. Here's the opening hymn we had today:
That
video is from an Eastertide Service in Wales; we naturally didn't have a
cast of thousands or cymbals or a trumpet section this morning. But take a look at these words for an idea of how really great this hymn is:
1 Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne;
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own;
awake, my soul, and sing of him
who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless King
through all eternity.
2 Crown him the Son of God
before the worlds began,
and ye, who tread where he hath trod,
crown him the Son of man;
who every grief hath known
that wrings the human breast,
and takes and bears them for his own,
that all in him may rest.
3 Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed over the grave,
and rose victorious in the strife
for those he came to save;
his glories now we sing,
who died, and rose on high,
who died, eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.
4 Crown him of lords the Lord,
who over all doth reign,
who once on earth, the incarnate Word,
for ransomed sinners slain,
now lives in realms of light,
where saints with angels sing
their songs before him day and night,
their God, Redeemer, King.
5 Crown him the Lord of heaven,
enthroned in worlds above;
crown him the King,to whom is given,
the wondrous name of Love.
Crown him with many crowns,
as thrones before him fall,
crown him, ye kings, with many crowns,
for he is King of all.
We had two other great Kingly hymns, today, too - one I'd never heard before. Will come back later to post on them.
Here's a list of all the chant propers for this day, from ChristusRex.org:
Sollemnitatis Domini Nostri Iesu Christi Universorum Regis
Introitus: Apoc. 5, 12 et 1, 6; Ps. 71 Dignus est Agnus (3m34.5s - 3355 kb) score
Graduale: Ps. 71, 8. V. 11 Dominabitur (2m33.3s - 2399 kb) score
Alleluia: Dan. 7, 14 Potestas eius (3m10.7s - 2983 kb) score
Offertorium: Ps. 2, 8 Postula a me (1m20.3s - 1259 kb) score
Communio: (anno A) Mt. 25, 40.34 Amen dico vobis: quod uni (not yet available)
Ps. 28, 10b.11b Sedebit Dominus (43.5s - 683 kb) score
The odd thing, to me, is that the Mass Epistle reading is given as Ecce sacerdos magnus,
too, noted as taken from "Ecclesiasticus 44:16-27; 45:3-20." I've seen
this not only at Divinum Officium, but in several other places as well -
including the Liber Usualis. The only problem is that, as far as I
can tell, the reading itself takes extreme liberties with the actual
verses from Scripture!
Here's Divinum Officium, 11-11-2015, Rubrics 1960 for the Sancta Missa:
Lectio Léctio libri Sapiéntiæ. Eccli 44:16-27; 45:3-20 Ecce sacérdos magnus, qui in diébus suis plácuit Deo, et invéntus est
iustus: et in témpore iracúndiæ factus est reconciliátio. Non est
inventus símilis illi, qui conservávit legem Excélsi. Ideo iureiurándo
fecit illum Dóminus créscere in plebem suam. Benedictiónem ómnium
géntium dedit illi, et testaméntum suum confirmávit super caput eius.
Agnóvit eum in benedictiónibus suis: conservávit illi misericórdiam
suam: et invénit grátiam coram óculis Dómini. Magnificávit eum in
conspéctu regum: et dedit illi corónam glóriæ. Státuit illi testaméntum
ætérnum, et dedit illi sacerdótium magnum: et beatificávit illum in
glória. Fungi sacerdótio, et habére laudem in nómine ipsíus, et offérre
illi incénsum dignum in odórem suavitátis. R. Deo gratias.
Lesson
Lesson from the book of Ecclesiasticus Sir 44:16-27: 45:3-20
Behold, a great priest, who in his days pleased God, and was found just;
and in the time of wrath he was made a reconciliation. There was not
found the like to him, who kept the law of the Most High. Therefore, by
an oath, the Lord made him to increase among his people. He gave him the
blessing of all nations, and confirmed His covenant upon his head. He
acknowledged him in His blessings; He preserved for him His mercy; and
he found grace before the eyes of the Lord. He glorified him in the
sight of kings, and gave him a crown of glory. He made an everlasting
covenant with him, and gave him a great priesthood; and made him blessed
in glory. To execute the office of the priesthood, and to have praise
in His name, and to offer Him a worthy incense for an odor of sweetness. R. Thanks be to God.
[16] Henoch pleased God, and was translated into paradise, that he may give repentance to the nations.
[17] Noe was found perfect, just, and in the time of wrath he was made a reconciliation.
[18] Therefore was there a remnant left to the earth, when the flood came.
[19] The covenants of the world were made with him, that all flesh should no more be destroyed with the flood.
[20]
Abraham was the great father of a multitude of nations, and there was
not found the like to him in glory, who kept the law of the most High,
and was in covenant with him.
[21] In his flesh he established the covenant, and in temptation he was found faithful.
[22] Therefore by an oath he gave him glory in his posterity, that he should increase as the dust of the earth,
[23]
And that he would exalt his seed as the stars, and they should inherit
from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.
[24] And he did in like manner with Isaac for the sake of Abraham his father.
[25] The Lord gave him the blessing of all nations, and confirmed his covenant upon the head of Jacob.
[26] He acknowledged him in his blessings, and gave him an inheritance, and divided him his portion in twelve tribes.
[27] And he preserved for him men of mercy, that found grace in the eyes of all flesh.
[3] He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave him commandments in the sight of his people, and shewed him his glory.
[4] He sanctified him in his faith, and meekness, and chose him out of all flesh.
[5] For he heard him, and his voice, and brought him into a cloud.
[6]
And he gave him commandments before his face, and a law of life and
instruction, that he might teach Jacob his covenant, and Israel his
judgments.
[7] He exalted Aaron his brother, and like to himself of the tribe of Levi:
[8] He made an everlasting covenant with him, and gave him the priesthood of the nation, and made him blessed in glory,
[9] And he girded him about with a glorious girdle, and clothed him with a robe of glory, and crowned him with majestic attire.
[10]
He put upon him a garment to the feet, and breeches, and as ephod, and
he compassed him with many little bells of gold all round about,
[11]
That as he went there might be a sound, and a noise made that might be
heard in the temple, for a memorial to the children of his people.
[12] He gave him a holy robe of gold, and blue, and purple, a woven work of a wise man, endued with judgment and truth:
[13]
Of twisted scarlet the work of an artist, with precious stones cut and
set in gold, and graven by the work of a lapidary for a memorial,
according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
[14]
And a crown of gold upon his mitre wherein was engraved Holiness, an
ornament of honour: a work of power, and delightful to the eyes for its
beauty.
[15] Before him there were none so beautiful, even from the beginning.
[16] No stranger was ever clothed with them, but only his children alone, and his grandchildren for ever.
[17] His sacrifices were consumed with fire every day.
[18] Moses filled his hands and anointed him with holy oil.
[19]
This was made to him for an everlasting testament, and to his seed as
the days of heaven, to execute the office of the priesthood, and to have
praise, and to glorify his people in his name.
[20]
He chose him out of all men living, to offer sacrifice to God, incense,
and a good savour, for a memorial to make reconciliation for his
people:
Truly strange! This oddity goes back awhile, too; I found the same thing in the Tridentine Sancta Missa. I have no explanation at all for this; will post again here if I find one!
Many composers have set Ecce Sacerdos Magnus; here's Bruckner's setting (he's using the text from the Responsory):
The words here are:
Ecce sacerdos magnus, qui in diébus suis plácuit Deo: Ideo jure jurando fecit illum Dóminus crescere in plebem suam.
Benedictiónem
ómnium géntium dedit illi, et testaméntum suum confirmávit super caput
ejus. Ideo jure jurando fecit illum Dóminus crescere in plebem suam.
Gloria patri et filio et spiritui sancto. . .
Behold a great priest who in his days pleased God: Therefore by an oath the Lord made him to increase among his people.
To
him He gave the blessing of all nations, and confirmed His covenant
upon his head. Therefore by an oath the Lord made him to increase among
his people.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. . .
St.
Martin was born about 316 in Pannonia (modern Hungary). At the age of
10 he became a catechumen and at 15 he joined the army, serving under
the emperors Constantius and Julian. The most famous story about Martin
tells how on a cold day he met a beggar who asked for alms. Having
nothing else to give, Martin drew his sword and cut his cloak in two,
giving half to the beggar. Christ appeared to him in a dream the
following night, clothed in half a cloak, and said, "Martin, the
catechumen, has clothed me with this mantle!" At the age of 18, he was
baptized and wished to leave the military, but stayed for two more years
at the request of his commander. Following a successful campaign
against the Teutons, he went before the emperor who was distributing
rewards to his men. Martin, however, declined the bounty and asked
instead that he be released from military service. He said, "Up to now, I
have served you as a soldier; allow me henceforth to serve Christ. Give
the bounty to these others who are going out to battle. I am a soldier
of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight." Julian accused him of
cowardice and imprisoned him for a time. When he was released, Martin
sought out the saintly Bishop Hilary of Poitiers, under whose direction
Martin lived a solitary life for a time, until he was joined by others
and founded a Benedictine monastery at Ligugé.
Martin
became famous for his holiness of life, his preaching, and for his gifts
of healing and spiritual discernment. People often sought him out for
help and when the bishop of Tours died, they chose Martin to be their
new bishop. He declined the honor and responsibility and hid from the
people when they came looking for him. However, a goose revealed his
whereabouts with her honking and Martin was unable to resist the will of
the Church that he become a bishop. The goose is one of Martin's
symbols. It is also a popular food on his feast day. Martinmas is the
last day before the traditional 40 day fast before Christmas (St.
Martin's Lent). The new wine is usually ready to drink on Martinmas,
which is also the traditional day for slaughtering livestock for the
winter, so it is a kind of harvest festival and a late fall Mardi Gras
all rolled into one.
St. Martin was an exemplary
bishop, and much loved by his people. He visited every church in his
diocese once a year and founded several more religious communities,
including the monastery of Marmoutier near Tours, where he lived with 80
monks. He lived to the great old age of 81 and was so renowned that he
came to be known as the "Glory of Gaul." The hymn Iste confessor was
composed in honor of St. Martin in the eighth century, and was later
appointed to be sung as the Office Hymn on the feasts of confessors.
Click here for an English translation by Laurence Housman, set to a
metrical tune.
For a modern observance of the feast,
this would be a good day to sort through drawers and closets to gather
good used clothing that could be donated to a local ministry to the
needy, or to a thrift shop. Contributions to a food pantry or soup
kitchen would be in order, as well. In many communities in the U.S.,
churches or other service organizations provide a free Thanksgiving
dinner to any and all. Martinmas would be a good day to find out if
there is such a meal served in your community and to sign up to help or
to contribute money or food to the effort. If you are keeping St.
Martin's Day at home, roast goose and a bottle of this year's Nouveau
Beaujolais might top the menu, especially if you will be starting the
St. Martin's Lent fast the next day.
St.
Martin’s Day or Martinstag is one of the most popular saint’s days in
Germany, particularly celebrated by children and young people.
Martin
of Tours was born in the 4th Century and started out as a Roman
soldier, later becoming a monk, and because of his exemplary way of
life was later appointed Bishop of Tours. Many legends surround his
life, the most famous of which tells how he cut his cloak in half to
share with a beggar who was dying in the cold.
Taking
place on November 11th, the day is particularly popular with children,
with many German schools celebrating the life of the Saint through
reenactments and plays. Later in the evening children carry candle-lit
lanterns (usually homemade) and sing “lantern songs” in celebration of
St. Martin’s Day, as they walk around the streets in a procession after
darkness falls. The procession often ends with a bonfire after which
they may go from door to door singing songs. Much like trick or
treating in the USA, the children are given gingerbread men, money and
other goodies as a reward for their singing and the beauty of their
homemade or purchased lanterns.
One of the most popular St. Martin’s Day children songs is “Ich geh’ mit meiner Laterne” or “I walk with my lantern”:
“Ich geh’ mit meiner Laterne Und meine Laterne mit mir. Dort oben leuchten die Sterne, Hier unten, da leuchten wir. Mein Licht ist aus, Wir geh’n nach Haus, Rabimmel, rabammel, rabum.
English Translation
I walk with my lantern
And my lantern goes with me.
Up above the stars are glowing,
And glowing, too, are we.
My light is out,
We’re going home,
Rabimmel, rabammel, rabum.”
Here is an image, from the same site, of German kids with their lanterns:
Here's a colorful painting
called "St. Martin and the Beggar"; Wikipedia says that it's from an
"Unknown Master, Hungarian (active around 1490)." The painting hangs in
the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. As in almost every
representation of the saint, Martin is cutting his cloak in two, to give
half to the beggar, as described above.
Justorum animae is the Offertory for the Feast of All Saints -
one of my favorite feast days of the year. And as with so much else on
this day, the chant is beautiful:
(Not sure who the singers are there; there's nothing at the YouTube page about them.)
Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt,
et non tanget illos tormentum mortis.
Visi sunt oculis insipientium mori,
illi autem sunt in pace.
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and the torment of death shall not touch them.
In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die;
but they are in peace.
In his Chants of the Vatican Gradual(1934),
Dom Dominic Johner points out that this melody was, in the Tridentine
mass, also used for the Offertory for the Feast of St. Michael, Stetit Angelus ("An angel stood near the altar of the temple"). In his explication of Stetit Angelus, Johner discusses the melody in detail, and finally notes that:
This melody is also sung on the feast of All Saints to the text Justorum Animae,
and, with the same text, in the third Mass for several Martyrs;
likewise in the Mass for Deliverance in Time of Pestilence to the text Stetit pontifex, and its first half on the feast of St. Peter's Chair at Rome (January 18) to the text Tu es Petrus. In some places it is sung on the feast of St. Vincent de Paul (July 19) to the text Inclinet.
In his discussion of this proper, Justorum Animae, John says:
The
melody was explained on the feast of St. Michael. The happy adaptation
of this text was accomplished in the twelfth century. We are tempted
to ask why the small word autem was favored with such florid neums. In the original we find them over ascendit,
which easily lends itself to tone-painting. But we must take into
consideration not so much the word as the entire thought. This part,
with its jubilant melody, forms a magnificent contrast to mori ("to
die") with its low pitch in the preceding phrase. Individually, the
phrases, according to their text, are shorter than those of the
original. This might explain the omission of the descent to the fourth
below the tonic which we find there at the end of the second, third,
and fourth phrases.
"The priest offers
up pure sacrificial gifts in the sight of God. With these gifts also
the earthly sufferings and heavenly joys of the saints ascend to the
throne of God. A most mysterious and most intimate connection is thus
forged between their lives and the life and death of Christ. Their
lives are woven into His sacrifice, and together with the Eucharistic
Sacrifice they are immolated to God. The singer recognizes this; he
would also have his song ascend to heaven bright and clear as the
clouds of incense which he sees rising from the altar" (C. 0., 50, 151).
Orlando di Lasso wrote a beautiful setting for this proper:
Surprisingly,
to me at least, Camille Saint-Saens set it, too; that piece doesn't
seem to be online, though. Gabriel Jackson's beautiful setting is,
though; lucky for us!
The YouTube page says, about the video above, that it's:
A recording of a live television broadcast on the 3rd of November 2013.
Sung by the Cappella Nicolai, conducted by Michael Hedley.
Gabriel Jackson seems to enjoy writing settings for some of the old chant propers (for instance, see his setting of the Advent Sequence, Salus Aeterna), so I'm always interested when I discover another.
The Communio for the August 6 Feast of the Transfiguration is the lovely Visiónem quam vidístis:
This
beautiful chant is also the Communion song for the
second Sunday of Lent; at one time the Transfiguration was celebrated on
that day. The August 6 Feast is relatively recent in the West.
The text comes from Matthew 17:9. a passage that immediately follows the story of the Transfiguration on the Mountain in that Gospel:
Visionem quam vidistis, nemini dixeritis,
donec a mortuis resurgat filius Hominis.
Tell the vision you have seen to no man,
till the Son of man be risen from the dead.
Here's the chant score:
Transfiguration
has been celebrated at different times and dates throughout history,
but in the West the August 6 date was fixed in 1456. Here's a bit from the Wikipedia article about the feast:
The Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus
is celebrated by various Christian denominations. The origins of the
feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of
three basilicas on Mount Tabor.[1] The feast was present in various forms by the 9th century, and in the Western Church was made a universal feast on August 6th by Pope Callixtus III to commemorate the raising of the Siege of Belgrade (1456).[2]
In the Syriac Orthodox, Indian Orthodox, Revised Julian calendars within Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, and Anglican churches, the Feast of the Transfiguration is observed on 6 August. In those Orthodox churches which continue to follow the Julian Calendar, August 6 falls on August 19 of the Gregorian Calendar. The Transfiguration is considered a major feast, numbered among the twelve Great Feasts
in Orthodoxy. In all these churches, if the feast falls on a Sunday,
its liturgy is not combined with the Sunday liturgy, but completely
replaces it.
Here's the section about Transfiguration's significance in the East, from the same page:
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Transfiguration falls during the Dormition Fast, but in recognition of the feast the fast is relaxed somewhat and the consumption of fish, wine and oil is allowed on this day.
In the Orthodox view the Transfiguration is not only a feast in honor of Jesus, but a feast of the Holy Trinity, for all three Persons of the Trinity are interpreted as being present at that moment: God the Father spoke from heaven; God the Son was the one being transfigured, and God the Holy Spirit
was present in the form of a cloud. In this sense, the transfiguration
is also considered the "Small Epiphany" (the "Great Epiphany" being the Baptism of Jesus, when the Holy Trinity appeared in a similar pattern).
Grapes are traditionally brought to church to be blessed after the Divine Liturgy
on the day of the Transfiguration. If grapes are not available in the
area, apples or some other fruit may be brought. This begins the
"Blessing of First Fruits" for the year.
The Transfiguration is the second of the "Three Feasts of the Saviour in August", the other two being the Procession of the Cross on August 1 and the Icon of Christ Not Made by Hand on August 16. The Transfiguration is preceded by a one-day Forefeast and is followed by an Afterfeast of eight days, ending the day before the Forefeast of the Dormition.
In Eastern Orthodox theology, the Tabor Light
is the light revealed on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration of Jesus,
identified with the light seen by Paul on the road to Damascus.
The article also notes that Transfiguration is one of the "Luminous mysteries" of the rosary, chosen as such by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
The theology of the Transfiguration received the attention of the Church Fathers since the very early days. In the 2nd century, Saint Irenaeus
was fascinated by the Transfiguration and wrote: "the glory of God is a
live human being and a truly human life is the vision of God".[25]
Origen's theology of the Transfiguration influenced the patristic tradition and became a basis for theological writings by others.[26] Among other issues, given the instruction to the apostles to keep silent about what they had seen until the Resurrection, Origen commented that the glorified states of the Transfiguration and the Resurrection must be related.[26]
Byzantine
Fathers often relied on highly visual metaphors in their writings,
indicating that they may have been influenced by the established
iconography.[28] The extensive writings of Maximus the Confessor may have been shaped by his contemplations on the katholikon at Saint Catherine's Monastery – not a unique case of a theological idea appearing in icons long before it appears in writings.[28]
In the 7th century, Saint Maximus the Confessor said that the senses
of the apostles were transfigured to enable them to perceive the true
glory of Christ.[29] In the same vein, building on 2 Corinthians 3:18, by the end of the 13th century the concept of "transfiguration of the believer" had stabilized and Saint Gregory Palamas considered "true knowledge of God" to be a transfiguration of man by the Spirit of God.[30] The spiritual transfiguration of the believer then continued to remain a theme for achieving a closer union with God.[18][31]
One of the generalizations of Christian belief has been that the Eastern Church emphasizes the Transfiguration while the Western Church
focuses on the Crucifixion – however, in practice both branches
continue to attach significance to both events, although specific
nuances continue to persist.[32] An example of such a nuance is the saintly signs of the Imitation of Christ. Unlike Catholic saints such as Padre Pio or Francis (who considered stigmata a sign of the imitation of Christ) Eastern Orthodox saints have never reported stigmata, but saints such as Seraphim and Silouan have reported being transfigured by an inward light of grace.
August
6 is also the anniversary of the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki at the end of World War II - a sad commentary on the human
condition, indeed. (And as noted above, the Feast itself was made
universal as a commemoration of a victory in battle.)
An akathist (Greek, akathistos) is a hymn dedicated to a saint, holy event, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. The word akathist itself means "not sitting." The akathist par excellence is that written in the 6th century to the Theotokos. In its use as part of the Salutations to the Theotokos service (used in the Byzantine tradition during Great Lent), it is often known by its Greek or Arabic names, Chairetismoi and Madayeh, respectively.
The writing of akathists (occasionally spelled acathist) continues today as part of the general composition of an akolouthia,
especially in the Slavic tradition, although not all are widely known
nor translated beyond the original language. Isaac E. Lambertsen has
done a large amount of translation work, including many different
akathists. Most of the newer akathists are pastiche, that is, a generic
form imitating the original 6th century akathist into which a
particular saint's name is inserted.
I've not been able to find the words so far, but continue to search....
The Communio for Pentecost is taken from the story from Acts 2 of the original day of Pentecost; no word on who the singers are here:
CPDL has the Latin text for this chant, plus an English translation by "the St. Ann choir":
Factus est repente de coelo sonus, tamquam advenientis spiritus vehementis ubi erant sedentes, alleluia; et repleti sunt omnes Spiritu Sancto, loquentes magnalia Dei, alleluia, alleluia.
Suddenly there came a sound from heaven,
as of a mighty wind coming where they were sitting,
alleluia;
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,
speaking the wonderful works of God,
alleluia, alleluia.
Here's the full score:
Here's another video of this, sung in a bit of a different style; very pretty:
The video was uploaded by "La Mission de la Maison du Coeur" - about which I am trying to find more. Not sure if the singers are somehow related to that group or not.
Here's a polyphonic version of the song; the composer is Gregor Aichinger, who lived during the 16th Century. The singers are the Ensemble Vocale di Venezia (dir: Gianandrea Pauletta).
Here's a beautiful, delicate piece of
Pentecost art I haven't seen before: it's "tempera and gold on
parchment," from a "Bohemian Master (1400 - 1425)." It currently
resides in the Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest).
