The Gradual for Lent 3: Exsurge Domine non praevaleat

The Gradual for the third Sunday in Lent is Exsurge Domine non praevaleat ("Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail").


Lent - Third Sunday: Gradual Exsurge Domine from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Here's the full chant score:

The text comes from Psalm 9:20, 4.  Here's CCWatershed's translation:

Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail; let the gentiles be judged in your presence. When my enemies are turned back in defeat, they shall lose strength and perish before your face.

Wikipedia says, in re: Psalm 9, that:

• Verse 4 is found in the repetition of the Amidah on Rosh Hashanah.^[2]
• Verse 11 is part of Uva Letzion.^[3]
• Verse 13 is part of Av Harachamim.^[4]

The Gospel on Sunday is this one, from Luke 13:1-9:

There were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Here are all the chant propers for the day, sung by the Sao Paulo Benedictines:

Hebdomada tertia quadragesimæ
Dominica Introitus: Ps. 24, 15.16 et 1-2 Oculi mei (3m02.3s - 2852 kb) score
Graduale: Ps. 9, 20. V. 4 Exsurge... non prævaleat (3m46.7s - 3546 kb) score
Tractus: Ps. 122, 1-3 Ad te levavi (1m45.2s - 1646 kb) score
Offertorium: Ps. 18, 9.11.12 Iustitiæ Domini (1m21.7s - 1278 kb) score
Communio:
                 Quando legitur Evangelium de Samaritana:
                 Io. 4, 13.14 Qui biberit aquam (3m02.3s - 2852 kb)

                 Quando legitur aliud Evangelium:
                 Ps. 83, 4.5 Passer invenit (3m30.3s - 3288 kb) score

Here are posts on Chantblog for other propers of this day:

• The Introit for the Third Sunday in Lent: Oculi Mei ("My Eyes")
• The Gradual for Lent 3: Exsurge Domine non praevaleat
• The Lent 3 Tract: Ad te levavi oculos meos and The Tract for Lent 3: de Lassus' Ad te levavi oculos meos
• The Lent 3 Offertory: Iustitiae Domini ("The judgements of the Lord")
• The Communion Song for the Third Sunday of Lent:  Passer Invenit ("The sparrow has found her a home")

Interestingly, Passer Invenit is the Communio in the EF - but is used in the Ordinary Form as the Communion Song for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, as well as on this day - except when the Gospel reading is the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.

So Passer it is this year; note the citation at the Chanblog link that "This chant, which mimics the sound of a turtle dove, is surely one of the most spectacular in the Gregorian repertoire"!