Benedictine nuns release Gregorian chants to help ease coronavirus isolation
A monastery of Benedictine nuns living in seclusion in southern France has opened its doors to allow recordings of its Gregorian chants to be made available to the outside world.
In what is believed to be the largest recording project ever conducted, the US musician John Anderson followed the 45-strong order for three years. He installed microphones in the abbey church of Notre-Dame de Fidélité de Jouques near Aix-en-Provence in southern France and captured the nuns singing their eight daily “offices”. The result is thousands of chants, the entire Gregorian repertoire, about 7,000 hours long.
The Gregorian chant originated in the 8th century and spread throughout Europe. It accords to St Benedict’s “rule”, in which the day is divided into balanced divisions of manual and intellectual work, prayer and rest, starting at 5am with the chanting of matins, and concluding with compline at 8pm, followed by the “great silence” of night.
You can access the Holy Week chants at the link in this paragraph:
They have ... allowed the release of a week’s worth of their chants https://www.neumz.com/
for the six days Christians refer to as holy week, preceding Easter
Sunday, the highlight of the religious calendar, when the chants have a
particular importance. The rest is to go live next month.
In columbae specie is the ninth responsory of Epiphany Matins in the Sarum Breviary; in the Roman Breviary, it's used as the second responsory. It's sung here beautifully by the Schola Hungarica, with Janka Szendrei and László Dobszay.
Here are the words of the Responsory itself, in Latin and English, from Divinum Officium:
R. In colúmbæ spécie Spíritus Sanctus visus est, Patérna vox audíta est: * Hic est Fílius meus diléctus, in quo mihi bene complácui. V. Cæli apérti sunt super eum, et vox Patris intónuit. R. Hic est Fílius meus diléctus, in quo mihi bene complácui.
R. The Holy Ghost appeared in a bodily shape like a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard: * This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. V. The heavens were opened unto him, and, lo, the voice of the Father was heard, like unto thunder, saying: R. This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.
The text is taken from Luke 3:22, part of the story of the Baptism of Jesus by John in the River Jordan - one of events historically celebrated on the Feast of the Epiphany:
15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
The singers have inserted an extra-responsorial, prose-like text into the middle of this chant, as you probably noted. It's called Quem non prevalent, and was actually used at the offices on Epiphany in some places. (The general subtitle to the CD above is "Gregorian Chants from Austria," so I'm assuming for now that is primarily where this was used. And indeed there is something about it in this paper titled "The Identification of Quem Non Prevalent in Klosterneuburg, Augustiner-Chorherrenstift-Bibliothek, 1013." So there's the Austrian connection; I still need to read this paper, though.)
Here's the chant score of the Responsory itself, from the Sarum Rite website; as you will see, the text is slightly different:
R. In colúmbæ spécie Spíritus Sanctus visus est, † Patérna vox audíta est: * Hic est Fílius meus diléctus, in quo mihi bene complácui. ‡Ipsum audíte. V.Vox Dómini super aquas Deus majestátis intónuit : Dóminus super aquas multas. †Patérna. V.Glória. ‡Ipsum.
R. IN the form of a dove * the Ho-ly Spi- rit was seen : † The voice of the Father was heard, * This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. ‡Hear ye him. V.The voice of the Lord is upon the waters ; the God of majesty hath thundered : the Lord is upon many waters. †The voice. V. Glory be. ‡Hear.
This alternate Sarum verse is taken, verbatim, from Psalm 29:3:
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters.
Looks to me that the Roman Breviary text may be a nod towards the Baptism story in Matthew 3; it contains the same reference to the "heavens opening":
The heavens were opened unto him, and, lo, the voice of the Father was heard, like unto thunder, saying:
According to Cantus database, this Responsory was used in many places on the Octave of Epiphany, rather than on Epiphany itself (as far as I can tell so far). Interesting to note, too, that it is Luke's genalogy - which is recounted immediately following the Baptism story in Luke - that is sung at the end of Epiphany Matins in the Sarum Rite. I would bet that accounts for In columbae specie being used as the ninth, rather than the second, responsory, in the Sarum Breviary.
Sr. Fidelis, of the Community of Jesus, writes on this Responsory; as you can see, she is referring to as a responsory "for the octave of Epiphany," which "brings us right to the scene of the Baptism of Jesus," as the modern calendar celebrates these two (now separate) feasts:
One of the loveliest Responsories for the octave of Epiphany brings us right to the scene of the Baptism of Jesus. The text is as follows: “In the form of a dove the holy Spirit was seen; the Father’s voice was heard: ‘This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.’ V. The heavens opened over him and the voice of the Father thundered.”
The Responsory follows a particular pattern: the first section of the piece is chanted, after which a verse is sung, usually by a single voice. Then all begin at a point halfway through the first section, and chant to the end.
This Mode 2 Responsory has an almost plaintive quality to it. You’ll notice the FA clef, so often used with Mode 2 chants. The high point of the chant comes on the text paterna vox — the voice of the Father. If you look closely at the chant below while listening to the recording, you’ll notice that in some instances, the notes differ from what is written in square notation. This particular piece was chanted and recorded according to the ancient neumes, taken from the Hartker Antiphoner — a manuscript from around the early 11th century! Listen to it a second time, while looking at the ancient neumes written above the square notation, and you’ll “see” what you are hearing! It is fascinating to note the slight variation in the melody and how it has changed over the centuries.
There is also an mp3 at that page.
I cannot find a good
.jpg representation of this Matins chant at the Cantus database! Each
available image is the chant as used on the Octave of Epiphany, or else
used in another way on Epiphany. I will have to take a look at that Octave usage, too, to see if it's exactly the same chant as this one.
But here's a wonderful Battesimo di Cristo I haven't seen before, from around 1475; it's credited to both Andrea Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci:
Iacet granum oppressum palea is the Third Responsory at Matins in the Sarum Breviary for the Feast of St. Thomas Becket, December 29. But it is also used, sometimes in procession, at the end of (what would normally be Second) Vespers of the Feast of the Holy Innocents - that is, Vespers of the day before the Feast of St. Thomas Becket - and in a very interesting way. More about that below.
First, the chant, beautifully sung here by Egeria Voices, a Spanish a capella group:
Here are the words, in Latin and English:
R. Jacet granum oppressum palea, Justus coesus pravorum framea, Coelum domo commutans lutea. V. Cadit custos vitis in vinea, Dux in castris, oultor in area, Coelum domo commutans lutea.
R. The grain of wheat lies smothered by the chaff,
the just man slain by the sword of sinners.
Changing his house of clay for heaven.
V. The vine-keeper dies in his vineyard,
the general in his camp, the husbandman on the place of his toil.
Changing his house of clay for heaven.
St. Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered by soldiers of King Henry II of England in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29 in the year 1170. This was an event that shocked England and all of Europe, and Thomas was canonized only three years later. You can read a full account of the event and its repercussions at the British Museum website. Here's a quote from that page:
Becket’s death and subsequent miracles transformed Canterbury Cathedral into one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Europe. In 1220 his body was moved from the crypt to a glittering new shrine in a purpose-built chapel upstairs in the Cathedral. Geoffrey Chaucer famously captured something of the atmosphere of pilgrimage to this shrine in his Canterbury Tales. In death Becket remained a figure of opposition to unbridled power and became seen as the quintessential defender of the rights of the Church. To this end you can find images of his murder in churches across Latin Christendom, from Germany and Spain, to Italy and Norway. Becket was, and remains, a truly European saint. His relics at Canterbury were visited by people from across the continent until 1538, when Henry VIII would label him a traitor, order the destruction of his shrine and try to wipe him from history altogether. That, however, is a story for another time.
Here's a page containing this chant, from the Antiphonarium Massiliense, an Antiphoner from Marseille cathedral. It's from the late 12th century, dated to between 1190 and 1200.
The week following Christmas is packed with Feast Days: St. Stephen on December 26; St. John the Evangelist on December 27; Holy Innocents on December 28; St. Thomas Becket on December 29. The liturgies of the week are therefore very complex; each of these feasts has its own antiphons, prayers, responsories, and hymns - and each day includes a sort of First/Second-Vespers-Memorial-mashup of the Feast itself with each following feast day. (These seem sometimes to be referred to as "Memorials," even though Memorials are - as their name would imply - normally a hearkening-back to a feast day that's already happened. Normally major feasts have a First and Second Vespers, too - but one day just tumbles into the next during this week, so it's a bit confusing, and hard to know what to call Vespers during this time!) There are other ordinary memorials throughout the week, too: of Christmas every day, and also memorials for each prior feast. And then each of these feast days has its octave one week later, most falling within the twelve days. It's all very complicated - made more so in emotional resonance by the fact that three of four of these major feast are martyrs' days. In any case it is a very, very rich set of offices.
As I noted above, this chant, Iacet granum oppressum palea, is introduced at the end of Second Vespers of Holy Innocents - then used again at Matins of St. Thomas Becket a few hours later. And, at that First/Second Vespers/Memorial mashup, this chant is also associated with a "Procession to the Altar of St. Thomas."
The set of screenshots below comes from Volume 2 of Prosper Guéranger's "The Liturgical Year"; this Volume contains commentary on the Christmastide liturgies. (It's actually just the first volume of what Guéranger classified as Christmas liturgies. Volume 1 begins at Christmas Eve, and runs through the Vigil of the Epiphany; Volume 2 begins on Epiphany, and runs through and includes Candlemas, and then the following Sundays through Quinquagesima.)
Anyway, here's Guéranger's take on this Responsory and its function; note, too, that the Responsory-plus-Prose is entirely in rhyme in the Latin:
From the day when Henry II. bestowed the crown of martyrdom on his primate, to the day when a still more ferocious Henry rifled his tomb, and threw his sacred ashes to the four winds, no more popular name was to be found in the Calendar of English Saints than that of Thomas Becket.
His festivals, therefore, as may well be imagined, were celebrated with especial splendour, and a more than wonted beauty is to be met with in his offices. Of these the Sarum Breviary gives three varieties.
The office for his festival proper, observed on December 29th, the solemn commemoration for the feast of the translation of his relics, and a weekly commemoration, or, as we should say, votive office.
The celebration of the great festival, December 29th, commenced on the day preceding the feast itself with what was called a memorial.
This memorial was made in two ways. In certain churches, probably the more important, immediately after vespers, and without changing their vestments, the clergy and choir proceeded, in solemn procession, nevertheless, without candles in their hands, as the rubric expressly states, to the altar of St. Thomas, and, as they went, they hymned their hero's victory. "The wheaten grain lies prone before the flail," runs the quaintly beautiful sequence with which Sarum honoured the greatest of England's saints. "The righteous man, hewn down by impious swords, thereby exchanging squalid earth for Heaven. The vineyard's keeper falls beside the vine. The captain on the battle-field lies low, the husbandman within his threshing-floor. From squalid earth, Christ's martyr mounts to Heaven."*
Having reached the altar, this as well as the image of the saint was incensed by the officiating priest, while the rest of the clergy and the choir, grouped around, continued their triumphant canticle:
Sound ye the gladsome trump of victory,
For this, that God's own vineyard might be free,
*R. Jacet granum oppressum palea,
Justus coesus pravorum framea,
Coelum domo commutans lutea.
V. Cadit custos vitis in vinea,
Dux in castris, oultor in area,
Coelum domo commutans lutea.
Which, clad in human flesh, Himself had freed
By dying on the purple blood-stained cross.
The savage beast of prey becomes a lamb,
The shepherd's crnel death converts his foe,
Christ's marble pavement flows all red with blood.
Thus Thomas wins the martyr's laurel crown,
And like the wheaten grain, from husk set free,
Is garnered in the storehouse of the King.*
Then was intoned the V. Ora pro nobis Beate Thoma, &c., with its accompanying R., and afterwards followed the Collect, the same which we still use.
The memorial completed, the clergy returned to the choir; but great was the devotion of the ancient Church of England to the Mother of God. She loved to associate the name of Mary, with all her joys and all her sorrows. In redeundo, runs the rubric, dicitur Responsorium vel Antiphona de Sancta Maria.
In those churches in which it was not customary to have a procession on St. Thomas's Eve, the following antiphon was substituted for the above prose:
The watchful pastor, slain amid his flock,
Their peace procures, by pouring out his blood.
O joyous sorrow! O most mournful joy!
The sheep draw breath, the shepherd lyeth low,
And weeping Mother Church applauds a son
"Who, by his death a victor, mounts to Heaven. +
All the antiphons at this office are rhythmical and rhyming.
Those at Matins form a sort of metrical legend of the Saint's life, the chief characteristic of which is quaintness. Several of them, however, are not without a certain naive beauty. Take, for example, the ninth, which sings of the happiness of the place and of the church, in which the memory of Thomas dwells, of the country which gave him birth, and of the land which afforded him shelter during his exile:
Ant. 9.—Felix locus, felix ecclesia:
In qua Thomse viget memoria:
Felix terra quae dedit proesulem
Felix ilia quae fovit exulem:
Felix pater, sucurre miseris:
Ut felices jungamur superis.
________________________________________________
* Prosa.
Clangat pastor in tuba cornea.
Ut libera sit Christi vinea,
Quam, assumptae sub carnis trabea,
Liberavit cruce purpurea,
Adversatrix ovis erronea
Fit pastoris ccede sanguinea,
Pavimenta Christi mamorea
Sacro madent cruore rubea.
Mart ir vitse donatus laurea,
Velut granum purgatum palea,
In divina transfertur horrea
Curium donio commutans lutea.
+ Pastor caesus in gregis medio
Pacem emit cruoris precio.
O loetus dolor in tristi gaudio,
Grex respirat pastore mortuo.
Plangens plaudit mater in filio,
Quia vivit victor sub gladio.
Lots more on all the offices of the day at that article! It's clear that this was a very important day, in the middle of a very important week; the offices are very ornate and rich in every way.
Here is the entire Responsory-plus-Prose / Procession from the Holy Innocents page at The Sarum Rite English Scholarly Breviary; it immediately follows Memorials for Nativity, St. Stephen, and St. John the Evangelist:
At some point I'll create images for the full Procession score in Latin, too, and will post it here. Also, I would love to find a recording of the Prose section of the chant used at the Vespers memorial; if I too, I'll post that here, too.
Ecce Dies Veniunt is the ninth responsory at Mattins on the First Sunday of Advent in the Roman Breivary. But it's sung at First Vespers on the First Sunday of Advent in the Sarum Breviary. Either way, it was clearly an important chant.
Here it's sung by Gregoriana.
Here are the words, in Latin and English, from Divinum Officium:
R. Ecce dies véniunt, dicit Dóminus, et suscitábo David germen justum: et regnábit rex, et sápiens erit, et fáciet judícium et justítiam in terra: * Et hoc est nomen quod vocábunt eum: * Dóminus justus noster. V. In diébus illis salvábitur Juda, et Israël habitábit confidénter. R. Et hoc est nomen quod vocábunt eum: V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto. R. Dóminus justus noster.
R. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch; and a King shall reign in wisdom and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth: * And this is His name whereby He shall be called: * The Lord our Righteous one. V. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. R. And this is His name whereby He shall be called. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost. R. The Lord our Righteous one.
Here is the chant score, from The Sarum Rite, at McMaster University, Toronto. There are some melodic differences between this score and what's sung on the video above.
This Responsory is also listed in Cantus Database as a Responsory for other Advent Sundays. So it appears it was used in various ways and at various times in different locations and at different times.
Here's an image of the chant as used as an Advent 1 Vespers Responsory, from the Antiphonarium Benedictinum (1400) used at the Abbey of Sankt Lambrecht (Steiermark, Austria).
Here's another one from Austria (Klosterneuburg), and about the same period; it's another Vespers Responsory for Advent 1:
This is from a "Late-thirteenth century Cistercian antiphoner (dated c. 1295) from Lubiąż in modern-day south-western Poland (German: Leubus). 272 folios. Green five-line staff with a red F-line and a yellow C-line." It was used as a Matins Reponsory on Advent 3.
And this earlier one comes from a "Cistercian antiphoner from the Abbey of St. Mary of Morimondo in the diocese of Milan. Second half of the twelfth century (up to 1174)." It's written in staffless musical notation, as you can see; it was also used as a Matins Reponsory on Advent 3.
This beautiful hymn was appointed for First Vespers of Christmas in the Sarum Breviary (although sung to a different melody), and is today used in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours at the Office of Readings from December 17 through December 24, which puts it on the same schedule at the Great O Antiphons at Vespers. (It was not used in the Roman Breviary, however.)
The hymn text is very old: from the fourth century and attributed to St. Ambrose. Here's a sung arrangement of the hymn accompanied by soprano saxophone; as you will hear, the chant choir sings two different and distinct melodies for the various verses:
All of this is a good intro to something I've wondered about since first posting on it years ago! The first melody is a straightforward Gregorian chant tune; the second is a tune from a 16th-century German Chorale ("Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" - essentially the same phrase in German translation) written, possibly, by Martin Luther (or possibly by Johann Walter, his collaborator).
The question is: where did the second melody come from, and how is it related to the first, Gregorian chant tune? I had for a long time thought that the two tunes were simply two versions of the original Gregorian melody - or else that one was an Ambrosian tune and the other was Gregorian. But the reality is apparently otherwise.
And this is the second melody, as written out by Martin Luther or his editors ("Martin Luther und andere") for the Erfurt Enchiridion, the second Lutheran hymnal published in 1524:
This melody is first documented as a Roman Catholic Latin hymn based upon Gregorian chant in manuscript form in Einsiedeln (Schwyz) around 1120. The same melody source served as a basis for three important chorale melodies: “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”, ‘Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich” (Luther’s CT based upon the antiphon ‘Da pacem Domine”) and Martin Luther’s CT,“Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort”.
>>The Lutheran Reformation in the early 16th century led to the creation of a new repertory of sacred music based on the chorale. Chorales were initially sung by the congregation in unison and unaccompanied. Most were adapted from chant, from German devotional songs (many of which were themselves reworkings of chant) and from secular songs, or were composed using conventional melodic types and formulae. Techniques of adaptation ranged from simple contrafactum to ingenious reworkings, such as Luther's reshaping of the Gregorian hymn Veni Redemptor gentium as the chorale Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland.<<
Burkholder presents examples of the Gregorian chant and “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” in close proximity so that the similarities and differences can become apparent:
(I have searched online for the Einsiedeln manuscript, but haven't been successful in finding a scored version of the hymn so far; I am still looking for it, though, and will post it if I find one. However, this snippet from the Bach Cantata website clearly implies that the chant melody is directly related to the chorale melody.)
Luther translated the seven stanzas of Ambrose's “Veni, Redemptor, gentium” fairly literally, characteristically adding a doxology, but he changed the meter from basically Long Meter (8888, sometimes with lines of 9) to 7777 (with some elisions).
The same source continues in re: the melody:
The Tune
Luther altered the tune that went with the Latin text. He thought that simply to transfer chant tunes associated with Latin texts to German translations would create a faulty imitation that would not sing well. He wanted a hymn's tune to grow out of the language one was using and to reflect its particular accents and inflections. Text and tune were to form an organic whole. A tune that worked for a Latin text might not work for a German one, which meant that some revisions might have to be made.
Luther left the melodic contour of this tune as it was, but changed other things. First, the five melismas in the chant tune were reduced in the German version to two unobtrusive ones that sing easily. The tune became more syllabic. Second, Luther gave the second phrase a more decisive cadence. Third, the upward leap of a third in the first line was turned into a fourth. These alterations propelled the tune forward with a more proclamatory push and made it both easier to learn and more congregational.
A fourth alteration may seem subtle and not even recognized at first, but it is telling: the first line was repeated as the last. This move reflected the meaning of the text and its structure. The hymn made a turn forward and back at stanzas 4 and 5. After marveling at the wonder of it all and preparing the way for Christ's coming in the first stanzas, stanzas 4 and 5 led from God to humanity and then back to God as a result of the victory Christ wins. Luther's alterations not only moved the tune from meditatively prayerful to more vigorously proclamatory and made the tune's musical exegesis into a bold chorale that joyfully celebrates the grace of God; they also mirrored the meaning of the text by matching its structure.
The melody whose adventures I want to follow in some detail belongs to a much later period. The words of the Advent hymn ‘Veni, redemptor gentium' go back to the fourth century but the melody seems to be no older than the early twelfth. All the same, it has come down to us in several minor variant forms: for instance, the word 'ostende' is sung in one version to three repeated notes, in another to three notes ascending scalewise. But it was a much loved melody, particularly in Germany; it is significant that the two oldest manuscripts in which it is found are both German, and four centuries later the German Protestants lost no time in providing it with German words. The Protestant extremist Thomas Müntzer published in 1524 a translation which begins:
O Herr, Erlöser alles Volks,
komm, zeig uns die Geburt deins Sohns,
es wundern sich all Creaturen
dass Christ also ist Mensch worden.
In 1531 it appeared in one of the German song-books of the Bohemian Brethren, Michael Weisse's Ein Nem Gesengbuchlen, with a completely new text. Both these German texts were fitted to the plainsong with only minimal changes in the actual notes, though even the fitting of different vowels and consonants to plainsong produces a certain change of character. Here are (a) the plainsong in probably its earliest surviving form,* (b) the version with Müntzer's words:
Luther went farther than this. In the same year as Müntzer, 1524, he printed in his so-called Achtliederbuch not only the translation which is sung to this day, 'Nun komm der Heiden Heiland', but a metrical modification of the melody which removes it from the sphere of plainsong to that of German song. This version was not meant to be sung by a monastic choir, as the plainsong was, nor by a little sectarian body such as a congregation of Bohemian Brethren. We know fairly well how the early Lutheran hymns were sung: not harmonized or by a trained choir or supported by an organ, but by the whole congregration in unison led by a choir of schoolboys who had had the hymns drilled into them by rote. The boys were sometimes scattered among the adult congregation; sometimes the cantor himself stood in the middle of the church. In these conditions the flexibility of plainsong was impossible; something firm, steady, and square-cut like German secular song of the time was needed. (Why German secular song tended to be square-cut is a matter that will have to be dealt with later.) The first note of a hymn-tune is often written as a long one, presumably to give the congregation a moment to pick up the pitch sounded by the cantor and his boys; the phrase are separated by pauses. But Luther's substitution of firmly stressed, rhyming heptasyllables for the smooth octosyllabic Latin verse necessitated changes in the melody itself.
This last article goes into quite a lot of detail, and IMO is very worth reading in its entirety.
From all this, a couple of things seem very clear:
This hymn melody is not as old as I had thought. One source says it's from twelfth-century Einsiedeln; another says fourteenth century. (These two researchers could have been looking at two versions of the same chant manuscript, separated by two centuries; this might account for the difference.)
There were never two different chant melodies, but only one! Luther (or Walter) reworked a chant, changing the meter so that it would work well with a German translation of the text. And that is quite interesting, because on first (or tenth!) hearing, the two tunes do not seem very alike, or in fact in any way related.
Interestingly, a contemporary composer, Andrew Smith, has set this hymn in a similar way. He has used the two different melodies as sung in the video above - and added his own composition as well, using Luther's tune for the verses sung in English. It's sung here beautifully by the wonderful New York Polyphony.
For the record: the Sarum Breviary used a different melody altogether. From this blog's Sarum Christmas Office page.
Benedicite, omnia opera Domini is the Lauds Canticle for Sundays and Feast Days. This version uses the Pentecost antiphon, Fontes, et omnia. It's sung by the Schola Liturgiczna, Wyższego Seminarium Duchownego Zakonu Paulinów (The Liturgical Schola Of the Major Seminary of the Pauline Order), based in Krakow, Poland. Their website is linked below the video, as is their Facebook page.
From the YouTube page, some information and the words to the canticle:
"Ant. 2 Fontes, et omnia. Benedicite, omnia opera Domini. Canticum Dn 3, 57 – 88. 56" w wykonaniu kleryckiej paulińskiej scholi liturgicznej. Gregorian chant - Ant. 2 Fontes, et omnia. Benedicite, omnia opera Domini. Canticum Dn 3, 57 – 88. 56.
Chorał gregoriański o Duchu Świętym. Gregorian Chant for the Solemnity of Pentecost. Jutrznia i Msza św. z Uroczystości Zesłania Ducha Świętego w wykonaniu Scholi Gregoriańskiej kleryków Wyższego Seminarium Duchownego Zakonu Paulinów w Krakowie.
Ant. 2 − Canticum Dn 3, 57 – 88. 56 Fontes, et omnia quae moventur in aquis, hymnum dicite Deo, alleluia.
1. Benedicite, omnia opera Domini, Domino; laudate et superexaltate eum in saecula.
2. Benedicite, angeli Domini, Domino; benedicite, caeli, Domino.
3. Benedicite, aquae omnes quae super caelos sunt, Domino; benedicite, omnes virtutes Domini, Domino.
4. Benedicite, sol et luna, Domino; benedicite, stellae caeli, Domino.
5. Benedicite, omnis imber et ros, Domino; benedicite, omnes spiritus Dei, Domino.
6. Benedicite, ignis et aestus, Domino; benedicite, frigus et aestus, Domino.
7. Benedicite, rores et pruina, Domino; benedicite, gelu et frigus, Domino.
8. Benedicite, glacies et nives, Domino; benedicite, noctes et dies, Domino.
9. Benedicite, lux et tenebrae, Domino; benedicite, fulgura et nubes, Domino.
10. Benedicite, terra Dominum; laudet et superexaltet eum in saecula.
11. Benedicite, montes et colles, Domino; benedicite, universa germinantia in terra, Domino.
12. Benedicite, fontes, Domino; benedicite, maria et flumina, Domino.
13. Benedicite, cete et omnia quae moventur in aquis, Domino; benedicite, omnes volucres caeli, Domino.
14. Benedicite, omnes bestiae et pecora, Domino; benedicite, filii hominum, Domino.
15. Benedicat Israel Domino; laudet et superexaltet eum in saecula.
16. Benedicite, sacerdotes Domini, Domino; benedicite, servi Domini, Domino.
17. Benedicite, spiritus et animae iustorum, Domino; benedicite, sancti et humiles corde, Domino.
18. Benedicite, Anania, Azaria, Misael, Domino; laudate et superexaltate eum in saecula.
19. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium cum Sancto Spiritu; laudemus et superexultemus eum in saecula.
20. Benedictus es, Domine, in firmamento caeli; et laudabilis et gloriosus et superexaltatus in saecula.
O all ye Works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise him &c.
O ye Heavens, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Waters that be above the Firmament, bless ye the Lord :
O all ye Powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Sun and Moon, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Stars of Heaven, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Showers and Dew, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Winds of God, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Fire and Heat, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Winter and Summer, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Dews and Frosts, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Frost and Cold, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Ice and Snow, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Nights and Days, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Light and Darkness, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Lightnings and Clouds, bless ye the Lord :
O let the Earth bless the Lord:
yea, let it praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye Mountains and Hills, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify…
O all ye Green Things upon the Earth, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Wells, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Seas and Floods, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Whales, and all that move in the Waters, bless ye the Lord :
O all ye Fowls of the Air, bless ye the Lord :
O all ye Beasts and Cattle, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Children of Men, bless ye the Lord :
O let Israel bless the Lord :
O ye Priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
O ye Spirits and Souls of the Righteous, bless ye the Lord :
O ye holy and humble Men of heart, bless ye the Lord :
O Ananias, Azarias and Misael, bless ye the Lord :
The Pentecost antiphon, sung before and after the Canticle, is this one:
Fontes, et ómnia quæ movéntur in aquis, hymnum dícite Deo, allelúja.
In English, it's:
See ye fountains, * and all that move in the waters, ascribe ye praise to God, alleluia.
More about the Benedicite, from the St. Bede Blog (in re: the Episcopal Church's 1979 Book of Common Prayer):
The Benedicite comes from one of the additions to the book of Daniel that is found in the Greek Old Testament, but not in the Hebrew version. It’s best understood as an expansion of the content and theme of Psalm 148 where all creation is called upon to worship and give glory to God. In the narrative, this is a song put into the mouth of Daniel’s three companions which they sang in the midst of the fiery furnace. As a result, sometimes this will be referred to as “the song of the three young men.” In the former prayer books, this canticle was used as the first canticle during penitential seasons when the Te Deum was suppressed. That’s not because there’s anything penitential about it—it’s one of the most joyful canticles around! Rather it’s because this was the second canticle found in the pre-Reformation prymers and Books of Hours; if the Te Deum—which was the first canticle in them—was dropped, this one was next in line. Hence, the tradition grew that the Benedicite should replace the Te Deum, and it subsequently entered and formed the prayer book tradition.
Here's a beauty of a polyphonic composition! Herbert Sumsion's setting of the Benedicte, in B flat - written for Choral Mattins, no doubt. I like Sumsion, and I like this piece.
An interesting piece of information about the Sumsion, from the YouTube page:
From an edition of John Betjeman’s BBC radio series “Britain’s Cathedrals and their Music”, broadcast on 11 February 1966. This is the only recording in the Archive of Herbert Sumsion conducting one of his own works.
Here's Henry Purcell's gorgeous setting, also in B flat:
Ralph Vaughan Williams set this Canticle, too as have quite a number of other composers. I don't believe I've ever heard it used, but that is because Choral Mattins is becoming a rare service.
Here's Vaughan Williams' setting; it's clearly not liturgical. It's prefaced with another text, and written for orchestra and choir; it's also quite long.
While we're still in Epiphany season - one of my favorite seasons of the year - I wanted to post another Epiphany chant. This is the first responsory of Epiphany Day Matins in the Sarum Breviary; it's the fourth Responsory in the Roman Breviary. It's sung here beautifully by the Schola Gregoriana Assisiensis:
R. Illuminare, illuminare Jerusalem, quia venit lux tua:
* Et gloria Domini super te orta est. V. Et ambulabunt Gentes in lumine tuo, et reges in splendore ortus tui. R. Et gloria Domini super te orta est.
R. Shine, shine, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come
* And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. V. And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy rising. R. And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
1 Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
2 For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and a mist the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3 And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy rising.
Interestingly, most translations do not include the word "Jerusalem" - except The Message (and a few others)! According to the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, "The name 'Jerusalem' is inserted by the LXX., Targ[um]. and Vulg[ate]., but the addition is unnecessary (cf. Isaiah 54:1)." I'm taking this to mean that it's not in the original Hebrew.
It's also interesting to me that the chant-writers chose to repeat the
word "Illuminare," rather than using the direct translation itself:
"Surge, illuminare" (i.e., "Arise, shine"). I suppose we'll never know
what the idea here was, but it does go to emphasize Epiphany as "the
season of light."
Here is the chant score from the Sarum breviary; both text and melody are identical, as far as I can tell.
Palestrina and Byrd both set the text as taken directly from Scripture as "Surge, Illuminare," including only Isaiah 60:1-2. Here's Palestrina's setting:
The website of the Schola Assisiensis says this about the ensemble:
The “Schola Gregoriana Assisiensis”
is a vocal ensemble, consisting of only male voices, dedicated to the
study and liturgical and concert execution of monodic liturgical
repertoires of Christian medieval Europe (Gregorian chant, Ambrosian
chant, antique Roman chant) and of polyphonic repertoires of the same
period (especially Ars Antiqua), then expanding to Renaissance
polyphony, again performed by only male voices. The group consists, in
the most part, of professionals from different musical environments:
they include Gregorianists, singers, choir directors, composers,
organists, both lay and religious.
Its
members, together with their own musical activity, in recent years
have matured an experience of study and passion for sacred and
liturgical medieval vocal repertoires, dedicating themselves to an ever
greater understanding of execution praxis even based on recent
semiological and scientific studies. Founded in Assisi, the “Schola
Gregoriana Assisiensis” is based at the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria
degli Angeli, which has always been entrusted to the care of the Friars
Minor of the Seraphic Province of Umbria.
Dominus vobiscum. R/. Et cum spiritu tuo. Initium sancti evangelii secundum Mattheum. R/. Gloria tibi, Domine.
Liber generationis Iesu Christi filii David filii Abraham;
Abraham genuit Isaac; Isaac autem genuit Iacob; Iacob autem genuit Iudam et fratres eius; Iudas autem genuit Phares et Zara de Thamar; Phares autem genuit Esrom; Esrom autem genuit Aram; Aram autem genuit Aminadab; Aminadab autem genuit Naasson; Naasson autem genuit Salmon; Salmon autem genuit Booz de Rachab; Booz autem genuit Obed ex Ruth; Obed autem genuit Iesse; Iesse autem genuit David regem; David autem rex genuit Salomonem ex ea quae fuit Uriae; Salomon autem genuit Roboam; Roboam autem genuit Abiam; Abia autem genuit Asa; Asa autem genuit Iosaphat; Iosaphat autem genuit Ioram; Ioram autem genuit Oziam; Ozias autem genuit Ioatham; Ioatham autem genuit Achaz; Achaz autem genuit Ezechiam; Ezechias autem genuit Manassen; Manasses autem genuit Amon; Amon autem genuit Iosiam; Iosias autem genuit Iechoniam et fratres eius in transmigratione Babylonis; et post transmigrationem Babylonis Iechonias genuit Salathihel; Salathihel autem genuit Zorobabel; Zorobabel autem genuit Abiud; Abiud autem genuit Eliachim; Eliachim autem genuit Azor; Azor autem genuit Saddoc; Saddoc autem genuit Achim; Achim autem genuit Eliud; Eliud autem genuit Eleazar; Eleazar autem genuit Matthan; Matthan autem genuit Iacob; Iacob autem genuit Ioseph virum Mariae, de qua natus est Iesus qui vocatur Christus.
The Lord be with you. R/. And with your spirit. The beginning of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. R/. Glory to you, Lord.
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
While the melody on the Sequentia video above does not match the score in the Sarum Breviary, you can listen to the McMaster mp3 recording of Liber Generationis here, which does match up, of course, with the chant score they provide.
The melody on the video, though, is somewhat similar to the melody on the video I posted for Luke's genealogy sung at Epiphany. I am very curious where this melody comes from and will continue to search it out, if I can.
Once again, there is an instruction that introduces this chant after the ninth and final responsory; in English, it's:
While this final R. together with its V. and Gloria Patri. are sung, let the Deacon proceed with the Subdeacon and the Thurifer and the Taperer and the Acolyte bearing the Cross, all solemnly vested in preparation to cense the Altar. And, having received a Blessing from the Officiant in the midst of the Choir, let him approach the Pulpit for the singing of the following Gospel.
And the Te Deum is sung after the genealogy, to end the Office.
Divinum Officium does not list either of these two genealogies as part of Christmas or Epiphany Matins in its 1570 Trident versions - but the Matthew genealogy (Matt 1:1-16) is there in the "Pre-Trident Monastic" Matins of Christmas, sung after the Te Deum. It's labeled "Initium Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum" ("The beginning of the HOly Gospel according to Matthew").
In DO's "Pre-Trident Monastic" Matins of Epiphany, it's Matthew 2:1-12 that follows the Te Deum at the very end of the Office; it's labeled "Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum" ("Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew").
On its versions page, the creator of Divinum Officium wrote, about the "Pre-Trident Monastc" version:
The pre-Tridentine Monastic version is an attempt to illustrate the Benedictine Breviary, as it is described in the Regula of St. Benedict, with the exception that, for lack of resources, only 9 lessons are included for Sundays and Feasts, instead of 12 lessons. See details below.
(In his note below, just for your information (although not really relevant to this post!), is this:
Implemented pre-Tridentine Monastic changes:
Matins starts with Domine labia and Psalm 3
First Nocturn is always 6 psalms.
First Nocturn has 3 lessons with responsories from Scriptures from November to Low Sunday,
with one short lesson in summertime
Second Nocturn is always 6 psalms.
Except for Sundays and Feasts (Duplex majus, 2nd class, 1st class), the second nocturn
has a scriptural capitulum with responsory only, and there is no third nocturn.
For Sundays and Feasts (for lack of resources, only 3 * 3 instead of 3 * 4 lessons)
there are three nocturns. The third nocturn has Old Testament canticles under one antiphon.
There is also a responsory after the last lesson, followed by the Te Deum, the reading of the full
passage of Gospel, and the short hymn "Te decet".
Lauds starts with Psalm 66
Lauds has 3 psalms, a canticle and psalms 148-149-150 as one unit. Responsory is added
to Capitulum.
Prime has 4 or 3 psalms (parts). Preces, reading of the Regula and Commemoration
of the dead (which was not part of Prime) is added to the office.
Minor Hours have a psalm scheme only for Sunday, Monday and the rest of days.
Capitulum is followed only by Verse.
Vespers has 4 psalms, Responsory is added to Capitulum.
Compline has always the same psalms without antiphons; also without Nunc dimittis)
I will check the Regula to see if this genealogy and the following verses from Matthew are in fact prescribed for Christmas and Epiphany. Will return here to report what I find.
I did find, though, in reading about the Epiphany genealogy Factum Est Autem, these two notes:
* The Gospel from the first chapter of St. Matthew. “The Book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." It was solemnly sung after the ninth lesson at Matins before the midnight Mass on Christmas, the Gospels being processionally carried with lights on either side to the pulpit or the steps of the chancel. The ceremony is still carried out in many of the churches in France. The chant of the Genealogy is one of the most beautiful in the liturgy.
1‘ The “Factum est autem” is a gospel from St. Luke iii. 21. “ Now it came to pass when all the people was baptized." It was sung after the manner of the Genealogy after the ninth lesson of Matins on the night of the eve of Epiphany, and before the Te Damn.
So apparently this custom was not limited to the Sarum Office, but was also practiced in France. This may be the source of the melody on the videos, but I still haven't found either of these genealogies listed in any of the usual chant databases. Still looking for manuscripts and sources there, too.
The genealogies are really quite a wonderful addition to the Christmas and Epiphany Offices; I really like the way they are bookended at Christmas and Epiphany, too. Would love to know more about the history of this, and hopeful to find out!
Here's a video of one polyphonic setting of this Gospel, without an obvious attribution. Will try to find out more about this, too.
This is a very interesting and unique chant: the singing of the Gospel at Epiphany Matins, after the ninth responsory, almost at the end of the Office. As far as I can tell, the video below comes from this recording by Stirps Iesse and Enrico de Capitani, although the YouTube page doesn't say.
The instruction introducing this part of the Office reads this way:
While this final Responsory with its Verse and with its Gloria Patri. is being sung, the Deacon proceeds together with the Subdeacon and the Thurifer and the Candle Bearer and the Acolyte bearing the Cross, in the same way as on the night of the Nativity of the Lord, all clothed in solemn vestments for incensing the Altar, and having received a blessing from the Officiant they process through the middle of the Quire to the Pulpit for the singing of the Gospel : let it be begun this way.
Dominus vobiscum. R/. Et cum spiritu tuo. Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam R/. Gloria tibi, Domine.
Factum est autem, cum baptizaretur omnis populus, et Jesu baptizato et orante, apertum est cælum: et descendit Spiritus Sanctus corporali specie sicut columba in ipsum: et vox de cælo facta est: Tu es Filius meus dilectus, in te complacui mihi.
Et ipse Jesus erat incipiens quasi annorum triginta, ut putabatur, filius Joseph, qui fuit Heli, qui fuit Mathat, qui fuit Levi, qui fuit Melchi, qui fuit Janne, qui fuit Joseph, qui fuit Mathathiæ, qui fuit Amos, qui fuit Nahum, qui fuit Hesli, qui fuit Nagge, qui fuit Mahath, qui fuit Mathathiæ, qui fuit Semei, qui fuit Joseph, qui fuit Juda, qui fuit Joanna, qui fuit Resa, qui fuit Zorobabel, qui fuit Salathiel, qui fuit Neri, qui fuit Melchi, qui fuit Addi, qui fuit Cosan, qui fuit Elmadan, qui fuit Her, qui fuit Jesu, qui fuit Eliezer, qui fuit Jorim, qui fuit Mathat, qui fuit Levi, qui fuit Simeon, qui fuit Juda, qui fuit Joseph, qui fuit Jona, qui fuit Eliakim, qui fuit Melea, qui fuit Menna, qui fuit Mathatha, qui fuit Nathan, qui fuit David, qui fuit Jesse, qui fuit Obed, qui fuit Booz, qui fuit Salmon, qui fuit Naasson, qui fuit Aminadab, qui fuit Aram, qui fuit Esron, qui fuit Phares, qui fuit Judæ, qui fuit Jacob, qui fuit Isaac, qui fuit Abrahæ, qui fuit Thare, qui fuit Nachor, qui fuit Sarug, qui fuit Ragau, qui fuit Phaleg, qui fuit Heber, qui fuit Sale, qui fuit Cainan, qui fuit Arphaxad, qui fuit Sem, qui fuit Noë, qui fuit Lamech, qui fuit Mathusale, qui fuit Henoch, qui fuit Jared, qui fuit Malaleel, qui fuit Cainan, qui fuit Henos, qui fuit Seth, qui fuit Adam, qui fuit Dei. Jesus autem plenus Spiritu Sancto regressus est a Jordane.
The Lord be with you.
R/. And with your spirit.
The continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
R/. Glory to you, Lord.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
And here is the last instruction for Mattins on this day:
At the end of the Gospel, let the Priest in his stall in a Silken Cope in a loud voice immediately begin the Psalm Te Deum. While the Psalm is being sung let the Priest cense the Altar.
You can see the chant score in this PDF file
on its page 554; it's much too long to post here! (The melody on the video above does not match exactly with the score there. Will try to find out why it doesn't.) That document contains the Epiphany Offices, in Latin, from the
Sarum Breviary, courtesy of Dr. William Renwick, et al., of Canada's
McMaster University. (Here's the English translation of that same document.) They have also provided an mp3 file of the chant, as well as a page with links to other chants for the Feast of the Epiphany.
And there is this, the 60th footnote in the Latin PDF file above:
The
“Qui fuit” section cycles through nine small phrases. Each third
phrase comes to rest on the finalis. In AS:88-89. bar lines group the
'Qui fuit N.' phrases in threes. This is followed in the edition. 1519
groups the phrases in threes but with an irregular grouping of two near
the beginning (Matathie, Amos) and with a group of four at the end
(Enos, Seth, Adam, Dei). In the following note numbers in parentheses
refer to lines of the music.
This entire sequence of events appears to be unique to the Sarum Breviary; it does not at any rate appear in the 1570 Roman Breviary at DivinumOfficium.com, or in the "pre-Trident monastic" version of the Office (although a portion of Matthew's Gospel is read after the Te Deum is sung in the pre-Trident monastic). I will have to check some of the others, and will edit this post accordingly whatever I find.
It seems clear to me that the singing of this Gospel is a pointer to how important a day Epiphany was and is. It is one of the oldest feasts on the calendar; early on it was a celebration of all the manifestations of Christ's divinity prior to the start of his earthly ministry. It has celebrated, among other events, the visitation of the Magi, Christ's baptism in the Jordan (as here), and the wedding at Cana. In fact, the Feast Nativity itself was celebrated as one of these events, before Christmas was fixed on December 25.
The singing of Luke's genealogy - a rather odd passage with the ultimate effect of proclaiming Christ's divinity through his human lineage! - is perfect for this most mystical of feasts.
Here's an image that illustrates the threefold celebration of the Epiphany in earlier times; I am not sure where it came from originally, but it has been posted at many sites.
Left to right: the wedding at Cana; the visitation of the Magi; the baptism in the Jordan.
Here's the beautiful 1st Responsory of Christmas Matins, sung by Coro de Monjes de la abadía de Montserrat.
From Divinum Officium, here is the text in Latin and English, from its "1570 Trident" source:
R. Hodie nobis cælórum Rex de Vírgine nasci dignátus est, ut hóminem pérditum ad cæléstia regna revocaret: * Gaudet exercitus Angelórum: quia salus æterna humano generi appáruit. V. Glória in excélsis Deo, et in terra pax homínibus bonæ voluntátis. R. Gaudet exercitus Angelórum: quia salus æterna humano generi appáruit. V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto. R. Hodie nobis cælórum Rex de Vírgine nasci dignátus est, ut hóminem pérditum ad cæléstia regna revocaret: * Gaudet exercitus Angelórum: quia salus æterna humano generi appáruit.
R. This is the day whereon the King of heaven was pleased to be born of a Virgin, that He might bring back to heaven man who was lost. * There is joy among the hosts of Angels, because eternal salvation hath appeared unto men. V. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, to men of goodwill. R. There is joy among the hosts of Angels, because eternal salvation hath appeared unto men. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. This is the day whereon the King of heaven was pleased to be born of a Virgin, that He might bring back to heaven man who was lost. There is joy among the hosts of Angels, because eternal salvation hath appeared unto men.
Here's the chant score, from the McMaster Sarum Breviary (PDF); it's a slight bit different than what the Roman Breviary does. The latter returns to "gaudet exercitus angelorum" in the response, while the former to "Quia salus eterna."
First Antiphon. The LORD hath said unto Me : * Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee. Psalm II.
Why do the heathen rage ? &c. Second Antiphon. The Lord is as a bridegroom * coming out of his chamber. Psalm XVIII.
The heavens declare, &c. Third Antiphon. Grace is poured into Thy lips: * therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever. Psalm XLIV.
Mine heart is overflowing, &c. Verse. The Lord is as a bride groom.
First Lesson. (Isa. ix. I.) AT the first He lightly afflicted the land of Zabulon and the land of Naphtali : and afterward did more grievously afflict the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light : they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation and not increased the joy. They shall joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For Thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, and the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood, and it shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, and unto us a Son is given : and the government is upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Ever lasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
First Responsory.
This is the day whereon the King of heaven was pleased to be born of a Virgin, that He might bring back to heaven man who was lost. There is joy among the hosts of Angels, because eternal salvation hath appeared unto men. Verse. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, to men of goodwill. Answer. There is joy among the hosts of Angels, because eternal salvation hath appeared unto men. Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Answer. This is the day whereon the King of heaven was pleased to be born of a Virgin, that He might bring back to heaven man who was lost. There is joy among the hosts of Angels, because eternal salvation hath appeared unto men.
Second Lesson. (Isa. xl. i.) COMFORT ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned ; for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness : Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert an highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low : and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together ; for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. The voice said, Cry. And I said : What shall I cry ? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth and the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it : surely the people is grass. The grass withereth and the flower fadeth : but the word of our Lord endureth for ever.
Second Responsory.
This day is the true peace come down unto us from heaven. This day throughout the whole world the skies drop down sweetness. Verse. This day is the daybreak of our new redemption, of the re storing of the old, of everlasting joy. Answer. This day throughout the whole world the skies drop down sweetness.
Third Lesson. (Isa. lii. I.) AWAKE, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion : put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, thou city of the Holy One ! for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust, arise, sit down, O Jerusalem : loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion ! For thus saith the LORD : Ye have sold yourselves for nought, and ye shall be redeemed without money. For thus saith the Lord GOD : My people went down aforetime into Egypt, to sojourn there : and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now, therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that My people is taken away for nought ? They that rule over them do evil, saith the LORD, and My name continually every day is blasphemed. Therefore My people shall know My Name in that day : they shall know that I am He That spake, behold, it is I.
Third Responsory.
O ye shepherds, speak, and tell us what ye have seen ; who is appeared in the earth ? We saw the new-born Child, and Angels singing praise to the Lord. Verse. Speak ; what have ye seen ? And tell us of the Birth of Christ. Answer. We saw the new-born Child, and Angels singing praise to the Lord. Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Answer. We saw the new-born Child, and Angels singing praise to the Lord.
Lovely, to me, that all three Lessons are taken from Isaiah. The fourth through sixth Lessons are taken from a Christmas sermon of Pope Leo II - and then the seventh and eighth Lessons, finally, are Luke's Nativity. The ninth Lesson is the beautiful Prologue of John's Gospel. Really a wonderful Feast of the Nativity Matins. Also: I love that second Psalm antiphon: "The Lord is as a bridegroom * coming out of his chamber." That's a reference to Psalm 19:5, where it refers to the Sun! The use made here of it is terrific, though - the "chamber" being the womb of Mary. Here's Thomas Tallis' setting of the Responsory, sung by the Taverner Consort; the chant alternates with his composition:
This manuscript page that contains Hodie nobis caelorum Rex - right at the top - comes from a Twelfth-century antiphoner from Klosterneuburg, Austria. This is staffless chant notation, above the text:
Lastly, here's a closeup from a later ms (1555-ish), taken from a Cistercian
antiphoner from the Abbey of Salzinnes, Namur, in the Diocese of Liège
[Belgium]. That beautiful piece of art is the "h" of "hodie"!
