4th Sunday after Pentecost 2025
Processional hymn: Soul of My Savior, 938
Recessional hymn: Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All, 899
Credo: II, 772
Kyriale: Mass for Four Voices, William Byrd (c. 1543–1623)
Offertory Antiphon: Illumina oculos meos, Orlandus Lassus
Chant: Anima Christi, Chant II
Marian Antiphon: Salve Regina, Solemn Tone
This Sunday the Offertory antiphon is a polyphonic setting by Orlandus Lassus. The text is from Psalm 12:4-5: Enlighten my eyes, that I sleep not in death. Lest my enemy say “I have prevailed against him.” Lassus begins with each voice entering separately with a large leap for the first interval–perhaps to convey enlightening. The latter two thirds of the motet are spent on the final line repeated over several times in different groups and shifting harmonic structure.
Orlandus Lassus (c.1532–1594) is known for the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school. He wrote over 2,000 works in Latin, French, Italian, and German both sacred and secular. Lassus along with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Tomás Luis de Victoria are the most influential composers of the late Renaissance.
Ss. Peter & Paul 2025
Processional hymn: Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest, 833
Recessional hymn: Holy God, We Praise Thy Name, 881
Kyriale: Mass III, 705; Credo II, 772
Motet after Offertory: Tu Es Petrus, Rev. Michael Haller (1840–1915)
Communion Antiphon: Tu Es Petrus, Heinrich Isaac
Both choral works for this Sunday use the text Tu Es Petrus, which is the communion antiphon for the Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul. Rev. Michael Haller sets the text in a simple four part hymn style. While the setting by Heinrich Isaac takes its inspiration from the original Gregorian melody. Isaac begins with the incipit from the chant and each voice enters individually; the bass voice has keeps the melody throughout. Isaac illustrates building—“…I will build my church.”—by having each voice stack on top of one another and form the only static chord in the middle of this short motet.
Heinrich Isaac (c.1450–1517) was a Renaissance composer from the South Netherlandish region. His output was rivaled only by Orlandus Lassus in number and variety of composition. Most notable of his collections is Choralis Constantinus which contains nearly 400 Gregorian chant based motets of propers for the Mass.
External Solemnity of Corpus Christi 2025
Processional hymn: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, 900
Hymn of Thanksgiving: Adoremus in Æternum, 970
Kyriale: III, 705; Credo: II, 772
Hymn at Offertory: Ave Verum Corpus, William Byrd
Communion Motet: Sicut cervus, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525–1594)
The prayer Ave Verum Corpus is a short Eucharistic hymn dating from the 14th century and attributed to Pope Innocent VI (d. 1362). During the Middle Ages the prayer was sung at the elevation during the consecration at Mass. Next to Mozart, the setting by William Byrd is perhaps the most famous setting of the Eucharistic themed text. In his setting, Byrd doubles the latter portion of the prayer which says: “O sweet, O gentle, O Jesus, son of Mary, have mercy on me.”
William Byrd (c. 1543–1623) became Catholic in the 1570s and he composed much music for the church against government ordinances. In 1605 the first volume of the Gradualia, which are settings of the propers of the Mass, was banned in England under penalty of imprisonment along with all of his Catholic music. By the time of his death he was seen favorably as a composer by both Anglican and Catholic alike.
Trinity Sunday 2025
Processional hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy, 929
Recessional hymn: O God, Almighty Father, 977
Kyriale: III, 705; Credo II, 772
Responsory: Tibi laus, Orlandus Lassus
Communion antiphon: Benedicimus Deum, John Mason
Following the offertory chant the Responsory Tibi Laus by Orlandus Lassus will be sung. Those who have assisted at Tenebræ will recall that office is a combination of Matins and Lauds which are the first two hours of the Divine Office. During Matins, each of the nine readings are followed by a responsory. Tibi Laus is the refrain portion of the fifth Responsory from Matins today. The responsory is usually in two parts: a respond (or refrain) which is often split in two, and a verse. In the second half of Lassus’s setting, the words O beáta Trinitas are sung three times with three of the four voices in rhythmic unison which emphasizes the “three in one.”
Orlandus Lassus (c.1532–1594) is known for the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school. He wrote over 2,000 works in Latin, French, Italian, and German both sacred and secular. Lassus along with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Tomás Luis de Victoria are the most influential composers of the late Renaissance.
Pentecost 2025
Hymn prior to Mass: Veni Creator Spiritus, 956
Recessional hymn: Come Down, O Love Divine, 887
Kyriale: I, 696; Credo: III, 776
Marian antiphon: Regina Cœli, Solemn Chant
Communion antiphon: Factus Est Repente, Jacobus Gallus
The communion antiphon takes its text from Acts 2: “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.” Jacobus Gallus uses wide intervals in each voice to make the sound from heaven followed by pairs of voices creating the mighty wind. The whole motet ends with rhythmic two fold repeat of Alleluias.
Jacobus Gallus (1550–1591), was a late-Renaissance composer of presumed Slovene ethnicity. Born in Carniola, which at the time was one of the Habsburg lands in the Holy Roman Empire, he lived and worked in Moravia and Bohemia during the last decade of his life. His output was both sacred and secular, and hugely prolific: over 500 works have been attributed to him.