3rd Sunday after Pentecost 2024
Processional hymn: To Christ, the Prince of Peace, 861
Recessional hymn: Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven, 933
Kyriale: Mass IX, 740; Credo IV, 780
Motet at Offertory: Discite a me, Rev. Michael Haller
Motet at Communion: Ametur, a3, Rev. Tom Luby, MSC
Rev. Michael Haller’s setting of Discite a me is a relatively short meditation on Matthew 11:29b, “learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart.” This work is structured in three distinct sections which can be described as A, B, and C. The A section has a descending motif with each voice entering in a staggered fashion to the words, “learn of me.” The B section moves to a triple meter and all the voices sing in rhythmic unison to the words, “for I am meek.” In the final section the voices sing in pairs, then as a trio, and all voices conclude together with the text, “and humble of heart.” The final two chords create a plagal cadence, which is also known as the “Amen” chords at the end of some hymns and other sacred works.
Rev. Michael Haller (1840–1915) was a German priest, Kapellmeister, and Composer. He was ordained in 1864 and served as choir director and professor of music in Regensburg; briefly in the same position that would later be held by Mgr. Georg Ratzinger from 1964–1994. In 1899, Haller was given the designation of Canon at Monastery of Our Lady of the Old Chapel in Regensburg. For his work in sacred music, Pope Leo XIII awarded him the medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice in 1915.
External Solemnity of Corpus Christi 2024
Processional hymn: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, 900
Hymn of Thanksgiving: Adoremus in Æternum, 970
Credo: IV, 780
Kyriale: Missa O quam gloriosum est regnum, Tomás Luis de Victoria (c.1548–1611)
Hymn at Offertory: Ave Verum Corpus, William Byrd (c. 1543–1623)
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 2024
Processional hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy, 929
Recessional hymn: O God, Almighty Father, 977
Kyriale III, 705; Credo IV, 780
Responsory: Tibi laus, Orlandus Lassus
Communion antiphon: Benedicimus Deum, John Mason
The Responsory Tibi Laus is the refrain portion of the fifth Responsory from Matins today. 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. 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 Orlandus Lassus’s (c.1532–1594) 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 2024
Hymn prior to Mass: Veni Creator Spiritus, 956
Recessional hymn: Come Down, O Love Divine, 887
Kyriale: Mass for Three Voices, William Byrd (c.1540–1623)
Marian antiphon: Regina Cœli, Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500–1553)
Communion antiphon: Factus Est Repente, Jacobus Gallus (c. 1550–1591)
The Marian chant Regina Cœli is sung throughout Eastertide until midday on the Ember Saturday of Pentecost. Because it holds a proper place at the conclusion of Compline and is prayed in place of the Angelus, the tune from the simple form of the chant is widely recognized. Cristóbal de Morales uses this familiar melody with some ornamentation in the Soprano voice for his four voice setting of the antiphon. The Alto voice echos much of the Soprano melody at a lower pitch while the Tenor and Bass voices have many moving notes throughout. Morales emphasizes the final alleluia by having each voice sing a series of ascending notes then drop to a lower pitch and repeat several times which lasts well over a quarter of the overall work. This work was first published in the anthology Moralis Hispani, Et Multorum (1543) in Rome along with many other of Morales’s compositions.
Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500–1553) was an organist and composer regarded as the first Spanish composer of international renown. He sang and composed for the Papal choir in Rome for which wrote many Mass settings. His compositions consist almost entirely of sacred vocal motets.
Sunday after Ascension 2024
Processional hymn: Be Joyful Mary, Heavenly Queen, 847
Recessional hymn: Alleluia, Sing to Jesus, 936
Kyriale: Mass I, 696; Creed III, 776
Offertory Antiphon: Ascendit Deus, Christoph Dalitz (b.1967)
Hymn after Offertory: Ascendens Christus, Jacobus Gallus (1500–1591)
Communion Hymn: Jesu nostra redemptio, Tomás Luis de Victoria
Jesu nostra redemptio by Tomás Luis de Victoria is a setting of the an older form of the Vespers hymn during Ascensiontide. As with the other settings, the Gregorian melody is sung for the odd verses and the even are through composed. One technique Victoria employs in this work is the inclusion of a cantus firmus during the choral sections. A cantus firmus (literally “fixed melody”) is a pre-existing melody which acts as the foundation for a work of polyphony. In the case of Jesu nostra redemptio, the Gregorian melody is the cantus firmus; in verse two the Soprano voice sings the tune in a very elongated fashion which spans the entire choral verse, likewise the tenors do the same in the fourth verse. Those who sing the Divine Office regularly will recognize that the Gregorian melody is the same as the current Ascensiontide Vespers hymn, Salútis humánæ Sátor as well as the Vespers Hymn for the Transfiguration, Quicumque Christum quǽritis.
Tomás Luis de Victoria (c.1548–1611), along with Palestrina and de Lassus, is one of the greatest composers of the 16th C., famous for its ethereal polyphony. Ordained a priest at age 27, he lived in Rome for years, and assisted St. Philip Neri as chaplain of San Girolamo della Carità.