12
Ἐνταῦθα οὐ χρεία κιθάρας, οὐδὲ νεύρων τεταμένων, οὔτε πλήκτρου καὶ τέχνης, οὐδὲ ὀργάνων τινῶν· ἀλλ' ἐὰν θέλῃς, σὺ σαυτὸν ἐργάσῃ κιθάραν, νεκρώσας τὰ μέλη τῆς σαρκὸς, καὶ πολλὴν τῷ σώματι πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ποιήσας τὴν συμφωνίαν. NEWSLETTER OF THE CAPPELLA GREGORIANA S. CAECILIAE OLIM XICATUNENSIS © ALMADRONES © ALMADRONES volume 1 · issue 1 nov 2015 · jan 2016 Il canto proprio della liturgia è davvero liturgia propria in canto A curious look into an interesting feature of the Introitale Baclaianum; and the Advent hymn from Easter Dr. Mahrt reflects on the simple beauty of Gregorian chant exemplified in Kyrie Orbis factor The bells beckon for the misa de aguinaldo, a tradition that has become an enduring mark of the Filipino faith A merry and happy Christmas to everyone! Christ is born today! Verily, He is born today! Born of the Virgin Mary! Shepherdly joy Looking at the misa pastorela as an expression of joy and good tidings, its putative conneion with the shepherds who, aſter the hosts of heaven have announced to them the birth of the Saviour, went about Bethlehem proclaiming His Nativity. 3 4 6 8 10

Organa vocis 1.1

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Page 1: Organa vocis 1.1

Ἐνταῦθα οὐ χρεία κιθάρας οὐδὲ νεύρων τεταμένων οὔτε πλήκτρου καὶ τέχνης οὐδὲ ὀργάνων τινῶν ἀλλ ἐὰν θέλῃς σὺ

σαυτὸν ἐργάσῃ κιθάραν νεκρώσας τὰ μέλη τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ πολλὴν τῷ σώματι πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ποιήσας τὴν συμφωνίαν

NEWSLETTER OF THE CAPPELLA GREGORIANA S CAECILIAE OLIM XICATUNENSIS

copy ALMADRONES

copy ALMADRONES

volume 1 middot issue 1 nov 2015 middot jan 2016 Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

A curious look into

an interesting feature

of the Introitale Baclaianum

and the Advent hymn

from Easter

Dr Mahrt reflects

on the simple beauty

of Gregorian chant

exemplified

in Kyrie Orbis factor

The bells beckon

for the misa de aguinaldo

a tradition that has become

an enduring mark of the

Filipino faith

A merry and happy

Christmas to everyone

Christ is born today

Verily He is born today

Born of the Virgin Mary

Shepherdly joy Looking at the misa paorela as an expression of joy and good tidings its putative

conneion with the shepherds who aer the hosts of heaven have announced to them

the birth of the Saviour went about Bethlehem proclaiming His Nativity

3

4 6 8 10

CAPPELLA GREGORIANA S CAECILIAE

copy ALMADRONES

J oin us in adoring and worshipping the Most Blessed Trinity through sacred music in the Holy SacriVce of the Mass In the words of Pope St Pius X this holy excellent and universal patrimony is ldquofor the glory of God and the sani5cation and edi5cation of the faithfulrdquo

It is said 8e ant proper to the liturgy ought to be the liturgy itself in ant 8ose interested in joining the choir may approach one of the choristers before or aer Mass

Enquiries may be direed to organavocisgmailcom or to wwwfacebookcomCGSCOX

Rehearsals are usually held on Saturday mornings and aer Mass on Sundays

Qui bene cantat bis orat

2 organa vocis

copy ALMADRONES

T he Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated regularly at the Parish of the Mo_ Holy Redeemer in Brixton Hill in the Diocese of Cubao by Reverend Father Michell Joe B Zerrudo On Sundays Masses are sung at pm On weekdays Masses are said at am

Kindly conta the parish oJce to con5rm the weekday schedule at () - -

copy PUERTOLLANO

OLIM XICATUNENSIS

How the paorela became linked to the Mass re-

mains nebulous to us However we could guess that

the paorela 5rst became associated with the Liturgy

in the misas de aguinaldo Seville we know possesses

an ancient tradition of dancing trebles known as the

seises When D Jaime de Palafox y Cardona archbish-

op of Seville complained to Rome about the dances

the Pope having personally witnessed the seises in

Rome decreed that nobody should dare touch or abol-

ish it

8e paorela is a votive dance probably originally

danced by shepherds on Christmas in honour of the

Holy Child It evolved into a dramatic produion de-

scribing the events that tranVired during the journey

of the shepherds from the proclamation of the angels

to their arrival in the manger Instruments used in the

paorela are rustic and include panderetas sonajas caantildeuelas among others

copy ALMADRONES

3 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Shepherdly joy Jesson G Allerite

reprinted from Anamnesis 19

W hilst the first misas de aguinaldo came to the New

World with the Augustinians the

5rst paorelas came to the New World with the

Franciscans assiduous defenders of the Im-

maculate Conception Whilst the Franciscans

employed the paorela to evangelise the na-

tives and convert them to the True Faith the

Augustinians used the misas de aguinaldo to

preserve them in the True Faith

The tambourine tambourine tambourine tambourine or pandereta and the headless tambou-headless tambou-headless tambou-headless tambou-

rine rine rine rine or aro de sonajas are one of the many musical in-

struments then available to the shepherds of the Iberian

peninsula Although the use of these instruments at Mass

has long been discouragedmdashcondemned evenmdashtheir

use in the misa de aguinaldo especially when the misa

pastorela is sung has never quite yielded to pressure

and taste Older Filipino cantorasmdashMass cantors in rural

parishesmdashattest to the unbroken use of the tambourine

in the misa de aguinaldo from the time of the Spaniards

through the time of the Americans (who actively worked

for the elimination of liturgical lsquoabusesrsquo inherited from the

Spaniards) up to prior to the II Vatican Council (after

which arguably the organ and the harmonium became

pariah from their own traditional liturgical positions)

A tambourine

raquo continued on p 5

STARTING A NEW LITURGICAL YEAR WITH

4 organa vocis

T he sidebar in Anamnesis p reveals that the shi of

the start of the liturgical year from Christmas to Advent

grew from the praice of hymnographers in copying chant

manuscripts whereby they placed the chants of Advent before the

chants of Christmas As a result the placement of the propers of

Advent before the propers of Christmas soon became 5xed and

accomplished the reorientation of the liturgical year

But a th-century chant book broke this rule [8e chant

book presents other peculiarities of course such as the absent

notation for the gradual and the tones and melodies distin

from those of the Liber usualis as one may notice in the above comparison 8e Liber melody is on

the le While this is a delicious topic this is not however our interest right now]

8e Introital of Baclayoacuten which carries the year pointedly begins with the introit of the

Midnight Mass of Christmas (Misa sa Gabii sa Navidad) 8e chant on the above right Dominus dix-it is this self-same introit

Was this a deliberate aion to restore the position of Christmas

Or was it another hymnographical blunder

copy VALENZUELA

FEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMN

Title Title Title Title Let all mortal flesh keep silence

Music Music Music Music French Easter carol Jeacutesus-Christ srsquohabille en pauvre prob 17th-cent

ANONYMOUS Amen by GUSTAV THEODOR HOLT d xxxx

Text Text Text Text Troparium for Holy Saturday from the cherubic hymn of the Liturgy of Saint

James Σιγησάτω πᾶσα σάρξ βροτεία trans GERARD MOULTRIE d 1885 Location Location Location Location 138 TRH p 195 51 HAN p 461

NOTENOTENOTENOTE The origin of both music and text points to Easter as the most suitable sea-

son to sing this hymn but the strong sense of the Advent of the Lord (Christ our

God to earth descendeth Lord of lords in human vesture) as well as a picture of

the Last Judgment (And with fear and trembling stand Ponder nothing earthly

minded) ultimately outweighs its seasonality It is thereby sung during Advent

paorelas as they eventually became known to many

HiVanic countries became a 5xture in the Liturgies

celebrated during the lengthy Christmas season

8e austerity and silence of Advent is only broken

during the misas de aguinaldo when the organ togeth-

er with the tambourine would emit its gladsome

sounds 8is musical elation used to engulf our

churches until Epiphany when liturgically the Christ-

mas season ends

In the Philippines the misa de aguinaldo the

paorela the misa paorela or the misa paoril are

intimately linked to the customary festivities of Christ-

mas While the misa de aguinaldo strongly remains as

the simbaacuteng gabiacute in virtually the entire ecclesiastic cir-

cumscription of the Islands and even overseas the

misa paorela only survives now in a few parishes

mostly in the provinces and the paorela in even a

fewer enclaves in the archipelago

Let us therefore cherish these patrimonies In the

manner of the shepherds let us by the misa paorela sung in the misas de aguinaldo express the impending

jubilation and exultation that shall solemnly engulf

Christendom on the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

Moreover the misa de aguinaldo patterned aer

the earliest Midnight and Dawn Masses of Christmas

for a very long time has been celebrated at dawn and

the Dawn Mass of Christmas is also called the Mass of

the Shepherds

In or Don Diego de Escobar master of

ceremonies of Seville complained of an abuse com-

mitted during the misas de aguinaldo 8e people

would join with the choir and sing with them laughter

-inducing carols during Mass and inside the church

We could read from this complaint a trace of the

paorela wherein layfolk would sing the carols o-

sung and probably execute the steps o-executed in

the paorelas in the manner of the seises 8e evi-

dence however is very `imsy scarce and circumstan-

tial

8e misas de paorela as they are still called in

some places soon came into prominence to decorate

the celebrations and when the abuse in the misas de aguinaldo were suppressed the partitures remained

accompanied still by the instruments borrowed from

the original paorela 8e misas de paorela or misas

5 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

copy ALMADRONES

Ob primam Missam prima hora diei celebratam id est in media nocte

per has Missas de aguinaldo in aurora litatas patefacimus pariter pla-

neque praefiguramus imminentem iubilationem exsultationemque

solemniter riteque superventuram in Christiadum die Domini Nativitatis copy ALMADRONES

laquo continued from p 3

6 organa vocis

While an introit may be a signi5cant text its place

in the liturgical aion is as an accompaniment to the

procession the procession is the aion not the introit

chant 8e opposite is true of the parts of the Ordinary

the Kyrie is the liturgical aion and not the accompa-

niment of any other aion it is what is being done at

the time 8us it is appropriate for the congregation as

a whole to sing this part Second since the parts of the

Ordinary are unchangeable they can be repeated

oen learned well and thus sung without diJculty by

a congregation

8is also means that these pieces for the congrega-

tion need not be limited to the simplest chants 8e

Kyrie from Mass VIII (De Angelis) not a particularly

simple chant can usually be sung by an average Catho-

lic congregation since it has been sung so oen and

remains in the colleive memories of innumerable

congregations

But there is another Gregorian Kyrie than deserves

attention in this context Kyrie Orbis faKor from Mass

I n encouraging the participation of the entire congregation in the music of the lit-

urgy there is an important principle ldquosinging means singing the Mass not just singing dur-

ing Massrdquo [1] 8e participation of the people is all the more authentic when they are singing

the central and essential parts of the liturgy 8is applies particularly to the Ordinary of the Mass

for two principal reasons First of all the peoplersquos parts of the Ordinary (Kyrie Gloria Credo SanKus and Agnus Dei) are generally liturgical aions in and of themselves and not the accom-

paniment of another aion

Kyrie Orbis faor

William Mahrt PhD

by

reflections on

originally from Sacred Music (Spring 2006) vol 133 no 1

DR WILLIAM MAHRT is the president of the Church Music

Association of America (CMAA) and the publisher of the New

Liturgical Movement (NLM)

[1] International Committee on English in the

Liturgy Documents on the Liturgy 1963ndash1979 Conciliar Papal and Curial Texts (Collegeville 8e Liturgical Press ) p

R

5nal this is followed by an ascent upward to the top

note of the half-step interval and a 5lling out of the

whole range of the 5h back down to the 5nal touch-

ing upon the note below it 8us eleacuteison con5rms and

ampli5es the initial pitches of the invocation 8e turn

to Christ at Chrie moves to a higher pitch expressing

a more intense address of the Son of God

8e seventh and eighth invocations return to the

melody of the 5rst but the 5nal one focuses upon the

lowest part of the range the contrast with the higher

range of the previous lines conveys a sense of equa-

nimity and repose that gives the chant a pleasing

rounded-out quality 8ese matters of contour are un-

usual in Gregorian chants but quite charaeristic of

Kyrie chants and their eee though subliminal sure-

ly contributes to the quality of the plea for mercy on

the part of the congregation

8e other aVe of the beauty of such a chant is

that of melodic design 8is chant received its 5nal

formulation only in the fourteenth century [3] and its

melodic struure is more rationalized than some of

the earlier melodies 8e basis of its struure is the

pair of intervals the 5h and the fourth the oave of

the authentic Dorian mode comprises a 5h D-A and a

fourth above it A-D with a single note (C) below it

8e 5rst Kyrie is based upon the 5h with a half-step

XI for the ordinary Sundays of the year 8is is a

chant of modest scope easily learned by a congrega-

tion but of considerable beautymdashan important fea-

ture of an oen-repeated chant I have sung this chant

many Sundays a year for over forty years and it has

retained all its freshness and depth over this repeti-

tion I will try to explain some of the aVes of its

beauty and praicality in the hope that many will

want to incorporate it into the singing of their Sunday

congregations

In approaching the beauty of a chant one can ad-

dress concrete elements of symbolism as well as ab-

stra elements of melodic design Kyrie melodies have

a charaeristic melodic contour which re`es some-

thing of the meaning of their texts 8e charaeristic

contour of Gregorian chants in general is the arch [2] beginning upon or near its lowest pitch rising to a

peak and then descending back down to its 5nal 8is

re`es the basic aVe of prayer rising in aViration

to a high point and returning to the point of origin

Kyrie melodies very oen show a slightly dieerent

contourmdashbeginning at a higher pitch and descending

to a low point a gesture of humility suitable to such a

plea for mercy 8e initial invocation of Kyrie Orbis faKor has this kind of contourmdashfrom its beginning

note it touches upon the half-step above the half-step

being a particularly expressive interval then turning

around the initial note it skips downward a 5h to the

7 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

raquo continued on p 9

[3] Two versions of this melody are given in the chant

books one from the tenth century and one from the fourteenth to

sixteenth centuries Liber usualis (Tournai Descleacutee ) pp

Graduale Romanum (Sableacute-sur-Sarthe Abbaye Saint-Pierre

de Solesmes ) p Gregorian Missal (Solesmes Abbaye

Saint-Pierre ) p

[2] Cf Peter Wagner Gregorianise Formenlehre Eine oralise Stilkunde Einfuumlhrung in die Gregorianisen Melodien Ein Handbu der Choralwissensa` vol (Leipzig

Breitkopf amp Haumlrtel reprint Hildesheim Georg Olms

) pp

copy BALZA

FOR THE MISA DE AGUINALDO

O Chri blessed is the glorious Miress of the world the Virgin Mary y Mother who greeted

by the Angel believed that the things which were $oken to her from the lord shall be fulamplled

F or Thou art born to rule the earth O Goodness Great by humble birth We sinners now

implore thy aid O Mother Maid of Bethlehem Mother of God O Queen of earth O chosen

`ower ere thy birth through thee the sickly souls are saved of sinners who have been enslaved

O Queen of kingdom world to come in power clothrsquod thou hast become arrayrsquod with stars O Morn-

ing Light on Vlendid moon thy feet alight With ardent hearts thy faithful pray devotion perfe

may they say that in great love your Names proclaim ldquoJesus Maryrdquo their lips acclaim For Sabbaths

O Our Queen Proclaimrsquod on altars praises be exclaimrsquod by sons of Eve in punishment that glory

crown our banishment 8erefore O Queen most merciful forget us not sons pitiful for if thy suc-

cour we have not abide in heaven we cannot O Queen thy Son hath promised us the heavensrsquo glory

copious which hath been made to thee before which we await lo heretofore

copy ALMADRONES

8 organa vocis

times three symbolic of the Trinity and usage until

the reform of the Second Vatican Council retained this

ldquonine-foldrdquo arrangement In books aer the council

the Kyrie is six-fold but the rubrics allow the nine-fold

for musical reasons I 5nd that three invocations are

just enough to give a congregation not familiar with

the melody a chance to pick it up by the third state-

ment 8us for the sake of the congregationrsquos partici-

pation the nine-fold arrangement may be used advan-

tageously Moreover the reduion to a six-fold ar-

rangement was to accommodate the dialogue between

priest and congregation each stating the invocation

once this six-fold arrangement seems to have been

devised for the Low Mass and need not be retained in

the High Mass

Sometimes the phenomena of the Middle Ages are

instruive in thinking about how to perform a chant

Chants were performed in the earlier Middle Ages

without the aid of musical notation being passed on

inta by oral tradition long before they were written

down and scholars have oen re`eed upon the phe-

nomenon of oral transmission as a faor in the nature

of the chants It is possible even with a group of sing-

ers today to replicate this oral transmission A certain

segment of the chant is sung to the group and they are

asked to sing it back identically eight or ten notes can

be retained in the short-term memory and easily sung

back 8en the next segment is sung to them and they

repeat it then these two together Since the portion of

the melody on eleison is the same for each invocation

it does not have to be relearned In quite a short time

the whole melody can be sung by a large group totally

without the aid of any notation

In my experience this is faster than simply having

the group read the piece from the notation because

they can pick up the rhythmic in`eion of the chant

immediately Still the notation ought to be a useful aid

as well and I have found that one can ask a group to

look at the notation as the piece is lined out and sung

by imitation just as I have described above and they

learn it all the quicker If one is allowed a brief re-

hearsal time before Mass this can be done with a con-

gregation very eJciently I would not do it oen but

on occasion it is a very eeeive way to introduce a

piece to be sung in that morningrsquos Mass

8is is thus a chant with interesting symmetries

and melodic design together with the symbolism of its

descending motion these features contribute to a

piece that will bear considerable repetition and retain

its uniqueness freshness and beauty over a long peri-

od of time

above it the reVonse eleacuteison begins at the mid-point

of the 5h (F) rises to the top adding the half-step

above then descends stepwise to the bottom of the

5h adding a note below it the 5h is thus bordered

by a single pitch at its top and bottom 8e Chrie adds the fourth above (A-D) but its principal notes

are A-C with neighbouring notes above and below

this third complemented then by eleacuteison the same

melody as before

8e 5nal invocation is based upon the lower por-

tion of the range being centred upon the third D-F

with a neighbouring note above and below it just as in

the Chrie In fa the 5nal Kyrie repeats a good bit of

the Chrie melody down a 5h Chrie D-C-D-C-A-G

-A 5nal Kyrie G-F-G-F-D-C-D 8e three melodies

are clearly distinguished in range by being centred on

5rst the 5h then the fourth above and then the mi-

nor third at the bottom of the 5h and emphasis upon

these main notes is created by adding neighbouring

notes around them

8ere is something surprisingly symmetrical to

this melody If one counts notes one sees it Kyrie (

notes) eleacuteison ( notes) Chrie ( notes) eleacuteison (

notes) 5nal Kyrie ( notes) eleacuteison ( notes) 8us

in the 5rst invocations a proportion of one to two in

the second three to four and in the last one integer

over one to one (a superparticular proportion in me-

diaeval terms) Of course one does not have to count

the notes to appreciate the proportionality involved

8ere is an interesting point in the early history of

the Kyrie that bears its traces in this melody In the

oldest Ordines Romani ceremonial books for the early

Roman liturgy the performance of the Kyrie is de-

scribed in some detail It was what has been called a

Latin-texted Kyrie since the initial word Kyrie is re-

placed by a Latin phrase that ampli5es Kyrie Lord In

this piece the 5rst line was Orbis faKor Rex aeligterne maker of the world eternal King 8is was sung by

deacons and the choir reVonded with eleison have

mercy 8ere would be an unVeci5ed number of invo-

cations but at the end the master of ceremonies would

give a sign to conclude the deacons would then sing

the last invocation to a dieerent melody indicating

that this was the 5nal one Our Kyrie melody shows

these charaeristics while the invocations dieer in

melody the reVonse eleacuteison is always the same and

the last invocation is notably dieerent from the forego-

ing ones

8e Kyrie as sung in the Carolingian period and

later consisted Veci5cally of nine invocations three

9 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

laquo continued from p 3

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 2: Organa vocis 1.1

CAPPELLA GREGORIANA S CAECILIAE

copy ALMADRONES

J oin us in adoring and worshipping the Most Blessed Trinity through sacred music in the Holy SacriVce of the Mass In the words of Pope St Pius X this holy excellent and universal patrimony is ldquofor the glory of God and the sani5cation and edi5cation of the faithfulrdquo

It is said 8e ant proper to the liturgy ought to be the liturgy itself in ant 8ose interested in joining the choir may approach one of the choristers before or aer Mass

Enquiries may be direed to organavocisgmailcom or to wwwfacebookcomCGSCOX

Rehearsals are usually held on Saturday mornings and aer Mass on Sundays

Qui bene cantat bis orat

2 organa vocis

copy ALMADRONES

T he Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated regularly at the Parish of the Mo_ Holy Redeemer in Brixton Hill in the Diocese of Cubao by Reverend Father Michell Joe B Zerrudo On Sundays Masses are sung at pm On weekdays Masses are said at am

Kindly conta the parish oJce to con5rm the weekday schedule at () - -

copy PUERTOLLANO

OLIM XICATUNENSIS

How the paorela became linked to the Mass re-

mains nebulous to us However we could guess that

the paorela 5rst became associated with the Liturgy

in the misas de aguinaldo Seville we know possesses

an ancient tradition of dancing trebles known as the

seises When D Jaime de Palafox y Cardona archbish-

op of Seville complained to Rome about the dances

the Pope having personally witnessed the seises in

Rome decreed that nobody should dare touch or abol-

ish it

8e paorela is a votive dance probably originally

danced by shepherds on Christmas in honour of the

Holy Child It evolved into a dramatic produion de-

scribing the events that tranVired during the journey

of the shepherds from the proclamation of the angels

to their arrival in the manger Instruments used in the

paorela are rustic and include panderetas sonajas caantildeuelas among others

copy ALMADRONES

3 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Shepherdly joy Jesson G Allerite

reprinted from Anamnesis 19

W hilst the first misas de aguinaldo came to the New

World with the Augustinians the

5rst paorelas came to the New World with the

Franciscans assiduous defenders of the Im-

maculate Conception Whilst the Franciscans

employed the paorela to evangelise the na-

tives and convert them to the True Faith the

Augustinians used the misas de aguinaldo to

preserve them in the True Faith

The tambourine tambourine tambourine tambourine or pandereta and the headless tambou-headless tambou-headless tambou-headless tambou-

rine rine rine rine or aro de sonajas are one of the many musical in-

struments then available to the shepherds of the Iberian

peninsula Although the use of these instruments at Mass

has long been discouragedmdashcondemned evenmdashtheir

use in the misa de aguinaldo especially when the misa

pastorela is sung has never quite yielded to pressure

and taste Older Filipino cantorasmdashMass cantors in rural

parishesmdashattest to the unbroken use of the tambourine

in the misa de aguinaldo from the time of the Spaniards

through the time of the Americans (who actively worked

for the elimination of liturgical lsquoabusesrsquo inherited from the

Spaniards) up to prior to the II Vatican Council (after

which arguably the organ and the harmonium became

pariah from their own traditional liturgical positions)

A tambourine

raquo continued on p 5

STARTING A NEW LITURGICAL YEAR WITH

4 organa vocis

T he sidebar in Anamnesis p reveals that the shi of

the start of the liturgical year from Christmas to Advent

grew from the praice of hymnographers in copying chant

manuscripts whereby they placed the chants of Advent before the

chants of Christmas As a result the placement of the propers of

Advent before the propers of Christmas soon became 5xed and

accomplished the reorientation of the liturgical year

But a th-century chant book broke this rule [8e chant

book presents other peculiarities of course such as the absent

notation for the gradual and the tones and melodies distin

from those of the Liber usualis as one may notice in the above comparison 8e Liber melody is on

the le While this is a delicious topic this is not however our interest right now]

8e Introital of Baclayoacuten which carries the year pointedly begins with the introit of the

Midnight Mass of Christmas (Misa sa Gabii sa Navidad) 8e chant on the above right Dominus dix-it is this self-same introit

Was this a deliberate aion to restore the position of Christmas

Or was it another hymnographical blunder

copy VALENZUELA

FEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMN

Title Title Title Title Let all mortal flesh keep silence

Music Music Music Music French Easter carol Jeacutesus-Christ srsquohabille en pauvre prob 17th-cent

ANONYMOUS Amen by GUSTAV THEODOR HOLT d xxxx

Text Text Text Text Troparium for Holy Saturday from the cherubic hymn of the Liturgy of Saint

James Σιγησάτω πᾶσα σάρξ βροτεία trans GERARD MOULTRIE d 1885 Location Location Location Location 138 TRH p 195 51 HAN p 461

NOTENOTENOTENOTE The origin of both music and text points to Easter as the most suitable sea-

son to sing this hymn but the strong sense of the Advent of the Lord (Christ our

God to earth descendeth Lord of lords in human vesture) as well as a picture of

the Last Judgment (And with fear and trembling stand Ponder nothing earthly

minded) ultimately outweighs its seasonality It is thereby sung during Advent

paorelas as they eventually became known to many

HiVanic countries became a 5xture in the Liturgies

celebrated during the lengthy Christmas season

8e austerity and silence of Advent is only broken

during the misas de aguinaldo when the organ togeth-

er with the tambourine would emit its gladsome

sounds 8is musical elation used to engulf our

churches until Epiphany when liturgically the Christ-

mas season ends

In the Philippines the misa de aguinaldo the

paorela the misa paorela or the misa paoril are

intimately linked to the customary festivities of Christ-

mas While the misa de aguinaldo strongly remains as

the simbaacuteng gabiacute in virtually the entire ecclesiastic cir-

cumscription of the Islands and even overseas the

misa paorela only survives now in a few parishes

mostly in the provinces and the paorela in even a

fewer enclaves in the archipelago

Let us therefore cherish these patrimonies In the

manner of the shepherds let us by the misa paorela sung in the misas de aguinaldo express the impending

jubilation and exultation that shall solemnly engulf

Christendom on the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

Moreover the misa de aguinaldo patterned aer

the earliest Midnight and Dawn Masses of Christmas

for a very long time has been celebrated at dawn and

the Dawn Mass of Christmas is also called the Mass of

the Shepherds

In or Don Diego de Escobar master of

ceremonies of Seville complained of an abuse com-

mitted during the misas de aguinaldo 8e people

would join with the choir and sing with them laughter

-inducing carols during Mass and inside the church

We could read from this complaint a trace of the

paorela wherein layfolk would sing the carols o-

sung and probably execute the steps o-executed in

the paorelas in the manner of the seises 8e evi-

dence however is very `imsy scarce and circumstan-

tial

8e misas de paorela as they are still called in

some places soon came into prominence to decorate

the celebrations and when the abuse in the misas de aguinaldo were suppressed the partitures remained

accompanied still by the instruments borrowed from

the original paorela 8e misas de paorela or misas

5 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

copy ALMADRONES

Ob primam Missam prima hora diei celebratam id est in media nocte

per has Missas de aguinaldo in aurora litatas patefacimus pariter pla-

neque praefiguramus imminentem iubilationem exsultationemque

solemniter riteque superventuram in Christiadum die Domini Nativitatis copy ALMADRONES

laquo continued from p 3

6 organa vocis

While an introit may be a signi5cant text its place

in the liturgical aion is as an accompaniment to the

procession the procession is the aion not the introit

chant 8e opposite is true of the parts of the Ordinary

the Kyrie is the liturgical aion and not the accompa-

niment of any other aion it is what is being done at

the time 8us it is appropriate for the congregation as

a whole to sing this part Second since the parts of the

Ordinary are unchangeable they can be repeated

oen learned well and thus sung without diJculty by

a congregation

8is also means that these pieces for the congrega-

tion need not be limited to the simplest chants 8e

Kyrie from Mass VIII (De Angelis) not a particularly

simple chant can usually be sung by an average Catho-

lic congregation since it has been sung so oen and

remains in the colleive memories of innumerable

congregations

But there is another Gregorian Kyrie than deserves

attention in this context Kyrie Orbis faKor from Mass

I n encouraging the participation of the entire congregation in the music of the lit-

urgy there is an important principle ldquosinging means singing the Mass not just singing dur-

ing Massrdquo [1] 8e participation of the people is all the more authentic when they are singing

the central and essential parts of the liturgy 8is applies particularly to the Ordinary of the Mass

for two principal reasons First of all the peoplersquos parts of the Ordinary (Kyrie Gloria Credo SanKus and Agnus Dei) are generally liturgical aions in and of themselves and not the accom-

paniment of another aion

Kyrie Orbis faor

William Mahrt PhD

by

reflections on

originally from Sacred Music (Spring 2006) vol 133 no 1

DR WILLIAM MAHRT is the president of the Church Music

Association of America (CMAA) and the publisher of the New

Liturgical Movement (NLM)

[1] International Committee on English in the

Liturgy Documents on the Liturgy 1963ndash1979 Conciliar Papal and Curial Texts (Collegeville 8e Liturgical Press ) p

R

5nal this is followed by an ascent upward to the top

note of the half-step interval and a 5lling out of the

whole range of the 5h back down to the 5nal touch-

ing upon the note below it 8us eleacuteison con5rms and

ampli5es the initial pitches of the invocation 8e turn

to Christ at Chrie moves to a higher pitch expressing

a more intense address of the Son of God

8e seventh and eighth invocations return to the

melody of the 5rst but the 5nal one focuses upon the

lowest part of the range the contrast with the higher

range of the previous lines conveys a sense of equa-

nimity and repose that gives the chant a pleasing

rounded-out quality 8ese matters of contour are un-

usual in Gregorian chants but quite charaeristic of

Kyrie chants and their eee though subliminal sure-

ly contributes to the quality of the plea for mercy on

the part of the congregation

8e other aVe of the beauty of such a chant is

that of melodic design 8is chant received its 5nal

formulation only in the fourteenth century [3] and its

melodic struure is more rationalized than some of

the earlier melodies 8e basis of its struure is the

pair of intervals the 5h and the fourth the oave of

the authentic Dorian mode comprises a 5h D-A and a

fourth above it A-D with a single note (C) below it

8e 5rst Kyrie is based upon the 5h with a half-step

XI for the ordinary Sundays of the year 8is is a

chant of modest scope easily learned by a congrega-

tion but of considerable beautymdashan important fea-

ture of an oen-repeated chant I have sung this chant

many Sundays a year for over forty years and it has

retained all its freshness and depth over this repeti-

tion I will try to explain some of the aVes of its

beauty and praicality in the hope that many will

want to incorporate it into the singing of their Sunday

congregations

In approaching the beauty of a chant one can ad-

dress concrete elements of symbolism as well as ab-

stra elements of melodic design Kyrie melodies have

a charaeristic melodic contour which re`es some-

thing of the meaning of their texts 8e charaeristic

contour of Gregorian chants in general is the arch [2] beginning upon or near its lowest pitch rising to a

peak and then descending back down to its 5nal 8is

re`es the basic aVe of prayer rising in aViration

to a high point and returning to the point of origin

Kyrie melodies very oen show a slightly dieerent

contourmdashbeginning at a higher pitch and descending

to a low point a gesture of humility suitable to such a

plea for mercy 8e initial invocation of Kyrie Orbis faKor has this kind of contourmdashfrom its beginning

note it touches upon the half-step above the half-step

being a particularly expressive interval then turning

around the initial note it skips downward a 5h to the

7 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

raquo continued on p 9

[3] Two versions of this melody are given in the chant

books one from the tenth century and one from the fourteenth to

sixteenth centuries Liber usualis (Tournai Descleacutee ) pp

Graduale Romanum (Sableacute-sur-Sarthe Abbaye Saint-Pierre

de Solesmes ) p Gregorian Missal (Solesmes Abbaye

Saint-Pierre ) p

[2] Cf Peter Wagner Gregorianise Formenlehre Eine oralise Stilkunde Einfuumlhrung in die Gregorianisen Melodien Ein Handbu der Choralwissensa` vol (Leipzig

Breitkopf amp Haumlrtel reprint Hildesheim Georg Olms

) pp

copy BALZA

FOR THE MISA DE AGUINALDO

O Chri blessed is the glorious Miress of the world the Virgin Mary y Mother who greeted

by the Angel believed that the things which were $oken to her from the lord shall be fulamplled

F or Thou art born to rule the earth O Goodness Great by humble birth We sinners now

implore thy aid O Mother Maid of Bethlehem Mother of God O Queen of earth O chosen

`ower ere thy birth through thee the sickly souls are saved of sinners who have been enslaved

O Queen of kingdom world to come in power clothrsquod thou hast become arrayrsquod with stars O Morn-

ing Light on Vlendid moon thy feet alight With ardent hearts thy faithful pray devotion perfe

may they say that in great love your Names proclaim ldquoJesus Maryrdquo their lips acclaim For Sabbaths

O Our Queen Proclaimrsquod on altars praises be exclaimrsquod by sons of Eve in punishment that glory

crown our banishment 8erefore O Queen most merciful forget us not sons pitiful for if thy suc-

cour we have not abide in heaven we cannot O Queen thy Son hath promised us the heavensrsquo glory

copious which hath been made to thee before which we await lo heretofore

copy ALMADRONES

8 organa vocis

times three symbolic of the Trinity and usage until

the reform of the Second Vatican Council retained this

ldquonine-foldrdquo arrangement In books aer the council

the Kyrie is six-fold but the rubrics allow the nine-fold

for musical reasons I 5nd that three invocations are

just enough to give a congregation not familiar with

the melody a chance to pick it up by the third state-

ment 8us for the sake of the congregationrsquos partici-

pation the nine-fold arrangement may be used advan-

tageously Moreover the reduion to a six-fold ar-

rangement was to accommodate the dialogue between

priest and congregation each stating the invocation

once this six-fold arrangement seems to have been

devised for the Low Mass and need not be retained in

the High Mass

Sometimes the phenomena of the Middle Ages are

instruive in thinking about how to perform a chant

Chants were performed in the earlier Middle Ages

without the aid of musical notation being passed on

inta by oral tradition long before they were written

down and scholars have oen re`eed upon the phe-

nomenon of oral transmission as a faor in the nature

of the chants It is possible even with a group of sing-

ers today to replicate this oral transmission A certain

segment of the chant is sung to the group and they are

asked to sing it back identically eight or ten notes can

be retained in the short-term memory and easily sung

back 8en the next segment is sung to them and they

repeat it then these two together Since the portion of

the melody on eleison is the same for each invocation

it does not have to be relearned In quite a short time

the whole melody can be sung by a large group totally

without the aid of any notation

In my experience this is faster than simply having

the group read the piece from the notation because

they can pick up the rhythmic in`eion of the chant

immediately Still the notation ought to be a useful aid

as well and I have found that one can ask a group to

look at the notation as the piece is lined out and sung

by imitation just as I have described above and they

learn it all the quicker If one is allowed a brief re-

hearsal time before Mass this can be done with a con-

gregation very eJciently I would not do it oen but

on occasion it is a very eeeive way to introduce a

piece to be sung in that morningrsquos Mass

8is is thus a chant with interesting symmetries

and melodic design together with the symbolism of its

descending motion these features contribute to a

piece that will bear considerable repetition and retain

its uniqueness freshness and beauty over a long peri-

od of time

above it the reVonse eleacuteison begins at the mid-point

of the 5h (F) rises to the top adding the half-step

above then descends stepwise to the bottom of the

5h adding a note below it the 5h is thus bordered

by a single pitch at its top and bottom 8e Chrie adds the fourth above (A-D) but its principal notes

are A-C with neighbouring notes above and below

this third complemented then by eleacuteison the same

melody as before

8e 5nal invocation is based upon the lower por-

tion of the range being centred upon the third D-F

with a neighbouring note above and below it just as in

the Chrie In fa the 5nal Kyrie repeats a good bit of

the Chrie melody down a 5h Chrie D-C-D-C-A-G

-A 5nal Kyrie G-F-G-F-D-C-D 8e three melodies

are clearly distinguished in range by being centred on

5rst the 5h then the fourth above and then the mi-

nor third at the bottom of the 5h and emphasis upon

these main notes is created by adding neighbouring

notes around them

8ere is something surprisingly symmetrical to

this melody If one counts notes one sees it Kyrie (

notes) eleacuteison ( notes) Chrie ( notes) eleacuteison (

notes) 5nal Kyrie ( notes) eleacuteison ( notes) 8us

in the 5rst invocations a proportion of one to two in

the second three to four and in the last one integer

over one to one (a superparticular proportion in me-

diaeval terms) Of course one does not have to count

the notes to appreciate the proportionality involved

8ere is an interesting point in the early history of

the Kyrie that bears its traces in this melody In the

oldest Ordines Romani ceremonial books for the early

Roman liturgy the performance of the Kyrie is de-

scribed in some detail It was what has been called a

Latin-texted Kyrie since the initial word Kyrie is re-

placed by a Latin phrase that ampli5es Kyrie Lord In

this piece the 5rst line was Orbis faKor Rex aeligterne maker of the world eternal King 8is was sung by

deacons and the choir reVonded with eleison have

mercy 8ere would be an unVeci5ed number of invo-

cations but at the end the master of ceremonies would

give a sign to conclude the deacons would then sing

the last invocation to a dieerent melody indicating

that this was the 5nal one Our Kyrie melody shows

these charaeristics while the invocations dieer in

melody the reVonse eleacuteison is always the same and

the last invocation is notably dieerent from the forego-

ing ones

8e Kyrie as sung in the Carolingian period and

later consisted Veci5cally of nine invocations three

9 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

laquo continued from p 3

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 3: Organa vocis 1.1

How the paorela became linked to the Mass re-

mains nebulous to us However we could guess that

the paorela 5rst became associated with the Liturgy

in the misas de aguinaldo Seville we know possesses

an ancient tradition of dancing trebles known as the

seises When D Jaime de Palafox y Cardona archbish-

op of Seville complained to Rome about the dances

the Pope having personally witnessed the seises in

Rome decreed that nobody should dare touch or abol-

ish it

8e paorela is a votive dance probably originally

danced by shepherds on Christmas in honour of the

Holy Child It evolved into a dramatic produion de-

scribing the events that tranVired during the journey

of the shepherds from the proclamation of the angels

to their arrival in the manger Instruments used in the

paorela are rustic and include panderetas sonajas caantildeuelas among others

copy ALMADRONES

3 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Shepherdly joy Jesson G Allerite

reprinted from Anamnesis 19

W hilst the first misas de aguinaldo came to the New

World with the Augustinians the

5rst paorelas came to the New World with the

Franciscans assiduous defenders of the Im-

maculate Conception Whilst the Franciscans

employed the paorela to evangelise the na-

tives and convert them to the True Faith the

Augustinians used the misas de aguinaldo to

preserve them in the True Faith

The tambourine tambourine tambourine tambourine or pandereta and the headless tambou-headless tambou-headless tambou-headless tambou-

rine rine rine rine or aro de sonajas are one of the many musical in-

struments then available to the shepherds of the Iberian

peninsula Although the use of these instruments at Mass

has long been discouragedmdashcondemned evenmdashtheir

use in the misa de aguinaldo especially when the misa

pastorela is sung has never quite yielded to pressure

and taste Older Filipino cantorasmdashMass cantors in rural

parishesmdashattest to the unbroken use of the tambourine

in the misa de aguinaldo from the time of the Spaniards

through the time of the Americans (who actively worked

for the elimination of liturgical lsquoabusesrsquo inherited from the

Spaniards) up to prior to the II Vatican Council (after

which arguably the organ and the harmonium became

pariah from their own traditional liturgical positions)

A tambourine

raquo continued on p 5

STARTING A NEW LITURGICAL YEAR WITH

4 organa vocis

T he sidebar in Anamnesis p reveals that the shi of

the start of the liturgical year from Christmas to Advent

grew from the praice of hymnographers in copying chant

manuscripts whereby they placed the chants of Advent before the

chants of Christmas As a result the placement of the propers of

Advent before the propers of Christmas soon became 5xed and

accomplished the reorientation of the liturgical year

But a th-century chant book broke this rule [8e chant

book presents other peculiarities of course such as the absent

notation for the gradual and the tones and melodies distin

from those of the Liber usualis as one may notice in the above comparison 8e Liber melody is on

the le While this is a delicious topic this is not however our interest right now]

8e Introital of Baclayoacuten which carries the year pointedly begins with the introit of the

Midnight Mass of Christmas (Misa sa Gabii sa Navidad) 8e chant on the above right Dominus dix-it is this self-same introit

Was this a deliberate aion to restore the position of Christmas

Or was it another hymnographical blunder

copy VALENZUELA

FEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMN

Title Title Title Title Let all mortal flesh keep silence

Music Music Music Music French Easter carol Jeacutesus-Christ srsquohabille en pauvre prob 17th-cent

ANONYMOUS Amen by GUSTAV THEODOR HOLT d xxxx

Text Text Text Text Troparium for Holy Saturday from the cherubic hymn of the Liturgy of Saint

James Σιγησάτω πᾶσα σάρξ βροτεία trans GERARD MOULTRIE d 1885 Location Location Location Location 138 TRH p 195 51 HAN p 461

NOTENOTENOTENOTE The origin of both music and text points to Easter as the most suitable sea-

son to sing this hymn but the strong sense of the Advent of the Lord (Christ our

God to earth descendeth Lord of lords in human vesture) as well as a picture of

the Last Judgment (And with fear and trembling stand Ponder nothing earthly

minded) ultimately outweighs its seasonality It is thereby sung during Advent

paorelas as they eventually became known to many

HiVanic countries became a 5xture in the Liturgies

celebrated during the lengthy Christmas season

8e austerity and silence of Advent is only broken

during the misas de aguinaldo when the organ togeth-

er with the tambourine would emit its gladsome

sounds 8is musical elation used to engulf our

churches until Epiphany when liturgically the Christ-

mas season ends

In the Philippines the misa de aguinaldo the

paorela the misa paorela or the misa paoril are

intimately linked to the customary festivities of Christ-

mas While the misa de aguinaldo strongly remains as

the simbaacuteng gabiacute in virtually the entire ecclesiastic cir-

cumscription of the Islands and even overseas the

misa paorela only survives now in a few parishes

mostly in the provinces and the paorela in even a

fewer enclaves in the archipelago

Let us therefore cherish these patrimonies In the

manner of the shepherds let us by the misa paorela sung in the misas de aguinaldo express the impending

jubilation and exultation that shall solemnly engulf

Christendom on the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

Moreover the misa de aguinaldo patterned aer

the earliest Midnight and Dawn Masses of Christmas

for a very long time has been celebrated at dawn and

the Dawn Mass of Christmas is also called the Mass of

the Shepherds

In or Don Diego de Escobar master of

ceremonies of Seville complained of an abuse com-

mitted during the misas de aguinaldo 8e people

would join with the choir and sing with them laughter

-inducing carols during Mass and inside the church

We could read from this complaint a trace of the

paorela wherein layfolk would sing the carols o-

sung and probably execute the steps o-executed in

the paorelas in the manner of the seises 8e evi-

dence however is very `imsy scarce and circumstan-

tial

8e misas de paorela as they are still called in

some places soon came into prominence to decorate

the celebrations and when the abuse in the misas de aguinaldo were suppressed the partitures remained

accompanied still by the instruments borrowed from

the original paorela 8e misas de paorela or misas

5 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

copy ALMADRONES

Ob primam Missam prima hora diei celebratam id est in media nocte

per has Missas de aguinaldo in aurora litatas patefacimus pariter pla-

neque praefiguramus imminentem iubilationem exsultationemque

solemniter riteque superventuram in Christiadum die Domini Nativitatis copy ALMADRONES

laquo continued from p 3

6 organa vocis

While an introit may be a signi5cant text its place

in the liturgical aion is as an accompaniment to the

procession the procession is the aion not the introit

chant 8e opposite is true of the parts of the Ordinary

the Kyrie is the liturgical aion and not the accompa-

niment of any other aion it is what is being done at

the time 8us it is appropriate for the congregation as

a whole to sing this part Second since the parts of the

Ordinary are unchangeable they can be repeated

oen learned well and thus sung without diJculty by

a congregation

8is also means that these pieces for the congrega-

tion need not be limited to the simplest chants 8e

Kyrie from Mass VIII (De Angelis) not a particularly

simple chant can usually be sung by an average Catho-

lic congregation since it has been sung so oen and

remains in the colleive memories of innumerable

congregations

But there is another Gregorian Kyrie than deserves

attention in this context Kyrie Orbis faKor from Mass

I n encouraging the participation of the entire congregation in the music of the lit-

urgy there is an important principle ldquosinging means singing the Mass not just singing dur-

ing Massrdquo [1] 8e participation of the people is all the more authentic when they are singing

the central and essential parts of the liturgy 8is applies particularly to the Ordinary of the Mass

for two principal reasons First of all the peoplersquos parts of the Ordinary (Kyrie Gloria Credo SanKus and Agnus Dei) are generally liturgical aions in and of themselves and not the accom-

paniment of another aion

Kyrie Orbis faor

William Mahrt PhD

by

reflections on

originally from Sacred Music (Spring 2006) vol 133 no 1

DR WILLIAM MAHRT is the president of the Church Music

Association of America (CMAA) and the publisher of the New

Liturgical Movement (NLM)

[1] International Committee on English in the

Liturgy Documents on the Liturgy 1963ndash1979 Conciliar Papal and Curial Texts (Collegeville 8e Liturgical Press ) p

R

5nal this is followed by an ascent upward to the top

note of the half-step interval and a 5lling out of the

whole range of the 5h back down to the 5nal touch-

ing upon the note below it 8us eleacuteison con5rms and

ampli5es the initial pitches of the invocation 8e turn

to Christ at Chrie moves to a higher pitch expressing

a more intense address of the Son of God

8e seventh and eighth invocations return to the

melody of the 5rst but the 5nal one focuses upon the

lowest part of the range the contrast with the higher

range of the previous lines conveys a sense of equa-

nimity and repose that gives the chant a pleasing

rounded-out quality 8ese matters of contour are un-

usual in Gregorian chants but quite charaeristic of

Kyrie chants and their eee though subliminal sure-

ly contributes to the quality of the plea for mercy on

the part of the congregation

8e other aVe of the beauty of such a chant is

that of melodic design 8is chant received its 5nal

formulation only in the fourteenth century [3] and its

melodic struure is more rationalized than some of

the earlier melodies 8e basis of its struure is the

pair of intervals the 5h and the fourth the oave of

the authentic Dorian mode comprises a 5h D-A and a

fourth above it A-D with a single note (C) below it

8e 5rst Kyrie is based upon the 5h with a half-step

XI for the ordinary Sundays of the year 8is is a

chant of modest scope easily learned by a congrega-

tion but of considerable beautymdashan important fea-

ture of an oen-repeated chant I have sung this chant

many Sundays a year for over forty years and it has

retained all its freshness and depth over this repeti-

tion I will try to explain some of the aVes of its

beauty and praicality in the hope that many will

want to incorporate it into the singing of their Sunday

congregations

In approaching the beauty of a chant one can ad-

dress concrete elements of symbolism as well as ab-

stra elements of melodic design Kyrie melodies have

a charaeristic melodic contour which re`es some-

thing of the meaning of their texts 8e charaeristic

contour of Gregorian chants in general is the arch [2] beginning upon or near its lowest pitch rising to a

peak and then descending back down to its 5nal 8is

re`es the basic aVe of prayer rising in aViration

to a high point and returning to the point of origin

Kyrie melodies very oen show a slightly dieerent

contourmdashbeginning at a higher pitch and descending

to a low point a gesture of humility suitable to such a

plea for mercy 8e initial invocation of Kyrie Orbis faKor has this kind of contourmdashfrom its beginning

note it touches upon the half-step above the half-step

being a particularly expressive interval then turning

around the initial note it skips downward a 5h to the

7 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

raquo continued on p 9

[3] Two versions of this melody are given in the chant

books one from the tenth century and one from the fourteenth to

sixteenth centuries Liber usualis (Tournai Descleacutee ) pp

Graduale Romanum (Sableacute-sur-Sarthe Abbaye Saint-Pierre

de Solesmes ) p Gregorian Missal (Solesmes Abbaye

Saint-Pierre ) p

[2] Cf Peter Wagner Gregorianise Formenlehre Eine oralise Stilkunde Einfuumlhrung in die Gregorianisen Melodien Ein Handbu der Choralwissensa` vol (Leipzig

Breitkopf amp Haumlrtel reprint Hildesheim Georg Olms

) pp

copy BALZA

FOR THE MISA DE AGUINALDO

O Chri blessed is the glorious Miress of the world the Virgin Mary y Mother who greeted

by the Angel believed that the things which were $oken to her from the lord shall be fulamplled

F or Thou art born to rule the earth O Goodness Great by humble birth We sinners now

implore thy aid O Mother Maid of Bethlehem Mother of God O Queen of earth O chosen

`ower ere thy birth through thee the sickly souls are saved of sinners who have been enslaved

O Queen of kingdom world to come in power clothrsquod thou hast become arrayrsquod with stars O Morn-

ing Light on Vlendid moon thy feet alight With ardent hearts thy faithful pray devotion perfe

may they say that in great love your Names proclaim ldquoJesus Maryrdquo their lips acclaim For Sabbaths

O Our Queen Proclaimrsquod on altars praises be exclaimrsquod by sons of Eve in punishment that glory

crown our banishment 8erefore O Queen most merciful forget us not sons pitiful for if thy suc-

cour we have not abide in heaven we cannot O Queen thy Son hath promised us the heavensrsquo glory

copious which hath been made to thee before which we await lo heretofore

copy ALMADRONES

8 organa vocis

times three symbolic of the Trinity and usage until

the reform of the Second Vatican Council retained this

ldquonine-foldrdquo arrangement In books aer the council

the Kyrie is six-fold but the rubrics allow the nine-fold

for musical reasons I 5nd that three invocations are

just enough to give a congregation not familiar with

the melody a chance to pick it up by the third state-

ment 8us for the sake of the congregationrsquos partici-

pation the nine-fold arrangement may be used advan-

tageously Moreover the reduion to a six-fold ar-

rangement was to accommodate the dialogue between

priest and congregation each stating the invocation

once this six-fold arrangement seems to have been

devised for the Low Mass and need not be retained in

the High Mass

Sometimes the phenomena of the Middle Ages are

instruive in thinking about how to perform a chant

Chants were performed in the earlier Middle Ages

without the aid of musical notation being passed on

inta by oral tradition long before they were written

down and scholars have oen re`eed upon the phe-

nomenon of oral transmission as a faor in the nature

of the chants It is possible even with a group of sing-

ers today to replicate this oral transmission A certain

segment of the chant is sung to the group and they are

asked to sing it back identically eight or ten notes can

be retained in the short-term memory and easily sung

back 8en the next segment is sung to them and they

repeat it then these two together Since the portion of

the melody on eleison is the same for each invocation

it does not have to be relearned In quite a short time

the whole melody can be sung by a large group totally

without the aid of any notation

In my experience this is faster than simply having

the group read the piece from the notation because

they can pick up the rhythmic in`eion of the chant

immediately Still the notation ought to be a useful aid

as well and I have found that one can ask a group to

look at the notation as the piece is lined out and sung

by imitation just as I have described above and they

learn it all the quicker If one is allowed a brief re-

hearsal time before Mass this can be done with a con-

gregation very eJciently I would not do it oen but

on occasion it is a very eeeive way to introduce a

piece to be sung in that morningrsquos Mass

8is is thus a chant with interesting symmetries

and melodic design together with the symbolism of its

descending motion these features contribute to a

piece that will bear considerable repetition and retain

its uniqueness freshness and beauty over a long peri-

od of time

above it the reVonse eleacuteison begins at the mid-point

of the 5h (F) rises to the top adding the half-step

above then descends stepwise to the bottom of the

5h adding a note below it the 5h is thus bordered

by a single pitch at its top and bottom 8e Chrie adds the fourth above (A-D) but its principal notes

are A-C with neighbouring notes above and below

this third complemented then by eleacuteison the same

melody as before

8e 5nal invocation is based upon the lower por-

tion of the range being centred upon the third D-F

with a neighbouring note above and below it just as in

the Chrie In fa the 5nal Kyrie repeats a good bit of

the Chrie melody down a 5h Chrie D-C-D-C-A-G

-A 5nal Kyrie G-F-G-F-D-C-D 8e three melodies

are clearly distinguished in range by being centred on

5rst the 5h then the fourth above and then the mi-

nor third at the bottom of the 5h and emphasis upon

these main notes is created by adding neighbouring

notes around them

8ere is something surprisingly symmetrical to

this melody If one counts notes one sees it Kyrie (

notes) eleacuteison ( notes) Chrie ( notes) eleacuteison (

notes) 5nal Kyrie ( notes) eleacuteison ( notes) 8us

in the 5rst invocations a proportion of one to two in

the second three to four and in the last one integer

over one to one (a superparticular proportion in me-

diaeval terms) Of course one does not have to count

the notes to appreciate the proportionality involved

8ere is an interesting point in the early history of

the Kyrie that bears its traces in this melody In the

oldest Ordines Romani ceremonial books for the early

Roman liturgy the performance of the Kyrie is de-

scribed in some detail It was what has been called a

Latin-texted Kyrie since the initial word Kyrie is re-

placed by a Latin phrase that ampli5es Kyrie Lord In

this piece the 5rst line was Orbis faKor Rex aeligterne maker of the world eternal King 8is was sung by

deacons and the choir reVonded with eleison have

mercy 8ere would be an unVeci5ed number of invo-

cations but at the end the master of ceremonies would

give a sign to conclude the deacons would then sing

the last invocation to a dieerent melody indicating

that this was the 5nal one Our Kyrie melody shows

these charaeristics while the invocations dieer in

melody the reVonse eleacuteison is always the same and

the last invocation is notably dieerent from the forego-

ing ones

8e Kyrie as sung in the Carolingian period and

later consisted Veci5cally of nine invocations three

9 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

laquo continued from p 3

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 4: Organa vocis 1.1

STARTING A NEW LITURGICAL YEAR WITH

4 organa vocis

T he sidebar in Anamnesis p reveals that the shi of

the start of the liturgical year from Christmas to Advent

grew from the praice of hymnographers in copying chant

manuscripts whereby they placed the chants of Advent before the

chants of Christmas As a result the placement of the propers of

Advent before the propers of Christmas soon became 5xed and

accomplished the reorientation of the liturgical year

But a th-century chant book broke this rule [8e chant

book presents other peculiarities of course such as the absent

notation for the gradual and the tones and melodies distin

from those of the Liber usualis as one may notice in the above comparison 8e Liber melody is on

the le While this is a delicious topic this is not however our interest right now]

8e Introital of Baclayoacuten which carries the year pointedly begins with the introit of the

Midnight Mass of Christmas (Misa sa Gabii sa Navidad) 8e chant on the above right Dominus dix-it is this self-same introit

Was this a deliberate aion to restore the position of Christmas

Or was it another hymnographical blunder

copy VALENZUELA

FEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMNFEATURED HYMN

Title Title Title Title Let all mortal flesh keep silence

Music Music Music Music French Easter carol Jeacutesus-Christ srsquohabille en pauvre prob 17th-cent

ANONYMOUS Amen by GUSTAV THEODOR HOLT d xxxx

Text Text Text Text Troparium for Holy Saturday from the cherubic hymn of the Liturgy of Saint

James Σιγησάτω πᾶσα σάρξ βροτεία trans GERARD MOULTRIE d 1885 Location Location Location Location 138 TRH p 195 51 HAN p 461

NOTENOTENOTENOTE The origin of both music and text points to Easter as the most suitable sea-

son to sing this hymn but the strong sense of the Advent of the Lord (Christ our

God to earth descendeth Lord of lords in human vesture) as well as a picture of

the Last Judgment (And with fear and trembling stand Ponder nothing earthly

minded) ultimately outweighs its seasonality It is thereby sung during Advent

paorelas as they eventually became known to many

HiVanic countries became a 5xture in the Liturgies

celebrated during the lengthy Christmas season

8e austerity and silence of Advent is only broken

during the misas de aguinaldo when the organ togeth-

er with the tambourine would emit its gladsome

sounds 8is musical elation used to engulf our

churches until Epiphany when liturgically the Christ-

mas season ends

In the Philippines the misa de aguinaldo the

paorela the misa paorela or the misa paoril are

intimately linked to the customary festivities of Christ-

mas While the misa de aguinaldo strongly remains as

the simbaacuteng gabiacute in virtually the entire ecclesiastic cir-

cumscription of the Islands and even overseas the

misa paorela only survives now in a few parishes

mostly in the provinces and the paorela in even a

fewer enclaves in the archipelago

Let us therefore cherish these patrimonies In the

manner of the shepherds let us by the misa paorela sung in the misas de aguinaldo express the impending

jubilation and exultation that shall solemnly engulf

Christendom on the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

Moreover the misa de aguinaldo patterned aer

the earliest Midnight and Dawn Masses of Christmas

for a very long time has been celebrated at dawn and

the Dawn Mass of Christmas is also called the Mass of

the Shepherds

In or Don Diego de Escobar master of

ceremonies of Seville complained of an abuse com-

mitted during the misas de aguinaldo 8e people

would join with the choir and sing with them laughter

-inducing carols during Mass and inside the church

We could read from this complaint a trace of the

paorela wherein layfolk would sing the carols o-

sung and probably execute the steps o-executed in

the paorelas in the manner of the seises 8e evi-

dence however is very `imsy scarce and circumstan-

tial

8e misas de paorela as they are still called in

some places soon came into prominence to decorate

the celebrations and when the abuse in the misas de aguinaldo were suppressed the partitures remained

accompanied still by the instruments borrowed from

the original paorela 8e misas de paorela or misas

5 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

copy ALMADRONES

Ob primam Missam prima hora diei celebratam id est in media nocte

per has Missas de aguinaldo in aurora litatas patefacimus pariter pla-

neque praefiguramus imminentem iubilationem exsultationemque

solemniter riteque superventuram in Christiadum die Domini Nativitatis copy ALMADRONES

laquo continued from p 3

6 organa vocis

While an introit may be a signi5cant text its place

in the liturgical aion is as an accompaniment to the

procession the procession is the aion not the introit

chant 8e opposite is true of the parts of the Ordinary

the Kyrie is the liturgical aion and not the accompa-

niment of any other aion it is what is being done at

the time 8us it is appropriate for the congregation as

a whole to sing this part Second since the parts of the

Ordinary are unchangeable they can be repeated

oen learned well and thus sung without diJculty by

a congregation

8is also means that these pieces for the congrega-

tion need not be limited to the simplest chants 8e

Kyrie from Mass VIII (De Angelis) not a particularly

simple chant can usually be sung by an average Catho-

lic congregation since it has been sung so oen and

remains in the colleive memories of innumerable

congregations

But there is another Gregorian Kyrie than deserves

attention in this context Kyrie Orbis faKor from Mass

I n encouraging the participation of the entire congregation in the music of the lit-

urgy there is an important principle ldquosinging means singing the Mass not just singing dur-

ing Massrdquo [1] 8e participation of the people is all the more authentic when they are singing

the central and essential parts of the liturgy 8is applies particularly to the Ordinary of the Mass

for two principal reasons First of all the peoplersquos parts of the Ordinary (Kyrie Gloria Credo SanKus and Agnus Dei) are generally liturgical aions in and of themselves and not the accom-

paniment of another aion

Kyrie Orbis faor

William Mahrt PhD

by

reflections on

originally from Sacred Music (Spring 2006) vol 133 no 1

DR WILLIAM MAHRT is the president of the Church Music

Association of America (CMAA) and the publisher of the New

Liturgical Movement (NLM)

[1] International Committee on English in the

Liturgy Documents on the Liturgy 1963ndash1979 Conciliar Papal and Curial Texts (Collegeville 8e Liturgical Press ) p

R

5nal this is followed by an ascent upward to the top

note of the half-step interval and a 5lling out of the

whole range of the 5h back down to the 5nal touch-

ing upon the note below it 8us eleacuteison con5rms and

ampli5es the initial pitches of the invocation 8e turn

to Christ at Chrie moves to a higher pitch expressing

a more intense address of the Son of God

8e seventh and eighth invocations return to the

melody of the 5rst but the 5nal one focuses upon the

lowest part of the range the contrast with the higher

range of the previous lines conveys a sense of equa-

nimity and repose that gives the chant a pleasing

rounded-out quality 8ese matters of contour are un-

usual in Gregorian chants but quite charaeristic of

Kyrie chants and their eee though subliminal sure-

ly contributes to the quality of the plea for mercy on

the part of the congregation

8e other aVe of the beauty of such a chant is

that of melodic design 8is chant received its 5nal

formulation only in the fourteenth century [3] and its

melodic struure is more rationalized than some of

the earlier melodies 8e basis of its struure is the

pair of intervals the 5h and the fourth the oave of

the authentic Dorian mode comprises a 5h D-A and a

fourth above it A-D with a single note (C) below it

8e 5rst Kyrie is based upon the 5h with a half-step

XI for the ordinary Sundays of the year 8is is a

chant of modest scope easily learned by a congrega-

tion but of considerable beautymdashan important fea-

ture of an oen-repeated chant I have sung this chant

many Sundays a year for over forty years and it has

retained all its freshness and depth over this repeti-

tion I will try to explain some of the aVes of its

beauty and praicality in the hope that many will

want to incorporate it into the singing of their Sunday

congregations

In approaching the beauty of a chant one can ad-

dress concrete elements of symbolism as well as ab-

stra elements of melodic design Kyrie melodies have

a charaeristic melodic contour which re`es some-

thing of the meaning of their texts 8e charaeristic

contour of Gregorian chants in general is the arch [2] beginning upon or near its lowest pitch rising to a

peak and then descending back down to its 5nal 8is

re`es the basic aVe of prayer rising in aViration

to a high point and returning to the point of origin

Kyrie melodies very oen show a slightly dieerent

contourmdashbeginning at a higher pitch and descending

to a low point a gesture of humility suitable to such a

plea for mercy 8e initial invocation of Kyrie Orbis faKor has this kind of contourmdashfrom its beginning

note it touches upon the half-step above the half-step

being a particularly expressive interval then turning

around the initial note it skips downward a 5h to the

7 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

raquo continued on p 9

[3] Two versions of this melody are given in the chant

books one from the tenth century and one from the fourteenth to

sixteenth centuries Liber usualis (Tournai Descleacutee ) pp

Graduale Romanum (Sableacute-sur-Sarthe Abbaye Saint-Pierre

de Solesmes ) p Gregorian Missal (Solesmes Abbaye

Saint-Pierre ) p

[2] Cf Peter Wagner Gregorianise Formenlehre Eine oralise Stilkunde Einfuumlhrung in die Gregorianisen Melodien Ein Handbu der Choralwissensa` vol (Leipzig

Breitkopf amp Haumlrtel reprint Hildesheim Georg Olms

) pp

copy BALZA

FOR THE MISA DE AGUINALDO

O Chri blessed is the glorious Miress of the world the Virgin Mary y Mother who greeted

by the Angel believed that the things which were $oken to her from the lord shall be fulamplled

F or Thou art born to rule the earth O Goodness Great by humble birth We sinners now

implore thy aid O Mother Maid of Bethlehem Mother of God O Queen of earth O chosen

`ower ere thy birth through thee the sickly souls are saved of sinners who have been enslaved

O Queen of kingdom world to come in power clothrsquod thou hast become arrayrsquod with stars O Morn-

ing Light on Vlendid moon thy feet alight With ardent hearts thy faithful pray devotion perfe

may they say that in great love your Names proclaim ldquoJesus Maryrdquo their lips acclaim For Sabbaths

O Our Queen Proclaimrsquod on altars praises be exclaimrsquod by sons of Eve in punishment that glory

crown our banishment 8erefore O Queen most merciful forget us not sons pitiful for if thy suc-

cour we have not abide in heaven we cannot O Queen thy Son hath promised us the heavensrsquo glory

copious which hath been made to thee before which we await lo heretofore

copy ALMADRONES

8 organa vocis

times three symbolic of the Trinity and usage until

the reform of the Second Vatican Council retained this

ldquonine-foldrdquo arrangement In books aer the council

the Kyrie is six-fold but the rubrics allow the nine-fold

for musical reasons I 5nd that three invocations are

just enough to give a congregation not familiar with

the melody a chance to pick it up by the third state-

ment 8us for the sake of the congregationrsquos partici-

pation the nine-fold arrangement may be used advan-

tageously Moreover the reduion to a six-fold ar-

rangement was to accommodate the dialogue between

priest and congregation each stating the invocation

once this six-fold arrangement seems to have been

devised for the Low Mass and need not be retained in

the High Mass

Sometimes the phenomena of the Middle Ages are

instruive in thinking about how to perform a chant

Chants were performed in the earlier Middle Ages

without the aid of musical notation being passed on

inta by oral tradition long before they were written

down and scholars have oen re`eed upon the phe-

nomenon of oral transmission as a faor in the nature

of the chants It is possible even with a group of sing-

ers today to replicate this oral transmission A certain

segment of the chant is sung to the group and they are

asked to sing it back identically eight or ten notes can

be retained in the short-term memory and easily sung

back 8en the next segment is sung to them and they

repeat it then these two together Since the portion of

the melody on eleison is the same for each invocation

it does not have to be relearned In quite a short time

the whole melody can be sung by a large group totally

without the aid of any notation

In my experience this is faster than simply having

the group read the piece from the notation because

they can pick up the rhythmic in`eion of the chant

immediately Still the notation ought to be a useful aid

as well and I have found that one can ask a group to

look at the notation as the piece is lined out and sung

by imitation just as I have described above and they

learn it all the quicker If one is allowed a brief re-

hearsal time before Mass this can be done with a con-

gregation very eJciently I would not do it oen but

on occasion it is a very eeeive way to introduce a

piece to be sung in that morningrsquos Mass

8is is thus a chant with interesting symmetries

and melodic design together with the symbolism of its

descending motion these features contribute to a

piece that will bear considerable repetition and retain

its uniqueness freshness and beauty over a long peri-

od of time

above it the reVonse eleacuteison begins at the mid-point

of the 5h (F) rises to the top adding the half-step

above then descends stepwise to the bottom of the

5h adding a note below it the 5h is thus bordered

by a single pitch at its top and bottom 8e Chrie adds the fourth above (A-D) but its principal notes

are A-C with neighbouring notes above and below

this third complemented then by eleacuteison the same

melody as before

8e 5nal invocation is based upon the lower por-

tion of the range being centred upon the third D-F

with a neighbouring note above and below it just as in

the Chrie In fa the 5nal Kyrie repeats a good bit of

the Chrie melody down a 5h Chrie D-C-D-C-A-G

-A 5nal Kyrie G-F-G-F-D-C-D 8e three melodies

are clearly distinguished in range by being centred on

5rst the 5h then the fourth above and then the mi-

nor third at the bottom of the 5h and emphasis upon

these main notes is created by adding neighbouring

notes around them

8ere is something surprisingly symmetrical to

this melody If one counts notes one sees it Kyrie (

notes) eleacuteison ( notes) Chrie ( notes) eleacuteison (

notes) 5nal Kyrie ( notes) eleacuteison ( notes) 8us

in the 5rst invocations a proportion of one to two in

the second three to four and in the last one integer

over one to one (a superparticular proportion in me-

diaeval terms) Of course one does not have to count

the notes to appreciate the proportionality involved

8ere is an interesting point in the early history of

the Kyrie that bears its traces in this melody In the

oldest Ordines Romani ceremonial books for the early

Roman liturgy the performance of the Kyrie is de-

scribed in some detail It was what has been called a

Latin-texted Kyrie since the initial word Kyrie is re-

placed by a Latin phrase that ampli5es Kyrie Lord In

this piece the 5rst line was Orbis faKor Rex aeligterne maker of the world eternal King 8is was sung by

deacons and the choir reVonded with eleison have

mercy 8ere would be an unVeci5ed number of invo-

cations but at the end the master of ceremonies would

give a sign to conclude the deacons would then sing

the last invocation to a dieerent melody indicating

that this was the 5nal one Our Kyrie melody shows

these charaeristics while the invocations dieer in

melody the reVonse eleacuteison is always the same and

the last invocation is notably dieerent from the forego-

ing ones

8e Kyrie as sung in the Carolingian period and

later consisted Veci5cally of nine invocations three

9 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

laquo continued from p 3

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 5: Organa vocis 1.1

paorelas as they eventually became known to many

HiVanic countries became a 5xture in the Liturgies

celebrated during the lengthy Christmas season

8e austerity and silence of Advent is only broken

during the misas de aguinaldo when the organ togeth-

er with the tambourine would emit its gladsome

sounds 8is musical elation used to engulf our

churches until Epiphany when liturgically the Christ-

mas season ends

In the Philippines the misa de aguinaldo the

paorela the misa paorela or the misa paoril are

intimately linked to the customary festivities of Christ-

mas While the misa de aguinaldo strongly remains as

the simbaacuteng gabiacute in virtually the entire ecclesiastic cir-

cumscription of the Islands and even overseas the

misa paorela only survives now in a few parishes

mostly in the provinces and the paorela in even a

fewer enclaves in the archipelago

Let us therefore cherish these patrimonies In the

manner of the shepherds let us by the misa paorela sung in the misas de aguinaldo express the impending

jubilation and exultation that shall solemnly engulf

Christendom on the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

Moreover the misa de aguinaldo patterned aer

the earliest Midnight and Dawn Masses of Christmas

for a very long time has been celebrated at dawn and

the Dawn Mass of Christmas is also called the Mass of

the Shepherds

In or Don Diego de Escobar master of

ceremonies of Seville complained of an abuse com-

mitted during the misas de aguinaldo 8e people

would join with the choir and sing with them laughter

-inducing carols during Mass and inside the church

We could read from this complaint a trace of the

paorela wherein layfolk would sing the carols o-

sung and probably execute the steps o-executed in

the paorelas in the manner of the seises 8e evi-

dence however is very `imsy scarce and circumstan-

tial

8e misas de paorela as they are still called in

some places soon came into prominence to decorate

the celebrations and when the abuse in the misas de aguinaldo were suppressed the partitures remained

accompanied still by the instruments borrowed from

the original paorela 8e misas de paorela or misas

5 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

copy ALMADRONES

Ob primam Missam prima hora diei celebratam id est in media nocte

per has Missas de aguinaldo in aurora litatas patefacimus pariter pla-

neque praefiguramus imminentem iubilationem exsultationemque

solemniter riteque superventuram in Christiadum die Domini Nativitatis copy ALMADRONES

laquo continued from p 3

6 organa vocis

While an introit may be a signi5cant text its place

in the liturgical aion is as an accompaniment to the

procession the procession is the aion not the introit

chant 8e opposite is true of the parts of the Ordinary

the Kyrie is the liturgical aion and not the accompa-

niment of any other aion it is what is being done at

the time 8us it is appropriate for the congregation as

a whole to sing this part Second since the parts of the

Ordinary are unchangeable they can be repeated

oen learned well and thus sung without diJculty by

a congregation

8is also means that these pieces for the congrega-

tion need not be limited to the simplest chants 8e

Kyrie from Mass VIII (De Angelis) not a particularly

simple chant can usually be sung by an average Catho-

lic congregation since it has been sung so oen and

remains in the colleive memories of innumerable

congregations

But there is another Gregorian Kyrie than deserves

attention in this context Kyrie Orbis faKor from Mass

I n encouraging the participation of the entire congregation in the music of the lit-

urgy there is an important principle ldquosinging means singing the Mass not just singing dur-

ing Massrdquo [1] 8e participation of the people is all the more authentic when they are singing

the central and essential parts of the liturgy 8is applies particularly to the Ordinary of the Mass

for two principal reasons First of all the peoplersquos parts of the Ordinary (Kyrie Gloria Credo SanKus and Agnus Dei) are generally liturgical aions in and of themselves and not the accom-

paniment of another aion

Kyrie Orbis faor

William Mahrt PhD

by

reflections on

originally from Sacred Music (Spring 2006) vol 133 no 1

DR WILLIAM MAHRT is the president of the Church Music

Association of America (CMAA) and the publisher of the New

Liturgical Movement (NLM)

[1] International Committee on English in the

Liturgy Documents on the Liturgy 1963ndash1979 Conciliar Papal and Curial Texts (Collegeville 8e Liturgical Press ) p

R

5nal this is followed by an ascent upward to the top

note of the half-step interval and a 5lling out of the

whole range of the 5h back down to the 5nal touch-

ing upon the note below it 8us eleacuteison con5rms and

ampli5es the initial pitches of the invocation 8e turn

to Christ at Chrie moves to a higher pitch expressing

a more intense address of the Son of God

8e seventh and eighth invocations return to the

melody of the 5rst but the 5nal one focuses upon the

lowest part of the range the contrast with the higher

range of the previous lines conveys a sense of equa-

nimity and repose that gives the chant a pleasing

rounded-out quality 8ese matters of contour are un-

usual in Gregorian chants but quite charaeristic of

Kyrie chants and their eee though subliminal sure-

ly contributes to the quality of the plea for mercy on

the part of the congregation

8e other aVe of the beauty of such a chant is

that of melodic design 8is chant received its 5nal

formulation only in the fourteenth century [3] and its

melodic struure is more rationalized than some of

the earlier melodies 8e basis of its struure is the

pair of intervals the 5h and the fourth the oave of

the authentic Dorian mode comprises a 5h D-A and a

fourth above it A-D with a single note (C) below it

8e 5rst Kyrie is based upon the 5h with a half-step

XI for the ordinary Sundays of the year 8is is a

chant of modest scope easily learned by a congrega-

tion but of considerable beautymdashan important fea-

ture of an oen-repeated chant I have sung this chant

many Sundays a year for over forty years and it has

retained all its freshness and depth over this repeti-

tion I will try to explain some of the aVes of its

beauty and praicality in the hope that many will

want to incorporate it into the singing of their Sunday

congregations

In approaching the beauty of a chant one can ad-

dress concrete elements of symbolism as well as ab-

stra elements of melodic design Kyrie melodies have

a charaeristic melodic contour which re`es some-

thing of the meaning of their texts 8e charaeristic

contour of Gregorian chants in general is the arch [2] beginning upon or near its lowest pitch rising to a

peak and then descending back down to its 5nal 8is

re`es the basic aVe of prayer rising in aViration

to a high point and returning to the point of origin

Kyrie melodies very oen show a slightly dieerent

contourmdashbeginning at a higher pitch and descending

to a low point a gesture of humility suitable to such a

plea for mercy 8e initial invocation of Kyrie Orbis faKor has this kind of contourmdashfrom its beginning

note it touches upon the half-step above the half-step

being a particularly expressive interval then turning

around the initial note it skips downward a 5h to the

7 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

raquo continued on p 9

[3] Two versions of this melody are given in the chant

books one from the tenth century and one from the fourteenth to

sixteenth centuries Liber usualis (Tournai Descleacutee ) pp

Graduale Romanum (Sableacute-sur-Sarthe Abbaye Saint-Pierre

de Solesmes ) p Gregorian Missal (Solesmes Abbaye

Saint-Pierre ) p

[2] Cf Peter Wagner Gregorianise Formenlehre Eine oralise Stilkunde Einfuumlhrung in die Gregorianisen Melodien Ein Handbu der Choralwissensa` vol (Leipzig

Breitkopf amp Haumlrtel reprint Hildesheim Georg Olms

) pp

copy BALZA

FOR THE MISA DE AGUINALDO

O Chri blessed is the glorious Miress of the world the Virgin Mary y Mother who greeted

by the Angel believed that the things which were $oken to her from the lord shall be fulamplled

F or Thou art born to rule the earth O Goodness Great by humble birth We sinners now

implore thy aid O Mother Maid of Bethlehem Mother of God O Queen of earth O chosen

`ower ere thy birth through thee the sickly souls are saved of sinners who have been enslaved

O Queen of kingdom world to come in power clothrsquod thou hast become arrayrsquod with stars O Morn-

ing Light on Vlendid moon thy feet alight With ardent hearts thy faithful pray devotion perfe

may they say that in great love your Names proclaim ldquoJesus Maryrdquo their lips acclaim For Sabbaths

O Our Queen Proclaimrsquod on altars praises be exclaimrsquod by sons of Eve in punishment that glory

crown our banishment 8erefore O Queen most merciful forget us not sons pitiful for if thy suc-

cour we have not abide in heaven we cannot O Queen thy Son hath promised us the heavensrsquo glory

copious which hath been made to thee before which we await lo heretofore

copy ALMADRONES

8 organa vocis

times three symbolic of the Trinity and usage until

the reform of the Second Vatican Council retained this

ldquonine-foldrdquo arrangement In books aer the council

the Kyrie is six-fold but the rubrics allow the nine-fold

for musical reasons I 5nd that three invocations are

just enough to give a congregation not familiar with

the melody a chance to pick it up by the third state-

ment 8us for the sake of the congregationrsquos partici-

pation the nine-fold arrangement may be used advan-

tageously Moreover the reduion to a six-fold ar-

rangement was to accommodate the dialogue between

priest and congregation each stating the invocation

once this six-fold arrangement seems to have been

devised for the Low Mass and need not be retained in

the High Mass

Sometimes the phenomena of the Middle Ages are

instruive in thinking about how to perform a chant

Chants were performed in the earlier Middle Ages

without the aid of musical notation being passed on

inta by oral tradition long before they were written

down and scholars have oen re`eed upon the phe-

nomenon of oral transmission as a faor in the nature

of the chants It is possible even with a group of sing-

ers today to replicate this oral transmission A certain

segment of the chant is sung to the group and they are

asked to sing it back identically eight or ten notes can

be retained in the short-term memory and easily sung

back 8en the next segment is sung to them and they

repeat it then these two together Since the portion of

the melody on eleison is the same for each invocation

it does not have to be relearned In quite a short time

the whole melody can be sung by a large group totally

without the aid of any notation

In my experience this is faster than simply having

the group read the piece from the notation because

they can pick up the rhythmic in`eion of the chant

immediately Still the notation ought to be a useful aid

as well and I have found that one can ask a group to

look at the notation as the piece is lined out and sung

by imitation just as I have described above and they

learn it all the quicker If one is allowed a brief re-

hearsal time before Mass this can be done with a con-

gregation very eJciently I would not do it oen but

on occasion it is a very eeeive way to introduce a

piece to be sung in that morningrsquos Mass

8is is thus a chant with interesting symmetries

and melodic design together with the symbolism of its

descending motion these features contribute to a

piece that will bear considerable repetition and retain

its uniqueness freshness and beauty over a long peri-

od of time

above it the reVonse eleacuteison begins at the mid-point

of the 5h (F) rises to the top adding the half-step

above then descends stepwise to the bottom of the

5h adding a note below it the 5h is thus bordered

by a single pitch at its top and bottom 8e Chrie adds the fourth above (A-D) but its principal notes

are A-C with neighbouring notes above and below

this third complemented then by eleacuteison the same

melody as before

8e 5nal invocation is based upon the lower por-

tion of the range being centred upon the third D-F

with a neighbouring note above and below it just as in

the Chrie In fa the 5nal Kyrie repeats a good bit of

the Chrie melody down a 5h Chrie D-C-D-C-A-G

-A 5nal Kyrie G-F-G-F-D-C-D 8e three melodies

are clearly distinguished in range by being centred on

5rst the 5h then the fourth above and then the mi-

nor third at the bottom of the 5h and emphasis upon

these main notes is created by adding neighbouring

notes around them

8ere is something surprisingly symmetrical to

this melody If one counts notes one sees it Kyrie (

notes) eleacuteison ( notes) Chrie ( notes) eleacuteison (

notes) 5nal Kyrie ( notes) eleacuteison ( notes) 8us

in the 5rst invocations a proportion of one to two in

the second three to four and in the last one integer

over one to one (a superparticular proportion in me-

diaeval terms) Of course one does not have to count

the notes to appreciate the proportionality involved

8ere is an interesting point in the early history of

the Kyrie that bears its traces in this melody In the

oldest Ordines Romani ceremonial books for the early

Roman liturgy the performance of the Kyrie is de-

scribed in some detail It was what has been called a

Latin-texted Kyrie since the initial word Kyrie is re-

placed by a Latin phrase that ampli5es Kyrie Lord In

this piece the 5rst line was Orbis faKor Rex aeligterne maker of the world eternal King 8is was sung by

deacons and the choir reVonded with eleison have

mercy 8ere would be an unVeci5ed number of invo-

cations but at the end the master of ceremonies would

give a sign to conclude the deacons would then sing

the last invocation to a dieerent melody indicating

that this was the 5nal one Our Kyrie melody shows

these charaeristics while the invocations dieer in

melody the reVonse eleacuteison is always the same and

the last invocation is notably dieerent from the forego-

ing ones

8e Kyrie as sung in the Carolingian period and

later consisted Veci5cally of nine invocations three

9 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

laquo continued from p 3

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 6: Organa vocis 1.1

6 organa vocis

While an introit may be a signi5cant text its place

in the liturgical aion is as an accompaniment to the

procession the procession is the aion not the introit

chant 8e opposite is true of the parts of the Ordinary

the Kyrie is the liturgical aion and not the accompa-

niment of any other aion it is what is being done at

the time 8us it is appropriate for the congregation as

a whole to sing this part Second since the parts of the

Ordinary are unchangeable they can be repeated

oen learned well and thus sung without diJculty by

a congregation

8is also means that these pieces for the congrega-

tion need not be limited to the simplest chants 8e

Kyrie from Mass VIII (De Angelis) not a particularly

simple chant can usually be sung by an average Catho-

lic congregation since it has been sung so oen and

remains in the colleive memories of innumerable

congregations

But there is another Gregorian Kyrie than deserves

attention in this context Kyrie Orbis faKor from Mass

I n encouraging the participation of the entire congregation in the music of the lit-

urgy there is an important principle ldquosinging means singing the Mass not just singing dur-

ing Massrdquo [1] 8e participation of the people is all the more authentic when they are singing

the central and essential parts of the liturgy 8is applies particularly to the Ordinary of the Mass

for two principal reasons First of all the peoplersquos parts of the Ordinary (Kyrie Gloria Credo SanKus and Agnus Dei) are generally liturgical aions in and of themselves and not the accom-

paniment of another aion

Kyrie Orbis faor

William Mahrt PhD

by

reflections on

originally from Sacred Music (Spring 2006) vol 133 no 1

DR WILLIAM MAHRT is the president of the Church Music

Association of America (CMAA) and the publisher of the New

Liturgical Movement (NLM)

[1] International Committee on English in the

Liturgy Documents on the Liturgy 1963ndash1979 Conciliar Papal and Curial Texts (Collegeville 8e Liturgical Press ) p

R

5nal this is followed by an ascent upward to the top

note of the half-step interval and a 5lling out of the

whole range of the 5h back down to the 5nal touch-

ing upon the note below it 8us eleacuteison con5rms and

ampli5es the initial pitches of the invocation 8e turn

to Christ at Chrie moves to a higher pitch expressing

a more intense address of the Son of God

8e seventh and eighth invocations return to the

melody of the 5rst but the 5nal one focuses upon the

lowest part of the range the contrast with the higher

range of the previous lines conveys a sense of equa-

nimity and repose that gives the chant a pleasing

rounded-out quality 8ese matters of contour are un-

usual in Gregorian chants but quite charaeristic of

Kyrie chants and their eee though subliminal sure-

ly contributes to the quality of the plea for mercy on

the part of the congregation

8e other aVe of the beauty of such a chant is

that of melodic design 8is chant received its 5nal

formulation only in the fourteenth century [3] and its

melodic struure is more rationalized than some of

the earlier melodies 8e basis of its struure is the

pair of intervals the 5h and the fourth the oave of

the authentic Dorian mode comprises a 5h D-A and a

fourth above it A-D with a single note (C) below it

8e 5rst Kyrie is based upon the 5h with a half-step

XI for the ordinary Sundays of the year 8is is a

chant of modest scope easily learned by a congrega-

tion but of considerable beautymdashan important fea-

ture of an oen-repeated chant I have sung this chant

many Sundays a year for over forty years and it has

retained all its freshness and depth over this repeti-

tion I will try to explain some of the aVes of its

beauty and praicality in the hope that many will

want to incorporate it into the singing of their Sunday

congregations

In approaching the beauty of a chant one can ad-

dress concrete elements of symbolism as well as ab-

stra elements of melodic design Kyrie melodies have

a charaeristic melodic contour which re`es some-

thing of the meaning of their texts 8e charaeristic

contour of Gregorian chants in general is the arch [2] beginning upon or near its lowest pitch rising to a

peak and then descending back down to its 5nal 8is

re`es the basic aVe of prayer rising in aViration

to a high point and returning to the point of origin

Kyrie melodies very oen show a slightly dieerent

contourmdashbeginning at a higher pitch and descending

to a low point a gesture of humility suitable to such a

plea for mercy 8e initial invocation of Kyrie Orbis faKor has this kind of contourmdashfrom its beginning

note it touches upon the half-step above the half-step

being a particularly expressive interval then turning

around the initial note it skips downward a 5h to the

7 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

raquo continued on p 9

[3] Two versions of this melody are given in the chant

books one from the tenth century and one from the fourteenth to

sixteenth centuries Liber usualis (Tournai Descleacutee ) pp

Graduale Romanum (Sableacute-sur-Sarthe Abbaye Saint-Pierre

de Solesmes ) p Gregorian Missal (Solesmes Abbaye

Saint-Pierre ) p

[2] Cf Peter Wagner Gregorianise Formenlehre Eine oralise Stilkunde Einfuumlhrung in die Gregorianisen Melodien Ein Handbu der Choralwissensa` vol (Leipzig

Breitkopf amp Haumlrtel reprint Hildesheim Georg Olms

) pp

copy BALZA

FOR THE MISA DE AGUINALDO

O Chri blessed is the glorious Miress of the world the Virgin Mary y Mother who greeted

by the Angel believed that the things which were $oken to her from the lord shall be fulamplled

F or Thou art born to rule the earth O Goodness Great by humble birth We sinners now

implore thy aid O Mother Maid of Bethlehem Mother of God O Queen of earth O chosen

`ower ere thy birth through thee the sickly souls are saved of sinners who have been enslaved

O Queen of kingdom world to come in power clothrsquod thou hast become arrayrsquod with stars O Morn-

ing Light on Vlendid moon thy feet alight With ardent hearts thy faithful pray devotion perfe

may they say that in great love your Names proclaim ldquoJesus Maryrdquo their lips acclaim For Sabbaths

O Our Queen Proclaimrsquod on altars praises be exclaimrsquod by sons of Eve in punishment that glory

crown our banishment 8erefore O Queen most merciful forget us not sons pitiful for if thy suc-

cour we have not abide in heaven we cannot O Queen thy Son hath promised us the heavensrsquo glory

copious which hath been made to thee before which we await lo heretofore

copy ALMADRONES

8 organa vocis

times three symbolic of the Trinity and usage until

the reform of the Second Vatican Council retained this

ldquonine-foldrdquo arrangement In books aer the council

the Kyrie is six-fold but the rubrics allow the nine-fold

for musical reasons I 5nd that three invocations are

just enough to give a congregation not familiar with

the melody a chance to pick it up by the third state-

ment 8us for the sake of the congregationrsquos partici-

pation the nine-fold arrangement may be used advan-

tageously Moreover the reduion to a six-fold ar-

rangement was to accommodate the dialogue between

priest and congregation each stating the invocation

once this six-fold arrangement seems to have been

devised for the Low Mass and need not be retained in

the High Mass

Sometimes the phenomena of the Middle Ages are

instruive in thinking about how to perform a chant

Chants were performed in the earlier Middle Ages

without the aid of musical notation being passed on

inta by oral tradition long before they were written

down and scholars have oen re`eed upon the phe-

nomenon of oral transmission as a faor in the nature

of the chants It is possible even with a group of sing-

ers today to replicate this oral transmission A certain

segment of the chant is sung to the group and they are

asked to sing it back identically eight or ten notes can

be retained in the short-term memory and easily sung

back 8en the next segment is sung to them and they

repeat it then these two together Since the portion of

the melody on eleison is the same for each invocation

it does not have to be relearned In quite a short time

the whole melody can be sung by a large group totally

without the aid of any notation

In my experience this is faster than simply having

the group read the piece from the notation because

they can pick up the rhythmic in`eion of the chant

immediately Still the notation ought to be a useful aid

as well and I have found that one can ask a group to

look at the notation as the piece is lined out and sung

by imitation just as I have described above and they

learn it all the quicker If one is allowed a brief re-

hearsal time before Mass this can be done with a con-

gregation very eJciently I would not do it oen but

on occasion it is a very eeeive way to introduce a

piece to be sung in that morningrsquos Mass

8is is thus a chant with interesting symmetries

and melodic design together with the symbolism of its

descending motion these features contribute to a

piece that will bear considerable repetition and retain

its uniqueness freshness and beauty over a long peri-

od of time

above it the reVonse eleacuteison begins at the mid-point

of the 5h (F) rises to the top adding the half-step

above then descends stepwise to the bottom of the

5h adding a note below it the 5h is thus bordered

by a single pitch at its top and bottom 8e Chrie adds the fourth above (A-D) but its principal notes

are A-C with neighbouring notes above and below

this third complemented then by eleacuteison the same

melody as before

8e 5nal invocation is based upon the lower por-

tion of the range being centred upon the third D-F

with a neighbouring note above and below it just as in

the Chrie In fa the 5nal Kyrie repeats a good bit of

the Chrie melody down a 5h Chrie D-C-D-C-A-G

-A 5nal Kyrie G-F-G-F-D-C-D 8e three melodies

are clearly distinguished in range by being centred on

5rst the 5h then the fourth above and then the mi-

nor third at the bottom of the 5h and emphasis upon

these main notes is created by adding neighbouring

notes around them

8ere is something surprisingly symmetrical to

this melody If one counts notes one sees it Kyrie (

notes) eleacuteison ( notes) Chrie ( notes) eleacuteison (

notes) 5nal Kyrie ( notes) eleacuteison ( notes) 8us

in the 5rst invocations a proportion of one to two in

the second three to four and in the last one integer

over one to one (a superparticular proportion in me-

diaeval terms) Of course one does not have to count

the notes to appreciate the proportionality involved

8ere is an interesting point in the early history of

the Kyrie that bears its traces in this melody In the

oldest Ordines Romani ceremonial books for the early

Roman liturgy the performance of the Kyrie is de-

scribed in some detail It was what has been called a

Latin-texted Kyrie since the initial word Kyrie is re-

placed by a Latin phrase that ampli5es Kyrie Lord In

this piece the 5rst line was Orbis faKor Rex aeligterne maker of the world eternal King 8is was sung by

deacons and the choir reVonded with eleison have

mercy 8ere would be an unVeci5ed number of invo-

cations but at the end the master of ceremonies would

give a sign to conclude the deacons would then sing

the last invocation to a dieerent melody indicating

that this was the 5nal one Our Kyrie melody shows

these charaeristics while the invocations dieer in

melody the reVonse eleacuteison is always the same and

the last invocation is notably dieerent from the forego-

ing ones

8e Kyrie as sung in the Carolingian period and

later consisted Veci5cally of nine invocations three

9 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

laquo continued from p 3

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 7: Organa vocis 1.1

5nal this is followed by an ascent upward to the top

note of the half-step interval and a 5lling out of the

whole range of the 5h back down to the 5nal touch-

ing upon the note below it 8us eleacuteison con5rms and

ampli5es the initial pitches of the invocation 8e turn

to Christ at Chrie moves to a higher pitch expressing

a more intense address of the Son of God

8e seventh and eighth invocations return to the

melody of the 5rst but the 5nal one focuses upon the

lowest part of the range the contrast with the higher

range of the previous lines conveys a sense of equa-

nimity and repose that gives the chant a pleasing

rounded-out quality 8ese matters of contour are un-

usual in Gregorian chants but quite charaeristic of

Kyrie chants and their eee though subliminal sure-

ly contributes to the quality of the plea for mercy on

the part of the congregation

8e other aVe of the beauty of such a chant is

that of melodic design 8is chant received its 5nal

formulation only in the fourteenth century [3] and its

melodic struure is more rationalized than some of

the earlier melodies 8e basis of its struure is the

pair of intervals the 5h and the fourth the oave of

the authentic Dorian mode comprises a 5h D-A and a

fourth above it A-D with a single note (C) below it

8e 5rst Kyrie is based upon the 5h with a half-step

XI for the ordinary Sundays of the year 8is is a

chant of modest scope easily learned by a congrega-

tion but of considerable beautymdashan important fea-

ture of an oen-repeated chant I have sung this chant

many Sundays a year for over forty years and it has

retained all its freshness and depth over this repeti-

tion I will try to explain some of the aVes of its

beauty and praicality in the hope that many will

want to incorporate it into the singing of their Sunday

congregations

In approaching the beauty of a chant one can ad-

dress concrete elements of symbolism as well as ab-

stra elements of melodic design Kyrie melodies have

a charaeristic melodic contour which re`es some-

thing of the meaning of their texts 8e charaeristic

contour of Gregorian chants in general is the arch [2] beginning upon or near its lowest pitch rising to a

peak and then descending back down to its 5nal 8is

re`es the basic aVe of prayer rising in aViration

to a high point and returning to the point of origin

Kyrie melodies very oen show a slightly dieerent

contourmdashbeginning at a higher pitch and descending

to a low point a gesture of humility suitable to such a

plea for mercy 8e initial invocation of Kyrie Orbis faKor has this kind of contourmdashfrom its beginning

note it touches upon the half-step above the half-step

being a particularly expressive interval then turning

around the initial note it skips downward a 5h to the

7 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

raquo continued on p 9

[3] Two versions of this melody are given in the chant

books one from the tenth century and one from the fourteenth to

sixteenth centuries Liber usualis (Tournai Descleacutee ) pp

Graduale Romanum (Sableacute-sur-Sarthe Abbaye Saint-Pierre

de Solesmes ) p Gregorian Missal (Solesmes Abbaye

Saint-Pierre ) p

[2] Cf Peter Wagner Gregorianise Formenlehre Eine oralise Stilkunde Einfuumlhrung in die Gregorianisen Melodien Ein Handbu der Choralwissensa` vol (Leipzig

Breitkopf amp Haumlrtel reprint Hildesheim Georg Olms

) pp

copy BALZA

FOR THE MISA DE AGUINALDO

O Chri blessed is the glorious Miress of the world the Virgin Mary y Mother who greeted

by the Angel believed that the things which were $oken to her from the lord shall be fulamplled

F or Thou art born to rule the earth O Goodness Great by humble birth We sinners now

implore thy aid O Mother Maid of Bethlehem Mother of God O Queen of earth O chosen

`ower ere thy birth through thee the sickly souls are saved of sinners who have been enslaved

O Queen of kingdom world to come in power clothrsquod thou hast become arrayrsquod with stars O Morn-

ing Light on Vlendid moon thy feet alight With ardent hearts thy faithful pray devotion perfe

may they say that in great love your Names proclaim ldquoJesus Maryrdquo their lips acclaim For Sabbaths

O Our Queen Proclaimrsquod on altars praises be exclaimrsquod by sons of Eve in punishment that glory

crown our banishment 8erefore O Queen most merciful forget us not sons pitiful for if thy suc-

cour we have not abide in heaven we cannot O Queen thy Son hath promised us the heavensrsquo glory

copious which hath been made to thee before which we await lo heretofore

copy ALMADRONES

8 organa vocis

times three symbolic of the Trinity and usage until

the reform of the Second Vatican Council retained this

ldquonine-foldrdquo arrangement In books aer the council

the Kyrie is six-fold but the rubrics allow the nine-fold

for musical reasons I 5nd that three invocations are

just enough to give a congregation not familiar with

the melody a chance to pick it up by the third state-

ment 8us for the sake of the congregationrsquos partici-

pation the nine-fold arrangement may be used advan-

tageously Moreover the reduion to a six-fold ar-

rangement was to accommodate the dialogue between

priest and congregation each stating the invocation

once this six-fold arrangement seems to have been

devised for the Low Mass and need not be retained in

the High Mass

Sometimes the phenomena of the Middle Ages are

instruive in thinking about how to perform a chant

Chants were performed in the earlier Middle Ages

without the aid of musical notation being passed on

inta by oral tradition long before they were written

down and scholars have oen re`eed upon the phe-

nomenon of oral transmission as a faor in the nature

of the chants It is possible even with a group of sing-

ers today to replicate this oral transmission A certain

segment of the chant is sung to the group and they are

asked to sing it back identically eight or ten notes can

be retained in the short-term memory and easily sung

back 8en the next segment is sung to them and they

repeat it then these two together Since the portion of

the melody on eleison is the same for each invocation

it does not have to be relearned In quite a short time

the whole melody can be sung by a large group totally

without the aid of any notation

In my experience this is faster than simply having

the group read the piece from the notation because

they can pick up the rhythmic in`eion of the chant

immediately Still the notation ought to be a useful aid

as well and I have found that one can ask a group to

look at the notation as the piece is lined out and sung

by imitation just as I have described above and they

learn it all the quicker If one is allowed a brief re-

hearsal time before Mass this can be done with a con-

gregation very eJciently I would not do it oen but

on occasion it is a very eeeive way to introduce a

piece to be sung in that morningrsquos Mass

8is is thus a chant with interesting symmetries

and melodic design together with the symbolism of its

descending motion these features contribute to a

piece that will bear considerable repetition and retain

its uniqueness freshness and beauty over a long peri-

od of time

above it the reVonse eleacuteison begins at the mid-point

of the 5h (F) rises to the top adding the half-step

above then descends stepwise to the bottom of the

5h adding a note below it the 5h is thus bordered

by a single pitch at its top and bottom 8e Chrie adds the fourth above (A-D) but its principal notes

are A-C with neighbouring notes above and below

this third complemented then by eleacuteison the same

melody as before

8e 5nal invocation is based upon the lower por-

tion of the range being centred upon the third D-F

with a neighbouring note above and below it just as in

the Chrie In fa the 5nal Kyrie repeats a good bit of

the Chrie melody down a 5h Chrie D-C-D-C-A-G

-A 5nal Kyrie G-F-G-F-D-C-D 8e three melodies

are clearly distinguished in range by being centred on

5rst the 5h then the fourth above and then the mi-

nor third at the bottom of the 5h and emphasis upon

these main notes is created by adding neighbouring

notes around them

8ere is something surprisingly symmetrical to

this melody If one counts notes one sees it Kyrie (

notes) eleacuteison ( notes) Chrie ( notes) eleacuteison (

notes) 5nal Kyrie ( notes) eleacuteison ( notes) 8us

in the 5rst invocations a proportion of one to two in

the second three to four and in the last one integer

over one to one (a superparticular proportion in me-

diaeval terms) Of course one does not have to count

the notes to appreciate the proportionality involved

8ere is an interesting point in the early history of

the Kyrie that bears its traces in this melody In the

oldest Ordines Romani ceremonial books for the early

Roman liturgy the performance of the Kyrie is de-

scribed in some detail It was what has been called a

Latin-texted Kyrie since the initial word Kyrie is re-

placed by a Latin phrase that ampli5es Kyrie Lord In

this piece the 5rst line was Orbis faKor Rex aeligterne maker of the world eternal King 8is was sung by

deacons and the choir reVonded with eleison have

mercy 8ere would be an unVeci5ed number of invo-

cations but at the end the master of ceremonies would

give a sign to conclude the deacons would then sing

the last invocation to a dieerent melody indicating

that this was the 5nal one Our Kyrie melody shows

these charaeristics while the invocations dieer in

melody the reVonse eleacuteison is always the same and

the last invocation is notably dieerent from the forego-

ing ones

8e Kyrie as sung in the Carolingian period and

later consisted Veci5cally of nine invocations three

9 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

laquo continued from p 3

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 8: Organa vocis 1.1

FOR THE MISA DE AGUINALDO

O Chri blessed is the glorious Miress of the world the Virgin Mary y Mother who greeted

by the Angel believed that the things which were $oken to her from the lord shall be fulamplled

F or Thou art born to rule the earth O Goodness Great by humble birth We sinners now

implore thy aid O Mother Maid of Bethlehem Mother of God O Queen of earth O chosen

`ower ere thy birth through thee the sickly souls are saved of sinners who have been enslaved

O Queen of kingdom world to come in power clothrsquod thou hast become arrayrsquod with stars O Morn-

ing Light on Vlendid moon thy feet alight With ardent hearts thy faithful pray devotion perfe

may they say that in great love your Names proclaim ldquoJesus Maryrdquo their lips acclaim For Sabbaths

O Our Queen Proclaimrsquod on altars praises be exclaimrsquod by sons of Eve in punishment that glory

crown our banishment 8erefore O Queen most merciful forget us not sons pitiful for if thy suc-

cour we have not abide in heaven we cannot O Queen thy Son hath promised us the heavensrsquo glory

copious which hath been made to thee before which we await lo heretofore

copy ALMADRONES

8 organa vocis

times three symbolic of the Trinity and usage until

the reform of the Second Vatican Council retained this

ldquonine-foldrdquo arrangement In books aer the council

the Kyrie is six-fold but the rubrics allow the nine-fold

for musical reasons I 5nd that three invocations are

just enough to give a congregation not familiar with

the melody a chance to pick it up by the third state-

ment 8us for the sake of the congregationrsquos partici-

pation the nine-fold arrangement may be used advan-

tageously Moreover the reduion to a six-fold ar-

rangement was to accommodate the dialogue between

priest and congregation each stating the invocation

once this six-fold arrangement seems to have been

devised for the Low Mass and need not be retained in

the High Mass

Sometimes the phenomena of the Middle Ages are

instruive in thinking about how to perform a chant

Chants were performed in the earlier Middle Ages

without the aid of musical notation being passed on

inta by oral tradition long before they were written

down and scholars have oen re`eed upon the phe-

nomenon of oral transmission as a faor in the nature

of the chants It is possible even with a group of sing-

ers today to replicate this oral transmission A certain

segment of the chant is sung to the group and they are

asked to sing it back identically eight or ten notes can

be retained in the short-term memory and easily sung

back 8en the next segment is sung to them and they

repeat it then these two together Since the portion of

the melody on eleison is the same for each invocation

it does not have to be relearned In quite a short time

the whole melody can be sung by a large group totally

without the aid of any notation

In my experience this is faster than simply having

the group read the piece from the notation because

they can pick up the rhythmic in`eion of the chant

immediately Still the notation ought to be a useful aid

as well and I have found that one can ask a group to

look at the notation as the piece is lined out and sung

by imitation just as I have described above and they

learn it all the quicker If one is allowed a brief re-

hearsal time before Mass this can be done with a con-

gregation very eJciently I would not do it oen but

on occasion it is a very eeeive way to introduce a

piece to be sung in that morningrsquos Mass

8is is thus a chant with interesting symmetries

and melodic design together with the symbolism of its

descending motion these features contribute to a

piece that will bear considerable repetition and retain

its uniqueness freshness and beauty over a long peri-

od of time

above it the reVonse eleacuteison begins at the mid-point

of the 5h (F) rises to the top adding the half-step

above then descends stepwise to the bottom of the

5h adding a note below it the 5h is thus bordered

by a single pitch at its top and bottom 8e Chrie adds the fourth above (A-D) but its principal notes

are A-C with neighbouring notes above and below

this third complemented then by eleacuteison the same

melody as before

8e 5nal invocation is based upon the lower por-

tion of the range being centred upon the third D-F

with a neighbouring note above and below it just as in

the Chrie In fa the 5nal Kyrie repeats a good bit of

the Chrie melody down a 5h Chrie D-C-D-C-A-G

-A 5nal Kyrie G-F-G-F-D-C-D 8e three melodies

are clearly distinguished in range by being centred on

5rst the 5h then the fourth above and then the mi-

nor third at the bottom of the 5h and emphasis upon

these main notes is created by adding neighbouring

notes around them

8ere is something surprisingly symmetrical to

this melody If one counts notes one sees it Kyrie (

notes) eleacuteison ( notes) Chrie ( notes) eleacuteison (

notes) 5nal Kyrie ( notes) eleacuteison ( notes) 8us

in the 5rst invocations a proportion of one to two in

the second three to four and in the last one integer

over one to one (a superparticular proportion in me-

diaeval terms) Of course one does not have to count

the notes to appreciate the proportionality involved

8ere is an interesting point in the early history of

the Kyrie that bears its traces in this melody In the

oldest Ordines Romani ceremonial books for the early

Roman liturgy the performance of the Kyrie is de-

scribed in some detail It was what has been called a

Latin-texted Kyrie since the initial word Kyrie is re-

placed by a Latin phrase that ampli5es Kyrie Lord In

this piece the 5rst line was Orbis faKor Rex aeligterne maker of the world eternal King 8is was sung by

deacons and the choir reVonded with eleison have

mercy 8ere would be an unVeci5ed number of invo-

cations but at the end the master of ceremonies would

give a sign to conclude the deacons would then sing

the last invocation to a dieerent melody indicating

that this was the 5nal one Our Kyrie melody shows

these charaeristics while the invocations dieer in

melody the reVonse eleacuteison is always the same and

the last invocation is notably dieerent from the forego-

ing ones

8e Kyrie as sung in the Carolingian period and

later consisted Veci5cally of nine invocations three

9 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

laquo continued from p 3

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 9: Organa vocis 1.1

times three symbolic of the Trinity and usage until

the reform of the Second Vatican Council retained this

ldquonine-foldrdquo arrangement In books aer the council

the Kyrie is six-fold but the rubrics allow the nine-fold

for musical reasons I 5nd that three invocations are

just enough to give a congregation not familiar with

the melody a chance to pick it up by the third state-

ment 8us for the sake of the congregationrsquos partici-

pation the nine-fold arrangement may be used advan-

tageously Moreover the reduion to a six-fold ar-

rangement was to accommodate the dialogue between

priest and congregation each stating the invocation

once this six-fold arrangement seems to have been

devised for the Low Mass and need not be retained in

the High Mass

Sometimes the phenomena of the Middle Ages are

instruive in thinking about how to perform a chant

Chants were performed in the earlier Middle Ages

without the aid of musical notation being passed on

inta by oral tradition long before they were written

down and scholars have oen re`eed upon the phe-

nomenon of oral transmission as a faor in the nature

of the chants It is possible even with a group of sing-

ers today to replicate this oral transmission A certain

segment of the chant is sung to the group and they are

asked to sing it back identically eight or ten notes can

be retained in the short-term memory and easily sung

back 8en the next segment is sung to them and they

repeat it then these two together Since the portion of

the melody on eleison is the same for each invocation

it does not have to be relearned In quite a short time

the whole melody can be sung by a large group totally

without the aid of any notation

In my experience this is faster than simply having

the group read the piece from the notation because

they can pick up the rhythmic in`eion of the chant

immediately Still the notation ought to be a useful aid

as well and I have found that one can ask a group to

look at the notation as the piece is lined out and sung

by imitation just as I have described above and they

learn it all the quicker If one is allowed a brief re-

hearsal time before Mass this can be done with a con-

gregation very eJciently I would not do it oen but

on occasion it is a very eeeive way to introduce a

piece to be sung in that morningrsquos Mass

8is is thus a chant with interesting symmetries

and melodic design together with the symbolism of its

descending motion these features contribute to a

piece that will bear considerable repetition and retain

its uniqueness freshness and beauty over a long peri-

od of time

above it the reVonse eleacuteison begins at the mid-point

of the 5h (F) rises to the top adding the half-step

above then descends stepwise to the bottom of the

5h adding a note below it the 5h is thus bordered

by a single pitch at its top and bottom 8e Chrie adds the fourth above (A-D) but its principal notes

are A-C with neighbouring notes above and below

this third complemented then by eleacuteison the same

melody as before

8e 5nal invocation is based upon the lower por-

tion of the range being centred upon the third D-F

with a neighbouring note above and below it just as in

the Chrie In fa the 5nal Kyrie repeats a good bit of

the Chrie melody down a 5h Chrie D-C-D-C-A-G

-A 5nal Kyrie G-F-G-F-D-C-D 8e three melodies

are clearly distinguished in range by being centred on

5rst the 5h then the fourth above and then the mi-

nor third at the bottom of the 5h and emphasis upon

these main notes is created by adding neighbouring

notes around them

8ere is something surprisingly symmetrical to

this melody If one counts notes one sees it Kyrie (

notes) eleacuteison ( notes) Chrie ( notes) eleacuteison (

notes) 5nal Kyrie ( notes) eleacuteison ( notes) 8us

in the 5rst invocations a proportion of one to two in

the second three to four and in the last one integer

over one to one (a superparticular proportion in me-

diaeval terms) Of course one does not have to count

the notes to appreciate the proportionality involved

8ere is an interesting point in the early history of

the Kyrie that bears its traces in this melody In the

oldest Ordines Romani ceremonial books for the early

Roman liturgy the performance of the Kyrie is de-

scribed in some detail It was what has been called a

Latin-texted Kyrie since the initial word Kyrie is re-

placed by a Latin phrase that ampli5es Kyrie Lord In

this piece the 5rst line was Orbis faKor Rex aeligterne maker of the world eternal King 8is was sung by

deacons and the choir reVonded with eleison have

mercy 8ere would be an unVeci5ed number of invo-

cations but at the end the master of ceremonies would

give a sign to conclude the deacons would then sing

the last invocation to a dieerent melody indicating

that this was the 5nal one Our Kyrie melody shows

these charaeristics while the invocations dieer in

melody the reVonse eleacuteison is always the same and

the last invocation is notably dieerent from the forego-

ing ones

8e Kyrie as sung in the Carolingian period and

later consisted Veci5cally of nine invocations three

9 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

laquo continued from p 3

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 10: Organa vocis 1.1

PACEM middotET middotBONVM middotNECNON middotCOMPLVRES

A middotDEO middotOPTIMO middotMAXIMO middotBENEDICTIONES

PRO middotVOBIS middotPOSTVLAMVS middotANNO middotDOMINI middotMMXV

GIORGIONE The adoration of the shepherds (15051510) NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 11: Organa vocis 1.1

DIVA CAECILIA PRO NOBIS ORA

JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Saint Cecilia (1895) LEGION OF HONOUR

CENSUS CAPPELLAE

CHORISTAE SENIORES

D Iesus Felix de Valentiuncula Ph D Praecentor amp Caput solae D Ronaldus Regius de Populis Pulsator organi Vicarius praecentoris amp Magier cappellae D Ioannares Anicetus Smaragdus Succentor D Iosiphides Alderete Succentor amp Hymnographus

CHORISTAE IUNIORES

D Mauritius Iosephus de Materonibus Cantor D Ioannes Regius de Portuplano Cantor D Ammelleus Cynepurgilaeus Capitaneus Cantor amp Vicarius pulsatoris organi D Randilius de Xannuliis Cantor

CHORISTISSAE

Da Maria Virgilia Bompat Supraniria Da Christina Bompat Supraniria Da Maria Mediatrix Gratia Ortisia Supraniria Da Domina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Christina Maria Macadandana Altiria Da Maria Rita Bompat Altiria Da Philumena de Foliis Altiria Da Berenice Christina a Cosma Altiria

FORANEI RECENTIORES

D Rolandus Ambrosius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Saccaelus Callitrichius Cantor amp Vic puls org D Carolus Oliverius Olayta Cantor amp Vic pl org

CAPPELLANUS

Rev D Michaeumll Iosephus Zerrudo SanKissimi Redemptoris Parous

11 nov 2015 middot jan 2016

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment

Page 12: Organa vocis 1.1

Il canto proprio della liturgia egrave davvero liturgia propria in canto

LAUS DEO VIRGINIQUE MATRI

Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement

it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared

and been replaced by a kind of liturgical entertainment