Brano: [...]ry: Christus resurgens Introiti Resurrexi Sequence: Victimae paschali Communion : Pascha nostrum Antiphons (from Antiphonale monasticum) : Angelus autem Domini
Et ecce terraemotus Erat autem aspectus Prae timore autem Respondens autem Hymn (from Antiphonale monasticum): Ad cenam Agni
Side 2 : Antiphons (from Antiphonale monasticum) : Et respicientes Post dics octo Regina caeli (solemnis)
Salve, fèsta dies Alleluia, latis revolutus est Ave Maria Hymn (from Antiphonale monasticum) : Te Deum
BENEDICTINE MONKS OF SAINTMAURICE’S & SAINTMAUR’S ABBEY, CLERVAUX
JN2082
The Paschal fcast occupics a centrai position in thè Jewish and Christian year. For thè Jewish people it is thè icmembrancc of thè deliverance from bondage in Egypt. The waters of thè Red Sca were sundered and offcrcd a safe passage to thè people of Israel, but overwhelmed thè riders and horses of Pharaoh's pursuing arm y. The annual celebration of thè deliverance was not only remembrance of thè great resene; it was also a sign of hope in all thè later days of s[...]
[...]people it is thè icmembrancc of thè deliverance from bondage in Egypt. The waters of thè Red Sca were sundered and offcrcd a safe passage to thè people of Israel, but overwhelmed thè riders and horses of Pharaoh's pursuing arm y. The annual celebration of thè deliverance was not only remembrance of thè great resene; it was also a sign of hope in all thè later days of sorrow which history has not spared thè Jewish people. The removai of all old leaven from every Jewish household before thè feast malte* thè Passover the religious celebration of newfound life in frecdom. The bitter herbs eaten at the Passover feast were a reminder of past afflictions. Every year the story of the blood of the Paschal lamb sineared over the doorposts was retold; it shielded every Jewish house from the avenging hand of thè angel of destruction who carne to slay the firstborn of the houscs of thè Egyptians. A knowledge of the history of the deliverance from Egypt and of the celebration of the Passover feast on the eve of departure, celebrated every year since that time, is necessary to understand thè liturgy of the Eastcr festival of Christcndom. For Christians too Eastcr is thè most important festival of the liturgical year. Christ died on the eve of the Passover of the Jews among whom He was boni. His Day of Resurrection, falling after the Great Sabbath of thè Jewish festival, bccamc the Easte[...]
[...]hristcndom. For Christians too Eastcr is thè most important festival of the liturgical year. Christ died on the eve of the Passover of the Jews among whom He was boni. His Day of Resurrection, falling after the Great Sabbath of thè Jewish festival, bccamc the Easter of the Christians. After celebrating the old Passover feast with His apostles. He himself bccamc the Paschal Lamb of the New Testament. His blood, spilled on Golgotha, restrained the avenging hand of God. And in the Easter celebration of baptism, during which those psalms ring out which once were sung during the passage of thè Red Sea, the flowing of the baptismal waters dclivcrs the person receiving baptism from thè bondage of the Devii. The old leaven, thè life besmirched by sin, must be removed, and the new life of uprightness and truth is symbolised in the form of a mystcrious unicavened bread.
The dose ties between Jewish and Christian life are most dearly expressed in the celebration of Easter. It is no wonder that the words of the Jewish Passover occur throughout the Christian festival. The whole Easter Office is a marvellous mixturc of texts from the Jewish tradition and from the stories of the Resurrection told by thè Evangelisti.
This reladonship can also be recognised in the hymns recorded here. The responsory Christus resnrgeiis tells in the words of Paul (Rom. 6, 9) of the fa et of Christ’s Resurrection and His deliverance from the sovereignty of death. The [...]
[...]of triumph, but a cairn word, sung in a splendidiy balanced melody expressing rcstful serenity when all strife is at an end.
A complctcly different atmosphere surrounds the sequence Victimae paschali laudes which, with the simple musical expressiveness and vivid emotion of the late Middle Ages, calls on Christians to offer praise to this Paschal lamb that leads the strayed sheep back to the fold and has rcconcilcd sinners with out Father in Heaven. An ardent repeated melody concisely expresses the struggle between Life and Death.
Then in an intimate tone follow thè words spoken to Mary Magdalene on what she has seen on her way : the grave of the Lord, His own glory, angels as witnesses, sudarium, and shroud. With perhaps too much emphasis, this conversation with Mary Magdalene (destined to grow into thè dramatised liturgical mystery) has been called the flower of growing medieval piety: the old Syrian liturgy was conversant with this elaborate form of dialogue in its splendid and poetic hymn texts. We tecognise it in our Latin literature in the Christmas antiphonies of Laudes as well as in the ancient Improperia of Good Fri day. Grand in its rejoicing is the end of the sequence Viitimae paschali laudes, in which the sublime wo[...]
[...]t in the tone of the majestic spirit of the ancient basic liturgies of die Christian East.
The communion hymn Pastha nostrum sings with restrained joy of Christ the Paschal lamb who died for ùs. The enchanting melody rises and falls with a thematic development whose movement never lets us fail to hear the basic key underlining the message of this hymn.
In the fàscinating simplicity of the five Office antiphonies the Laudes of the Easter ottave teli of the events centring around Jesus's grave.
In the Easter hymn Ad cenam Agni, sung here in thè ancient version (that is, not in the one revised during thè Renaissance), we find in a short form the intermingling of Jewish and Christian Paschal themes.
Two jewels of short antiphonies frante thè Magnificat in the Easter Sunday vespers Et respicientes and thè Post dies otto of Low Sunday. In a happy key we leam at Easter in the words of the Evangelist of thè amazement of the women who, coming to the grave, saw that the heavy stone had been rolled back. On Low Sunday we are told how Jesus, eight days after His Resurrection, appeared [...]
[...]r hymn Ad cenam Agni, sung here in thè ancient version (that is, not in the one revised during thè Renaissance), we find in a short form the intermingling of Jewish and Christian Paschal themes.
Two jewels of short antiphonies frante thè Magnificat in the Easter Sunday vespers Et respicientes and thè Post dies otto of Low Sunday. In a happy key we leam at Easter in the words of the Evangelist of thè amazement of the women who, coming to the grave, saw that the heavy stone had been rolled back. On Low Sunday we are told how Jesus, eight days after His Resurrection, appeared to His disciples and blessed them with His peace.
Infectious and boundless in its joy is thè melody of the great Regina taeli
Easter candelabrum of the left ambo in the Basilica of San Clemente, Rome (Photo by Alinari)
antiphony. It dates from the late Middle Ages, but its wealth of musical themes recalis the sparkling splendour of the most wonderful of the old Alleluia verses of the liturgy of the Mass.
The Salve festa dies finds us once again in the mi[...]
[...]te Middle Ages, but its wealth of musical themes recalis the sparkling splendour of the most wonderful of the old Alleluia verses of the liturgy of the Mass.
The Salve festa dies finds us once again in the midst of medieval, sumptuous Easter liturgy. This song of praise, so fàvoured for singing in processions, shows, at least as regards thè thoughts expressed, some of thè ties of the Middle Ages with the liturgies of the Christian East which have not yet been wholly explained.
We now have a simple, syllabic medieval hymn that tells of the events at the grave. What is typical in this hymn is the Constant recurrence of the buoyant Alleluia, the word which expresses the joy of Easter in the Latin liturgy.
The simple melody of the Ave Maria can be added to the hymns of the actual Easter liturgy. It expresses a lofty medieval piety and follows the stress of the words in a flowing line. As in the words of the Bible which give us the message of the angel Gabriel and of Mary’s niece Elizabeth, there now follows the prayer to Jesus' mother for intercession. She stood under the cross of her Son as a witness of His death which opened the way to Resurrection to all men.
Lastly comes the great ancient Christian prose hymn Te Deum, the culmination of the expression of gratitude for salvation.
The Easter mystery is expressed in[...]
[...]us' mother for intercession. She stood under the cross of her Son as a witness of His death which opened the way to Resurrection to all men.
Lastly comes the great ancient Christian prose hymn Te Deum, the culmination of the expression of gratitude for salvation.
The Easter mystery is expressed in the words: Tu devicto mortis aculeo, aperuisti credenti bus regna caelorum ... Thou hast overcome the angel of death and opened the Kingdom of Heaven to the faithfili.
In the old representations of the Resurrection the Lord is shown, not arising in glory from the grave, but treading down the gates of Hell with his feet and stretching out His hand to Adam. Those who preceded us in death may now go before us on the way to life.
The recitative melody of the Te Deum sung here is an older version than the usuai one, which lattcr is generally indicated by the words “More Romano."
B. Brockbemd O. S. B.
Illustratimi on front of the tover:
The resurrection. Flemish book of hours from Malines
Ms. ÌOE2, Museum MeermannoWestreenianum, The Hague.fol.95 v(c.1450)
THIS PHILIPS HIGH FIDELITY RECORD IS A FINE INVESTMENT IN LISTENING PLEASURE. IT CAN BE REP[...]
[...]Flemish book of hours from Malines
Ms. ÌOE2, Museum MeermannoWestreenianum, The Hague.fol.95 v(c.1450)
THIS PHILIPS HIGH FIDELITY RECORD IS A FINE INVESTMENT IN LISTENING PLEASURE. IT CAN BE REPRODUCED ON ALL LONGPLAYING GRAMOPHONES OLD AND NEW, AND IT RESPONDS EVEN MORE
BRILLIANTLY TO REPRODUCTION ON A STEREOPHONIC RECORD PLAYER.
I ASPERGES MEKYRIEGLORIA CREDO I SANCTUS
n TE DEUMSUB TUUM PRAESIDIUM TU ES PASTOR OVIUMM AGNIFICAT AVE MARIA TANTUM ERGO 400188 AE
IN THE HYMNODIA S
IH ADORO TE DEVOTE VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS ALMA REDEMPTORIS MATER AVE REGINA CAELORUM REGINA CAELI SALVE REGINA 400189 AE
IV VENI SANCTE SPIRJTUSSTABAT MATERVICTIMAE PASCHALI LAUDES SACRIS SOLEMNIIS AVE VERUM CORPUS
400190 AE
V LAUDA SIONO SACRUM CONVIVIUM O S ALUTARIS HOSTIA HOMO QUIDAM PARCE DOMINE INVIOLATA 400191 AE
VI AUS DER TOTENMESSE:
REQUIEM AETERNAM (Introi tus und Graduale) ABSOLVE, DOMINE DIES IRAE
400192 AE
Vn AUS DER TOTENMESSE: DOMINEJESU CHRISTE SUBVENTTE SANCTI DEI LUX AETERNA LIBERA ME. DOMINE INPARADISUM 400193 AE
MONAURAL EPRECORDS OF GREGORIAN CHANT
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