Author: Paul Cassman

The music this day is remarkable for a number of reasons. This is not a Sunday, so there is no Asperges. And since there is no Asperges, we will sing the Introit (Nos autem) as the processional. Typically, the Introit consists of an antiphon followed by a verse from one of the psalms, which is then followed by the Gloria Patri, after which the antiphon is repeated. Today is unique for two reasons: 1) Of course, since we are in Passiontide, we omit the Gloria Patri, and 2) We have the possibility of singing thee additional verses from the psalm, each of which would be followed by the antiphon (Nos autem). How many verses we will sing will depend on the available time according to how long the prayers at the foot of the altar take. Note that they are abbreviated today with the psalm Judica me and the Gloria Patri omitted.

The priest is not wearing Violet (he will be wearing White) so you might imagine that Mass XVII is probably out, and so it is. The rubrics for the day suggest that if the Mass of the Holy Oils had been said in the morning, at which Mass IV would have been used, then we could sing Mass IX in the evening. Otherwise, Mass IV is suggested for the evening Mass, and that is indeed what we will sing.

Holy Thursday is special because, even though it falls in Holy Week, it is a time of rejoicing since it commemorates the institution of Holy Orders and the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. In keeping with the somber side of things, the Kyrie is unaccompanied, but on the other hand, the Gloria is accompanied by the organ – the last time we will hear it until the Gloria at the Mass of the Paschal Vigil. The Gloria is also accompanied by a glorious ringing of the bells, but they too will disappear until the Gloria at the Mass of the Paschal Vigil. In place of the bells, you will hear the knocking of the clacker.

The Gradual (Christus factus est) is a recurring theme throughout Holy Week, and in particular, at Tenebrae. Given the dual nature of the feast, what follows on the Gradual? Certainly not an Alleluia! Not during Lent, and certainly not during Holy Week. A Tract? Not on such a day of rejoicing! So, what follows on the Gradual? Nothing! And that is a rarity indeed! We proceed directly from the Gradual to the Gospel.

There is no Credo because, even though it is a time of rejoicing, the day itself is a Feria, and the Credo is not said on days of Feria.

During the Washing of the Feet, the Schola will sing a number of antiphons. We will keep a close eye on the proceedings because as Father approaches the last of the Apostles, we must conclude with the other antiphons and start with the Ubi Caritas, which is mandatory.

The Gloria Patri is omitted at the Lavabo. At the Offertory, the Choir will sing a polyphonic version of what was sung at the Gradual (Christus factus est).

You will notice as we begin to sing the responses before the Preface that the tones are slightly different. There are three variations on the responses as there are three variations on the Preface itself: 1) the simple, or ferial tone, 2) the solemn tone, and 3) the more solemn tone. You will know that the more solemn Preface is coming (and it is exquisitely beautiful) as soon as you hear the more solemn responses prior. The Preface is that of The Holy Cross.

The character of the Mass has changed, and has now become more somber. This is very apparent as we sing the Agnus Dei. We repeat the phrase miserere nobis three times and do not sing dona nobis pacem.

The second Confiteor is omitted. At the Communion, the choir will sing Byrd’s Ave Verum, in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. The Schola will sing the antiphon and several verse from Psalm 22 (The Lord is my Shepherd), which is suggested for the day.Instead of the Ite Missa est, Father will sing Benedicamus Domino. There is no Last Blessing and no Last Gospel. As soon as Mass is ended, the Blessed Sacrament will be translated in procession to the Altar of Repose. We will sing the Pange Lingua in procession, repeating verses 2 through 4 until we arrive at the Altar of Repose, at which time we will sing verse 5. The procession will return to the Church for the Stripping of the Altar during which the Schola will solemnly chant the now familiar Psalm 21 – Deus, Deus meus.

We are well into Passiontide, and we now enter into the most solemn time of the year, Holy Week. The music speaks to this solemnity as only music can and as only the human voice can. The initial theme today is the Kingship of Christ, as He is exalted by the children of the Hebrews in Jerusalem. Soon after, the people of the Holy City will have Him crucified.

The hymns we will sing on procession have been chosen to honor Christ, as King. The procession will stop outside the door of the church. Some of the men of the Schola will be behind the closed door of the church and will sing the refrain, Gloria Laus:

All glory, praise, and honor to Thee, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet Hosannas ring.

The Church represents Jerusalem, and Jerusalem represents heaven. The procession may not enter. The Schola sings verses from inside, and the congregation responds with the refrain. When the refrain is being sung for the last time, the Crucifer (cross bearer) taps the door with the foot of the Cross. The gate can now be opened! The procession joyfully enters the church as the Schola sings the Ingrediente:

As the Lord entered the holy city, the children of the Hebrews proclaimed the resurrection of life. Waving their branches of palm, they cried: Hosanna in the highest.

All the joy is short-lived, however. There is no processional hymn. There is no Asperges, as we move immediately from one liturgical function (the procession) to the next (the Mass). There are no prayers at the foot of the altar. The Mass moves very quickly from the Introit to the Gradual, and then immediately to the Tract – one of the longest pieces of the year. It is taken from Psalm 21, which you will hear again on both Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

The Tract is suitable preparation for what happens next – one of the most extraordinary elements of the Liturgy, the solemn chanting of the Passion. The Passion is unique in that it is the only Gospel that makes use of three voices: The narrator (Chronista); the rabble, and everyone else, including Peter and Pilate (Synagoga); and Our Lord (Christus). The Chronista sings in a normally pitched voice. The Synagoga sings in a horrible and shrill tone, almost a shriek. The Christus (always a priest or deacon) sings in a lower register in a beautiful tone that exudes peace. The Passion concludes with the Chronsita finishing his account in doleful and exquisitely beautiful tones that evoke the great sorrow we feel at the death of Our Lord.

After the longish Offertory antiphon, the Choir will sing In monte Oliveti – brief, and poignant.

At the Communion, the choir will reprise Psalm 21 in a style known as a falsobordone in which a verse sung in unison chant is followed by a verse sung in four-part polyphony, and so they alternate through to the end. The effect is very moving.There is no Ite Missa Est, nor is there a Last Gospel. We will sing Blessed Lamb one last time as the recessional, and begin to prepare now for the extraordinary music of the Sacred Triduum.

Last Sunday’s rejoicing is done with. The rose vestments from last week give way to violet. We resume and even augment our Lenten austerities. There will be no organ. There will be no flowers on the altar. The statues are draped and hidden to commemorate our Lord’s having had to hide from those who pursued Him. The Alleluia and the Gloria in Excelsis have long since been banished, but now, we also eliminate the joyful Psalm 42 from the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. The Gloria Patri is also banished from the Liturgy. You will observe that it is conspicuous in its absence from the Asperges, the Introit, and the Lavabo at today’s Mass. We will again sing a Tract in lieu of the Alleluia. Father will sing the Preface of the Holy Cross. We continue with Mass XI as the priest is in violet. Thus begins Passiontide, the last two weeks of Lent.

The prayer, Adoramus Te, Christe, most closely associated with Good Friday, is commonly recited during Passiontide. The choir will sing this prayer at the Offertory. At the Communion, the choir will sing the exquisitely beautiful O vos omnes, and the schola will sing the hymn most closely associated with Passiontide, the Vexilla Regis. This hymn was written by a man who was one of the greatest composers, writers and poets of the 6^th Century, Venantius Fortunatus. He was also a Bishop and is a Saint. He composed the Pange Lingua of Good Friday, and the incomparably beautiful Easter hymn, Salve Festa Dies, which you will certainly hear after all these austerities are done with!The month of April is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, so we will sing Soul of my Savior at the recessional.

Laetare, Jerusalem! Rejoice, Jerusalem! So starts the Introit for today’s Mass. This Sunday marks the halfway point during lent, and so we are given a wee bit of a respite from Lent’s austerities. We still sing a Tract instead of the banished Alleluia. We will again sing Mass XVII, but the priest is not wearing the typical shade of violet! What is that color? It is rose (never to be called pink), and it is supposed to be a lighter shade of violet. So, still violet, but distinctively different, so as to set this Sunday aside as a day of rejoicing in the heart of the penitential season. Flowers, which are banned from the altar during Lent, are permitted on this day. And the organ, which is likewise banned during Lent, is permitted on this day.

This Sunday is also known as Mothering Sunday. This is owing to the Epistle, in which we are called sons of Mother Jerusalem and of the Free Woman. In Christian Europe, this was Mother’s Day. It still is in several countries. The celebration was brought to the United States in the middle of the last century and secularized, but the idea came from Mothering Sunday in Europe. We will honor Mary in her motherhood by singing Salve Mater. We will also sing a special hymn of rejoicing (Cantate Domino) in honor of the theme of rejoicing on this Sunday.

The feast of the Annunciation was on Monday, and so we will again honor Our Lady’s Annunciation musically. 

We don’t want to forget about St. Joseph on this last Sunday of the month dedicated to him. So we will also honor him with a hymn at the recessional.

Once again, today, there will be no organ. And once again, we will sing a Tract instead of the Alleluia. The priest will again be wearing violet, and as is usually the case when the priest wears violet, we will be singing Mass XVII, for which there is no Gloria.

We are still in the month of Saint Joseph, and we celebrated his feast last week, so we will again honor him. The feast of the Annunciation is tomorrow, and so we will honor Our Lady in her Annunciation as well. It is most fitting to honor her at the Offertory, and reserve the Communion as a time to honor Our Lord. But our selection in honor of Our Lady is a bit too long to sing at the Offertory, and so we will sing our hymn for her at the Communion, and if time allows, also sing a short hymn for Our Lord.

So, today, we honor Our Lord, Our Lady, and Saint Joseph, the Holy Family, the day before that Holy Family became a reality, the day before Our Lord was conceived.

We continue with our practices for Lent. The organ will be silent until Easter – with a couple of noteworthy exceptions, on Laetare Sunday and Holy Thursday. Of course, the Alleluia is suppressed entirely, until the Mass of the Pascal Vigil. The priest will again be wearing violet, and as is usually the case, we will be singing Mass XVII, which is only used during Advent and Lent. Note that there are two different versions of the Kyrie for Mass XVII. It’s entirely arbitrary, but customarily, here at St. Anthony’s, we sing Kyrie A during Advent, and Kyrie B during Lent.

After the Schola sings the Gregorian Offertory antiphon, the Choir will sing the same words, but in the form of a polyphonic hymn, Meditabor.

We will again honor St. Joseph, and will do so during communion. Note that whether at the Offertory or at the Communion, the proper antiphon is sung before any hymns are sung.

There are several things that are noteworthy about the music for this, the First Sunday of Lent. Probably the most remarkable is the length of the Tract. Sung briskly, it takes almost 13 minutes to complete. There is a similarly long Tract on Palm Sunday, but today’s edges that one out slightly in terms of overall duration. The Tract itself is drawn entirely from Psalm 90. This is the psalm that the devil speciously quotes from when he tempts Our Lord, as recounted in today’s Gospel (which, of course, immediately follows this Tract).

He hath given his angels charge over thee, and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Another interesting thing about the music today is that all of the propers (Introit, Gradual, Tract, Offertory and Communion) are all drawn from that same Psalm 90. This is one of the very few times throughout the year where all of the propers come from the same psalm. And of course, Psalm 90 also shows up in the Gospel. 

Also noteworthy today, we will begin singing Mass XVII, and the organ will be suppressed for most of Lent. It will make a brief appearance on Laetare Sunday, and again on Holy Thursday.