Are there any music compositions of the English Antiphons for the sprinkling rite, such as "I saw water flowing" that are public domain or that are at least worthy of suggestion? Has anyone composed any that would be willing to share?
How pervasive is that "I saw water" song? I heard it for the first time last year at some point and marveled at its evaporating quality. More remarkable still is that people are using this thing all year even though the text is for Pascal sprinkling only .
Jeffrey: The antiphon linked in Adam's post seems quite good as far as setting this text goes. And it's faithful to the melody attached to the original Latin.
There must be another setting to which you refer, perhaps?
Our choir director, during a visit to NY city, experienced, for him, a revolting moment at St. Patrick's Cathedral a few years ago. At the sprinkling rite the melody used was Cat Steven's "Morning has broken" - the text commencing with "Baptismal water...."
He described this experience for himself as a sign that church music has reached its nadir - we'll never get any lower than this.
Richard I like your setting very much. I'm wondering though, if those would be the correct verses for Easter Vigil Rite?
We have been singing the setting from Joncas Mass "Praise and Thanksgiving" for years and years and I am thoroughly sick of it- It's the only part we use - a leftover from previous director. Because it's so short, I have never remembered to find something new until it's too late. The verses are some praise things like 'seas and rivers bless the Lord,' etc.
Thanks for the feedback, Donna. For Easter Vigil, the Paschaltide text, Vidi aquam, is used. The Sacramentary is pretty coy about assigning proper texts for the sprinkling rite, but the Graduale Romanum (1974) is clear enough: p. 194, "After the renewal of baptismal promises, the priest asperges [if that's a verb] the people with blessed water, while all sing: Antiphon, Vidi aquam, as on 708..." I'll see about setting the proper text.
There is a very nice setting of Vidi aquam in English by Leo Nestor. Check with the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, D.C., or with Dr. Nestor at Catholic University of America, if you can't find it online somewhere.
Dear Richard, I think you have only omitted the beg, verse about Hyssop! I actually consulted our Hymnal Ritualsong, and there it is in plainsong form in English as well as Latin. Your setting however is beautiful and I would like to use it this year, as we always publish a booklet for Triduum
Most modern translations of the Asperges text, which comes from Psalm (50)51, omit the hyssop business, sadly, as does the Grail Psalter. The Vidi aquam comes from Ezekiel, more or less, and should be the text used in Paschal time. Here's a setting, more choral than the other, but which could be sung in unison with organ.
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