Musical offering during Blessing of Stations of the Cross?
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    We just had some new Stations installed in our church and the pastor will be blessing them this weekend. During the incensing, he's asked for some music . . . suggestions for musical fare? Specifically, any chants that may be appropriate? Organ piece/improvisation on some chant? I'm all ears . . . well, eyes. : )
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Since I don't know if there is something specifically recommended by the Church for this function, I'll ask a followup "liturgy-committee"-type question...

    1. Should the music/text emphasize the community's joy in being blessed with this new devotional resource?
    OR
    2. Should the music reflect on the content of the Stations?

    1) would tend toward selections used for the dedication of a church
    2) would tend toward chants from Lent, Passion Sunday, and Good Friday
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    Crux Fidelis

    in Latin
    PBC: 58. CRUX FIDELIS, Hymn for Good Friday

    But since time is limited, sing it to the Pange Lingua melody...the old-timers will love it.
  • Chrism
    Posts: 872
    My suggestion is Adoramus Te by Dubois - there's an SATB setting in the St. Gregory Hymnal. Very easy to learn. The translation is "We adore Thee, O Christ ..." - so thus perfect for Stations.

    You could also do Stabat Mater - chant / At the Cross Her Station Keeping, Vexilla Regis / The Royal Banners Forward Go (both prescribed in the 1964 Roman Ritual for blessing of stations).

    Other possibilities: Lift High the Cross, O Sacred Head, Were you there (shudder). And there's another hymn about walking or following or being led, which I can't remember at this point.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    The Dubois is in The Catholic Choirbook 1, free download at www.thecatholicchoirbook.com

    Nice piece accessible for beginning choirs, a challenge as well for advanced ones. Good music.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,828
    I have a setting of the Stabat Mater for organ and flute. Will try to remember to post tomorrow. (on iPod at moment)
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    Vexilla sounds like it may be a winner . . . great chant!

    *Where could I find this chant set to its English translation?
  • ClemensRomanusClemensRomanus
    Posts: 1,023
    De Benedictionibus (Book of Blessings) indicates:

    +When the community has gathered, the hymn "Vexilla Regis" or some other suitable song may be sung.

    +After the prayer of blessing, as circumstances suggest, the celebrant my place incense in the censer and incense the crosses or images of the stations; during this time the following antiphon [it then gives "Crucem Tuam adoramus"] or some other antiphon or song, for example, the "Stabat Mater", is sung.

    +The devotion of the Way of the Cross then follows in the manner customary to the place. As a fitting conclusion there may be some reminder of the resurrection, for example, the singing of the hymn "Ad cenam Agni providi." Then the celebrant blesses the people.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,828
    Stabat Mater

    Can be performed with various instrumentation or organ and voice if you are good at handling a lot of counterpoint.

    You may set any three verses of the traditional words (in English), however, if you want a timeless and mysterious performance, I highly recommend the Latin.

    Here are the three I would choose for this piece.

    Stabat mater dolorosa
    juxta Crucem lacrimosa,
    dum pendebat Filius.

    Eia, Mater, fons amoris
    me sentire vim doloris
    fac, ut tecum lugeam.

    Fac, ut ardeat cor meum
    in amando Christum Deum
    ut sibi complaceam.

    And then actually, you can add a fourth verse by repeating the 1st part of the music a bit more slowly and using this text as the final verse and adding a G major chord for resolution.

    Christe, cum sit hinc exire,
    da per Matrem me venire
    ad palmam victoriae.

    To see an English translation of this text, go to:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabat_Mater

    You can hear it here:

    see and hear the score
    stabatMater.pdf
    232K
  • francis
    Posts: 10,828
    Here is the arrangement I was trying to explain (above) and how Koerber would perform Koerber. This adds another 30 seconds and you can hear it here:

    see and hear the score

    Hail, Mary, who is most honored!
    stabatMater4Vrs.pdf
    359K
  • Chrism
    Posts: 872
    *Where could I find [Vexilla Regis] set to its English translation?

    Still looking. I've misplaced my 1940 - it might be in there. There are at least two English translations in the same meter: The Royal Banners Forward Go and Abroad the Regal Banners Fly.

    In a pinch, you could probably set the translation to the chant melody yourself. If you want Gregorian notation, here's the gabc for the 1st verse of The Royal Banners Forward Go:

    name:The Royal Banners Forward Go;
    annotation: Hymn.;
    annotation: 1;
    %%
    (c4)THE(f) Ro(gh)yal(ixi) ban(hvGF')ners(g) for(ghg)ward(f) go(ed..) (;) The(g) Cross(g') shines(h) forth(fd) in(f) mys(ef)tic(d) glow(c.d.) (:) where(d) He(d') in(f) flesh,(dc) our(f) flesh(f!gh) who(g) made,(gf..) (;) our(f) sen(fhixiHG')tence(h) bore,(fd) our(f) ran(ef)som(d) paid.(c.d.) 2.(::)

    The forum user chonak has a service at http://gregorio.gabrielmass.com/ to turn gabc into chant pdf's. You just need to paste the above into the box, do the simple math to prove you're not a robot, click submit, and the score will be linked.

    If you like that, feel free to fill in the rest of the verses yourself following the pattern above.
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    Here's the Vexilla that I used . . .
    VexillaEnglish2.pdf
    177K
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