Question about Lent V Communion Chant
  • Claire H
    Posts: 368

    So in the SEP there are three options for the Communion chant for the 5th Sunday of Lent, and there is also an SATB arrangement by Aristotle Esguerra, subtitled from the Graduale Simplex, that is different from any of those ("Father, if this chalice cannot pass...").

    I'm a little confused about which text option to use -- actually, the music I am planning is for a weekday Mass the Friday or Saturday of that week. Advice, please?

    Also, because I am trying to better understand the sources of the propers, is it often that the texts found in SEP would be different from those of the Graduale Simplex?
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    Well, it gets worse :¬) Lenten ferias have daily propers (see the Graduale Romanum and the Roman Missal, whose proper antiphon texts you may sing in the Dioceses of the United States).

    If you use the SEP (which doesn't give the daily propers from the Graduale Romanum), using the communion proper on p. 85, "If a Man Would Serve Me". The psalm verses for this proper tie particularly well to the Gospels of both days.

    A Graduale Simplex proper that echoes the theme in the Gospel also may be suitable. If you go that route, here are my recommendations:


    *It's labeled as an Introit, but the vast majority of the Simplex antiphons actually are sourced from the Divine Office, so I'm not too worried about the designation. The texts from the SEP will very often vary from those of the Graduale Simplex.
  • Ioannes Andreades
    Posts: 310
    At the end of the music in the Graduale Simplex for Ash Wednesday, it says, "Hi cantus resumi possunt in omnibus feriis temporis Quadragesimae," which means that the songs of Ash Wednesday can be repeated on all of the weekdays (feriae) of lent. Thus, the same holds true for By Flowing Waters or Mr. Esguerra's SATB versions of the Ash Wednesday music.

    That said, there is an ancient tradition that the ferial communion antiphons of lent run numerically from Psalm 1 on Ash Wednesday until the Friday of the 5th week, psalm 27 (26V) being the communion for that Friday. This situation was in place before Pope Gregory II in the 8th century who added Thursday masses to lent (the communion for Wed. of the 5th week is psalm 26 (25V)!). There's something very ancient about singing psalm 27 that Friday, and it's actually not one of the hardest communions in the Roman Gradual.

    Just throwing it out there.
    Thanked by 2Aristotle Esguerra CHGiffen
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    As mentioned by Joannes Andreades, here are links to my SATB adaptations of the Ash Wednesday propers from the Graduale Simplex which may be used for all Lenten weekdays:


    The chant assigned for the blessing and imposition of ashes might be used as an ad libitum offertory or communion if desired, perhaps cycling through the verses throughout the span of a week.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Claire H
    Posts: 368
    Aristotle and Ioannes,

    Thank you for your answers. I wish we could use the missal anitphons for the day if musical versions are available...are any that you could point me to? (Particularly the Communion; it is so beautiful).

    Introit:
    O Lord, do not stay afar off; my strength, make haste to help me! For I am a worm and no man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

    Communion:
    Christ was handed over, to gather into one the scattered children of God.

    I'm also wondering if there's music somewhere around for the Psalm of the Day "The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards His flock". I could just chant it off the cuff, but would like to have something to give my choristers...
  • Claire H
    Posts: 368

    Or does anyone want to set a version of the Communion for me?? ;)
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    I'd be happy to adapt one of the SEP melodies for it. It shouldn't be to hard...

    Assuming I don't run into any musical snags, I'll try and do both the introit ("O Lord, do ... the people.") and the communion ("Christ was ... children of God.") by tonight.
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Any ideas for psalm verses anyone? I'll include them as well if Claire (or someone else) knows of good ones to use with the antiphons. If I don't hear anything, I'll just include the verses from the Lent V Sunday propers.

    edit: the introit is based off of Ps 21: 20, 7, so I'll use psalm 21 for the introit. Any ideas for the communion?

    edit: just ended up using Ps 21 on both, since it seemed to fit thematically.
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Completed:
    Lent V, Saturday Introit and Communion using the Roman Missal Antiphons
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    Some other possible verse pairings for the Missal communion (RGP numbering below):

    - Psalm 50(49):1–6, 14–15 (etc.)
    - Psalm 80(79):2–3, 4, 9–16, 18–20, (etc.)
    – Psalm 107(106):1–9, (etc.)
    - Psalm 147(146)
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