Good Friday Communion at the Vatican: source?
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 1,001
    At the Good Friday liturgy at the Vatican with Pope Francis, the first mode antiphon Diviserunt sibi (Ps. 22 [21], 19) was sung as Communion Antiphon, with verses from Psalm 22 (21):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnzA0LQ1NfA

    Here's the musical score of the antiphon:

    image

    "They divide my clothing among them, they cast lots for my robe". It's a wonderful text to be used as an antiphon on Good Friday, and - though the liturgical books only suggest using Psalm 22 (21) without giving specific texts for any antiphons – this might form a good example to follow.

    However, I wonder where this particular chant comes from. So far, I could only find the same text set to another, eight mode melody, used as second antiphon ad matutinum in I nocturno of Feria sexta in Passione et Morte Domini (Good Friday), see Ordo Hebdomadae Sanctae (1957), p. 201:

    image

    Where did the Vatican take its antiphon from? Is this a new composition, just like we saw at the opening Mass of the Year of Faith? Any ideas?
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    I used this exact same antiphon in my settings for communionantiphons.org :

    http://www.communionantiphons.org/uploads/5/7/6/8/5768367/good_friday_of_the_lords_passion.pdf

    I know it's the same one because it's also in Mode VIII. It is taken from a responsory from Matins on Good Friday, which earlier Graduals suggested for music during distribution of Holy Communion on Good Friday. The current Graduale suggests simply Psalm 22. There's no reason not to use both.
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,189
    Is it Ant. ad Mag. Gaude felix Mater Ecclesiae, from the Dominican festum Coronæ Domini? Pretty close.
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