Psallat Ecclesia - Dedication sequence for a new church
  • I'm working on a CD of solo Gregorian Chant to help fundraise for our new church. I'm concentrating on sequences as I enjoy the musical variation in them compared to the typical antiphon-verse chant, like Gloria Laus from Palm Sunday.

    Amazon had a chant CD by Ars Gregoriana entitled Sequentia which contained Psallat Ecclesia - a sequence that I felt should fittingly be the title of the CD. I found a score which isn't quite the same as chanted on the CD. A little more digging and it appears the chant was composed by Nokter and an early MS has it in St Gallen notation - which is way beyond me.
    https://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/sbe/0366//47

    However, a later St Gallen MS has it in more recognisable neumes.
    https://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/csg/1758/475/0/Sequence-754

    I had found a score of Psallat Ecclesia in Musica Sacra's Summer 2007, Volume 134, Number 2 edition. Page 32. Online via Scribd. The chant is not quite as per the CD which more closely resembles that in the later St Gallen MS. The lyrics have a major difference too. At the end of v4 it is "diu" instead of "Domini" which changes the meaning of that verse. The CD booklet sadly has the comment "No authorised translation found by the editor".

    Has anyone got an English translation of this please - apart from the translation as per the above Musica Sacra edition. Alternatively, could someone please tell me how "diu" changes the meaning of v4 from "Domini."

    I've included Latin lyrics I found online that match the St Gallen MS. Helpfully, they contain the stress marks missing in the Musica Sacra score. I've interwoven the lyrics as helpfully translated in the Musica Sacra article by Clarence Zaar.

    Psallat Ecclésia, mater illibáta et virgo sine ruga, honórem hujus Ecclésiæ!
    Sing praises, Church, mother inviolate & virgin without wrinkle, to the honor of this temple.

    Hæc domus áulæ cœléstis probátur partíceps,
    This house is esteemed for sharing, with the celestial court,

    In laude regis cœlórum et cerimóniis
    in the praise and ceremony paid to the King of heaven.

    Et lúmine contínuo æmúlans civitátem sine tenébris
    And light continual, emulating the city without shadows.

    Et córpora in grémio confóvens animárum quæ in Cœlo vivunt.
    And cherishing in her bosom the bodies of souls that in heaven live.

    Quam dextra protégat Dei ad laudem ípsius diu!
    May God's right hand protect her, to the praise ???

    Hic novam prolem grátia partúrit fœcúnda Spíritu Sancto
    Here the new progeny of grace is born, made fruitful by the Holy Spirit.

    Ángeli cives visítant hic suos et corpus súmitur Jesu.
    Angels here visit their fellow citizens, and the body of Jesus is received,

    Fúgiunt univérsa córpori nócua:
    All that can harm the body flees;

    Péreunt peccatrícis ánimæ crímina.
    the guilt of the sinful soul is destroyed.

    Hic vox lætítiæ persónat:
    Here the voice of gladness resounds;

    Hic pax et gáudia redúndant.
    Here peace and joy overflow.

    Hac domo Trinitáti laus et glória semper resúltant.
    To the house of the Trinity, let honor and glory always resound.

    Amen. Allelúja.

    Thanks - John

    PS Perhaps fortuitously, our parish's patron saint is St Francis of Assisi. Thomas de Celano composed several Franciscan sequences which I hope to include. However, a lot to learn - each is almost twice the length of Lauda Sion.

    Also - apologies for a very long first post!
    Thanked by 2Paul F. Ford chonak
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    Welcome!

    "diu" means "a long time", and since it has the same vowels as "vivunt", I suppose it's a sort of rhyme. I think it's meant to be associated with "Quam", so that the line could be rendered:

    Long may God's right hand protect her, unto His praise!
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,703
    Psallat Ecclesia appears in the following manuscripts, unfortunately the links to online manuscripts have not been added, so you will have to look through manually,
    http://cantus.uwaterloo.ca/sequence/631069 OR http://cantus.uwaterloo.ca/id/ah53247

    Here is the page from the Analecta Hymnica with discussion of the textual differences between manuscripts, https://archive.org/details/analectahymnicam5253drev/page/398

    We have 3 books of Sequences using Chant notation (not Solesmes) Sadly this sequence is not in the Sarum Sequentiarium, and is not in the book with all the Adam of St Victor Sequences, or "Cantus Varii, Romano-Seraphicum.

    Links to the above 3 books here,
    This first link is for the Adam de Saint Victor Sequences, melodies are at the back,
    https://archive.org/details/lesprosesdadamd00aubrgoog
    English Translations here, note all 3 volumes are online, this links to the second
    https://archive.org/details/liturgicalpoetry02adamuoft
    Sarum Sequences here,
    https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/bitstream/11375/16149/1/Sequentiarium.pdf
    A book with other sequences is this, Iam unable to add a link (see below)
    Cantus_varii_in_usu_apud_Nostrates_ab_or.pdf
    N.B. Google while kind enough to scan this book and put it online, restricts access, if you are in the U.K. it will tell you no e-book or .pdf exists. If you are in the U.S. or have access to the Harvard library you will gain access. I got my copy using the Torr browser.
  • so you will have to look through manually


    Thanks - could only find one MS with images - another one in St Gallen notation but with the notes in the margin rather than above the text. A contrast to the first StG one I found. I've got a working "neume" copy which is all I need.

    The Sarum Sequences link was missing pdf at the end but I took a stab it might be that and downloaded it. Thanks.

    I have pdfs of 2 Romano-Seraphicum editions. Psallat Ecclesia was not in either, as you said, but I noticed there was a big section devoted to St Francis of Assisi, which will be helpful.

    Thanks also for the Tor hint tomjaw! Successful on my second attempt.
    Thanked by 2tomjaw CHGiffen
  • Big find in the Cantus_varii_in_usu_apud_Nostrates_ab_or.pdf!

    P234 - Fregit Victor Virtualis - one of the Franciscan chants attributed to Thomas de Celano.

    The only neume version I had was pieced together from the Ecclesiologist - XCIV Feb 1853 - and it wasn't in a helpful format.
    I was also given a modern notation version as transcribed from Nijmegen MS402 by Ulrike Hascher-Burger but this Cantus Varii version will be a big help in getting the chant sound right.
    Thanked by 2tomjaw CHGiffen
  • I've grabbed quite a few through CCWatershed links and from an online table of chant resources by year. I think I have both of the above seraphicum volumes.

    Thanks for the Dominican link. I'll explore those.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw