Can you identify this setting of "Victimae Paschali Laudes"?
  • Imperator
    Posts: 11
    Hello, folks. I recently encountered this video of a recording of "Victimae Paschali Laudes", the sequence for Easter Sunday, on YouTube and was thoroughly awe-inspired. It would be neat to sing this for Easter Sunday. Can anyone identify exactly what it is?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWmFDlCgKwM
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,204
    There's something very French-sounding about it. Anyone who's familiar with any of the Cochereau recordings from his Notre Dame days will know what I'm talking about. In his recordings sequences, hymns and the like are done in this kind of alternation between larger and smaller forces. The organ also sounds rather French to me. When he was at Notre Dame he had a lot of work done to the organ, including the addition of some rather brittle upper work. The other clue is the 3/4 rhythm, which is I believe a French trademark.
  • richardUKrichardUK
    Posts: 85
    I was hoping I'd be able to help, but I'm stumped. I agree with the above poster, it sounds "French". I have just posted your message on another choral/church music forum with largely UK membership, maybe someone there might know. It's a lovely setting.
  • Palestrina
    Posts: 364
    It sounds like the chant is being interpreted in terms of the Medieval rhythmic modes to me, with use of 4-part harmony, and the alternation between male and female voices reminds me of medieval church drama, which did something similar for this particular sequence, to emphasise a "dialogue" between different people within the sequence itself. It's nice, but may well be one of those things that a composer never got around to publishing because it was intended for "in house" use only. It certainly could serve as a model for setting other sequences of the Liturgical Year. I like the way that the chant melody is so obviously the basis of the entire composition.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    You know, listening to this, it's nice in many ways, but mainly as a change of pace. In other words, I suspect that this approach is more suitable when people already know the tune. And today people do not, at least not 99% of Catholics. If I had to choose, I would say it is far more important that people hear and comprehend the fundamental melody of the chant itself. Maybe on the 10th year or 20th year etc...
  • RobertRobert
    Posts: 343
    I've heard hymns like Pange Lingua, Ave Maris Stella and the Veni Sancte Spiritus sequence sung in a similarly metric rhythmic interpretation, by a German schola. My understanding was that it is based on a theory of how these melodies were originally sung. I remember reading that the melody for Pange Lingua (the Holy Thursday one) was a pre-Christian marching tune used by the Roman army, with the opening words "Ave, Caesar..." So the tempo would be regimented and march-like rather than the free rhythm we're used to. I wish I could find the reference again!
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,464
    I can't place it, but I think it is from a hymnal. Many cong. versions are put into 3/4 (why I don not know)
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,183
    Watching the mass from Notre Dame this evening, they sang a 3/4 setting of the sequence. Interesting, similar to the link provided.
  • lichtenstek
    Posts: 6
    https://musescore.com/molnarm/scores/96768
    Thanked by 2eft94530 StimsonInRehab
  • Chaswjd
    Posts: 254
    We do something similar:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3TdBpoJnkc

    Our director is the composer. I am reasonably confident that he would share the score.
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,032
    Here's another score of the piece. Also, see this previous discussion on the Forum.
  • Aaron
    Posts: 110
    Here is my parish from yesterday doing the Cochereau arrangement.
    https://youtu.be/J7YdTlD2h0I?t=1531
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,183
    Not Cochereau...Chanoine Jehan Revert from Notre Dame de Paris.
    Thanked by 1Aaron
  • Ioannes Andreades
    Posts: 310
    In terms of the word stress, the Gregorian setting better allows the singer(s) to stress the correct syllable. The setting in the video has a sing-song stress that often falls on the wrong syllable. I think this setting should be avoided.

    VICtimae pasCHAli LAUdes
    IMmolent ChristiAni.

    Agnus reDEmit Oves:
    CHRIStus INnocens PAtri
    reconciliAvit peccaTOres.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,767
    It's a question in my mind whether the Franks really chanted redemit so differently from mors et vita.
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