"Ego sum vitis vera" accompaniment?
  • Mark M.Mark M.
    Posts: 632
    Does anybody have any sort of accompaniment available for this Sunday's communion chant, "Ego sum vitis vera"…?

    I'm pretty sure this Sunday's communion chant is nowhere to be found in the Nova Organi Harmonia. And we've discussed this chant on the forums here before. Dvalerio tells us in this thread and this one too that the chant itself belonged to the Thursday of the fifth week of Easter (in the old calendar, presumably); this thread says (among other things) that it's in the Graduale for the Dominican Rite for St. Mark the Evangelist; Oblash says in this thread that it's one of his favorite communion chants.

    Any assistance here on finding an accompaniment, though, would be appreciated! (Otherwise, it's alius cantus aptus for me, or a terra incognito adventure into improvisation for our organist!)

    EDIT: I should note that I've been trying to download that 1950 Dominican Graduale (as linked in some of those threads above), just to see if there's any accompaniment there -- but I'm having some technical troubles (and that file seems to be really large).
  • ScottKChicago
    Posts: 349
    Someone shared this with me today: a YouTube video of the monks of the Monastery of the Holy Cross here in Chicago talking about and singing this chant. Sounds beautiful, especially in their church's acoustics.
    Thanked by 1Mark M.
  • Mark M.Mark M.
    Posts: 632
    Thank you, Scott… very beautiful indeed!

    In the video, Fr. Peter mentioned that this chant was previously the communion chant for the feast of St. Vitalis. However, I looked up the music for both saints by that name in the NOH, and still didn't find an accompaniment.

    Looks like we'll be singing that chant in Year C as well, so unless anyone is able to find an extant accompaniment, I very well may try to conjure up one myself between now and then. (Or perhaps JMO, who is prolific, generous, and has a special knack for writing NOH-style accompaniments, might consider tackling this!)
  • Mark P.
    Posts: 248
    Is the accompaniment found in the 1985 "Graduale Romanum Comitante Organo?" This is very fine volume that conforms to the 1974 gradual. It's in three volumes but, if memory serves, most Sundays are in Volume 1.
    Thanked by 1Mark M.
  • Mark M.Mark M.
    Posts: 632
    Wow… that's a good idea. I hadn't thought of that. And I do remember seeing that "GRCO" resource at a Catholic bookstore a few years back. Too bad (for me at least) that it's not a free download. But I'll take a look, next time I see it.

    Incidentally, I was able to download the 1950 Dominican Graduale as I mentioned above. There, a somewhat simpler version of "ego sum vitis" is included as the communion chant for the feast of St. Marci, Evangelist (April 25th). But again, I don't see that chant when cross-referencing that saint and that date back to the NOH.
  • Ted
    Posts: 202
    The Graduale Romanum Comitante Organo has all the Sundays of the year covered. You will find the accompaniment for this chant in vol 2. Paraclete Press occasionally has sales on these books.
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