Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

140 Fourth Sunday in Lent
The desire of the singer is the attainment of peace and prosperity;
for peace without prosperity is quiet misery, and prosperity without
peace is unenjoyable happiness, as St. Chrysostom says. In the mouth
of the Israelites, returning from exile, this psalm was a jubilant greeting
to Sion. Peace has again entered the hearts of many during these holy
weeks before Easter. They have gone into the house of the Lord, and
God with His grace has again entered into their hearts. They have been
filled with divine consolation in the reception of Holy Communion.
The Gradual is a preparation for the Gospel of this Sunday, which
recounts the miraculous multiplication of the loaves, is a preparation
for the institution of the Holy Eucharist and its never-failing peace.
We hear it again in the votive Mass for peace.
TRACT (Ps. 124: 1, 2)
1. Qui ccnfidunt in Domino sicnt 1. They that trust in the Lord shall
mons Sicn: f non ccmmoiehitur in be as Mount Sion: f he shall not be
aeternum, f qui habitat in Jerusa- moved for ever f that dwelleth in
lem. 2. Monies in circuitu ejus: f Jerusalem. 2. Mountains are round
et Dcminus in circuitu populi sui, about it: f so the Lord is round about
f ex hoc nunc et usque in saecu- His people, f from henceforth now
lum. and forever.
The intervals of fourths over monies endeavor to picture for us the
jagged mountains. Over sui we meet an easily recognizable form of what
Ernst Kurth, in his Grundlagen des linearen Kontrapunktes (pp. 26 ff.),
calls "Schleuderbewegung." We receive the impression that there is a
gathering and concentration of forces in preparation for the leap of the
interval. Codex 339 of St. Gall's here uses only light neums to be sung
straight on, evidently requiring a fluent and impelling rendition, reminiscent
of the preparatory twirls of a sling.
OFFERTORY (Ps. 134: 3, 6)
1. Laudate Dominum quia be- 1. Praise ye the Lord, for he is
nignus est: 2. psallite nomini ejus good: 2. sing ye to his Name, for
quoniam suavis est: 3. omnia quae- he is sweet: 3. whatsoever he pleased,
cumque voluit, fecit in caelo et in he hath done in heaven and on
terra. earth.
The introductory word Laudate is significant from a twofold consideration:
on account of its rich melody and its extended range. Both
these elements, however, are lacking as the melody progresses. It never
passes beyond the range of a fifth. It would seem that it was not so much