Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

176 Holy Saturday
The prescribed time of silence is over and the organ again booms forth
to join in the jubilation. Great joy and solemnity accompany the salutation
Agnus Dei in the Gloria today, for Christ h?s shown Himself to
be the true Lamb; He has sacrificed Himself for us.
ALLELUIA
H w shall we adequately render this word of praise? We should
like to nnounce it to the whole world with cries of vehement exultation.
And 01 • chant? The melody sets in with the minor third, known to us
from t Preface. Later editions of plain song that begin with a fourth
are in rror. After the first few notes we might surely expect a greater
interva
This is
fhere is an interval of a fourth.
gner 1 but the melody again sinks back and repeats the same formula,
followed not by a quiet clivis, but an onward-urging pes; finally
has called attention to the fact that the melody over Alle-
agrees
bilus o
A
vith that of the Per omnia saecula saeculorum, and that the ju-
a bears some resemblance to the Dignum et justum.
this would depict for us the Church just awaking from a deep
sleep, and not yet realizing that after so many days of enforced silence
she is again allowed to sing Alleluia. The Alleluia is repeated three times,
each ti ne in a higher pitch, making it necessary to begin in a subdued,
low pit ;h. 2 But steadily the joy grows, steadily the jubilation increases.
And once the climax has been reached, the melody continues impressively
on hig c with Confitemini (Ps. 117, 1).
l.G tfitemini Domino, quoniam 1. Praise ye the Lord, because He
bonus: 2. quoniam in saeculum mi- is good: 2. because his mercy en-
sericoriia
ejus. dureth for ever.
T e first half of either verse has the same close, in which there
seems o re-echo a motive of the preceding Tract. The whole ends with
the find motive of Alleluia. The text is explained in the verse of the
Gradual for Easter Sunday.
TRACT (Ps. 116: 1-2)
1. Laudate Dominum omnes gen- 1. Praise the Lord all ye Gentiles:
tes:\eicollaudateeumomnespopuli. f and praise him all ye people. 2.
2. Qwniam confirmata est super Because his mercy is confirmed
nos m sericordia ejus: f & veritas upon us: f and the truth of the Lord
Domim manet in aeternum. remaineth for ever.
iin, 97.
2 Another interpretation would hear in this threefold repetition the blast of trumpets.