Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

196 Third Sunday after Easter
Alleluia at the end of the manuscripts. We became acquainted with it
and its jubilus in the Christmas season. While the verse has a different
close there, in today's melody the ending runs harmoniously into the
jubilus of Alleluia. Only the Lord can send redemption to His people;
rightly, therefore, are the words Redemptionem and Dominus and their
accented syllables brought into prominence.
SECOND ALLELUIA VERSE (Luke 24: 46)
1. Oportebat pati Christum, et re- 1. It behooved Christ to suffer
surgere a mortuis, 2. et ita intrare these things, 2. and so to enter into
in gloriam suam. his glory.
Codex 339 of St. Gall's does not mention this melody; Codex 121
of Einsiedeln, however, assigns it to the Wednesday of Easter Week.
With its rise to the tonic (e), its repetition of the major chord c-e-g, and
the use of similar motives, it reminds one of the Alleluia Amdvit eum in
the Mass for Doctors of the Church. Considered in this light, this Alleluia,
as well as the Amdvit eum, might be assigned to the C mode, with
its close on the third.
The jubilus has the form a abb c; part a has a pleasant interchange
of porrectus and torculus, while quiet seconds follow the energetic ascending
fifth in part b. Oportebat reminds us of Alleluia, intrare of the motive
a, mortuis shows the infleunce of b, and in gloriam repeats et ira. Some
have tried to show that the first half of the AWelma-jubilus with its low
pitch refers to the suffering (pati) and that the second (higher) half expresses
the joy of Easter. As far as musical comprehension of the text is
concerned, we had best consider the rendition from the standpoint of
declamation. We should rather stress Oportebat, and still more pati, and
place special emphasis on the words ita and gloriam. This is the way the
melody develops.
Christ was under no absolute obligation to suffer, but all His suffering
was included in God's plan of redemption, and hence "the servant of
God" (as Isaias calls the Messias) was impelled to fulfill this duty; it
became, so to say, a necessity (OporUbat). Now His work is done. Similarly,
the glory of the resurrection had to follow upon His suffering and
death, and it is on this glory that the Alleluia congratulates the Lord.
OFFERTORY (Ps. 145:2)
1. Lauda, anima mea, Dominum: 1. Praise the Lord, 0 my soul,
2. laudabo Dominum in vita mea: 2. in my life I will praise the Lord:
3. psallam Deo meo, quamdiu ero, 3. / will sing to my God as long as
alleluia. I shall be, alleluia.