Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

14 First Sunday of Advent
the clouds of heaven "with great power and majesty." Then all the world
will see that no one who trusts in God is ever confounded. Then those
who put their faith in men will stand abashed. Then the longing of all
those (universi) who were turned toward God will be fulfilled and all the
desires (exspectant) of the human heart will find their complete satisfaction
in God.
The antiphon is formed of the first verses of Psalm 24. In cases of
this kind, the verse which immediately follows generally supplies the
psalm-verse for the Introit. Here, however, the fourth has been chosen,
the preceding verse having been passed by, most likely because it expresses
the same thought as its predecessors.
According to the Vatican edition this virile melody is divided into
three phrases, all having the same range and stressing the full step below
the tonic. This gives added firmness to the chant. The first and third
phrases have almost the same closing cadence. Meam and met close on /.
The most ancient reading, according to the German tradition of the
Middle Ages, has this Introit rising from a low pitch (d c f g), like other
Introits of the eighth mode, e.g., those of Palm Sunday and of Whitsunday.
Amen at the close of the psalm-verse has not the usual cadence,
but g a d f f g, which acts as an introduction to the repetition of the
antiphon. The fact that this cadence is given here indicates that in its
original form this Introit began on low d, thus representing the lifting
up of the soul to God in a more graphic manner. Animam seems like a
reverent look at God, while meam is filled with childlike submission. We
become more fully conscious of the force in confido if we first sing its
half tone and full tone in the reverse order c b\? b\> a, and then sing th
notes as given. After b a, non has a triumphant ring. The same spirit is
retained in the following phrase, which sets in with an interval of a
fourth and twice has a vibrating tristropha. Thus this prayer almost
becomes a command: Lord, Thou canst not do otherwise than help me
against my enemies.
Revue, 19, 69 ff.
As an antithesis to g-c over animam we have c-g over (irrlde)
-ant me.
Rhythmically the close over (inimi)-ci mei is related to (con)-fido.
Now the song becomes more serene. The final phrase has no more large
intervals, no more bistrophas or tristrophas. Characteristic of it are the
thirds and the upward tendency of / a g, g b a, g a c, after bed, which
in the rendition should receive a powerful crescendo. Thus the Advent
idea (exspectant) is brought luminously into the foreground, and with
the conviction that the preceding petition will be granted, the song
comes to a close.