Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

332 Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
people. He solemnly confesses also that God is absolutely just (in vero
judicio) in punishing His sinful people with exile and all the hardships
accompanying it. How much lamenting and murmuring would be
stilled if we would contritely acknowledge our guilt and, like Daniel
and the thief on the cross, humbly confess: We indeed suffer justly, for
we receive the due reward for our deeds!
Large intervals and strong emphasis on the dominant characterize
the peculiar style of the first phrase. It is as though the singer felt the
mighty hand of the Lord. To a great extent this phrase sounds like the
second in the Introit for the tenth Sunday after Pentecost.
The second phrase is more subdued. Only twice, in fact, does it
reach the tenor: "We have sinned against thee and we have not obeyed
thy commandments." In contrast to the c of the first phrase, a, a third
below the dominant, here predominates.
The third phrase and the beginning of the fourth, on the contrary,
exhibit great solemnity in the slowly ascending seconds, in the stress on
the dominant, in the repetition of the same, and the similar melodic
lines over da gloriam and nomini: "Give glory to Thy name." But how
can any new splendor be added to the name of God? How can it gain in
dignity? In this, simply, that God pities and forgives, that He pours
upon us the full measure of His mercy. Hence it is that the Introit prays
so solemnly, so fervently, so earnestly, especially with the words et fac.
Similar sentiments are expressed in the preliminary prayers: "Show unto
us, O Lord, Thy mercy, and grant us Thy salvation." In order to lessen
the monotony of the neums over secundum multitudinem within the tetrachord
e-a, it is well to stress the neums appearing over the word-accents.
Misericordiae is much more effective: a longing expectation of God's
mercy. If the first part of the Introit spoke of a just God, the second
part turns to a merciful God. Before the beginning of the fourth phrase
the melody descends to low d. Thus is created a contrast, which makes
the following phrase so much the more effective, (cf. p. 4).
Then the psalm-verse sings of the happiness attendant upon a
spotless mode of life. To a certain extent such a life is a foretaste of the
life to come, and this thought confers a special consecration and a solemn
ring to Our song of praise (Da gloriam ndmini tuo).
The syllables which carry the accent are higher in almost every
instance than those immediately following; often also higher than the
syllable which precedes the accented one.
GRADUAL
This melody was explained on the feast of Corpus Christi. Perhaps
it is a remnant of a prayer at the agapae or love feasts, at which the