Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost 339
the entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem. For this reason Psalm 113,
the first verse of which is here employed, is sung in some localities at
funerals. This eschatological conception fits extremely well to the
thoughts which permeate the close of the liturgical year.
Psalm 113, from which this verse is taken, was among those said at
the eating of the Paschal lamb, which Christ Himself therefore sang
with His Apostles at the Last Supper before His exitus, before His departure
from this earth.
Cardinal Schuster (The Sacramentary, III, 180) comments strikingly
on the words de populo bdrbaro: "As far as purely exterior culture is concerned,
the Egyptians were far in advance of the Jews. And yet the subjects
of the Pharaohs are called a barbarous people by the Scriptures.
For material and artistic progress is not the only criterion of true culture,
but rather spiritual life and spiritual development. From this standpoint
the Israelites far surpassed the most famous nations of antiquity and
thereby proved that their faith was supernatural."
The melody over the word alleluia sounds as if it might have been
borrowed from the fourth mode. As a matter of fact, the Alleluia Amdvit
eum from the Mass for a Doctor has almost an identical tone-sequence.
Twice more in the jubilus we meet the pressus dd c; it confers a strong
accent. In every instance, however, it is introduced differently, thus
avoiding monotony. The jubilus has two parts, the first of which has
three subdivisions: the fourth in subdivision b is rounded out by means
of connecting notes in b 1 ; in c the motive thus produced appears a second
higher. We shall have to consider the repetition of d ff an augmentation
rather than an echo.
Neither alleluia nor its verse is conspicuous for any particular ardor.
But a lively tempo is to be recommended, for we are singing a song of
thanksgiving. Very striking is the development over ex Aegypto with a
fifth on the insignificant ex and then the descending fourth. We are to
consider, it seems, what the words "out of Egypt" really signify. The
chord of resolution over populo has a joyous ring.
OFFERTORY (Job 1)
1. Vir erat in terra nomine Job, 1. There was a man in the land
2. simplex et rectus, ac timens whose name was Job, 2. simple and
Deum: 3. quern Satan petiit, ut upright, and fearing God: 3. whom
tentaret: 4. et data est ei potestas a Satan sought that he might tempt:
Domino in facultate et in came 4 and power was given him from
ejus: 5. perdiditque omnem sub- the Lord over his possessions and
stantiam ipsius, et filios: 6. car- his flesh: 5. and he destroyed all