Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

344 Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
turn over (iniquiren)-tes. The coda of (cdpi)-te belongs to the wandering
melismas and occurs in almost all modes in the form of a cadence. The
ornate melody over (Aa)-ron frequently closes Graduals (compare
Timete for All Saints' Day and Domine praevenisti for the feast St. of
Joseph and in the Common of Abbots). A typical Alleluia melody of
the third mode, illustrated on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost,
has the same ending.
The melody of the verse is in no way tone-painting; it is almost too
imposing for the text which it accompanies; it disregards the typical in
the text; it practically disregards Aaron himself, the one on whom the
balsam flowed from beard to garment on the day of his consecration. It
aims primarily at portraying the blessings of the Communion of Saints,
the unity of the Church, the streams of grace and holiness and glory
which flow from the mystic Head, Christ, in loving generosity and with
unutterable sweetness upon all His members.
In the ancient manuscript this melody is assigned to the feast of
the martyrs John and Paul (June 26); it was also sung—according to
Codex 121 of Einsiedeln—in a votive high Mass De Caritdte: for Charity.
ALLELUIA VERSE (Ps. 113: 11)
1. Qui timent Dominum, sperent 1. They that fear the Lord, let
in eo: 2. adjutor et protector eorum them hope in him: 2. he is their
est. helper and protector.
Compare the melody of the Alleluia-verse for the sixteenth Sunday
after Pentecost with that of today. Without doubt we should have given
melodic preponderance to the second phrase of our present text. The
melody does not sound like an exhortation, but speaks rather of a comforting
sense of security under the protecting hand of God.
St. Paul opened the Epistle with the words: "We are confident in
the Lord Jesus, that He who hath begun a good work in you will perfect
it unto the day of Christ Jesus." The verse generalizes this same thought.
If the fear of God brings forth the same fruits as it did with the Philippians;
if it leads to this, that "charity may more and more abound in
knowledge and in all understanding"; if one is "sincere and without
offense unto the day of Christ," filled with the fear of the Lord—then
this fear serves "unto the glory and praise of God," then there is good
reason for the confidence which regards God as the indefatigable Helper
and universal Protector unto the day of the coming of Christ.
OFFERTORY (Esther 14: 12, 13)
1. Recordare mei, Domine, omni 1. Remember me, O Lord, thou
potentatui dominans: 2. da ser- who rulest above all power: 2. and