Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

30 Third Sunday of Advent
ment of the coming of the bridegroom is realistically indicated, but the
leading idea: "Go ye forth to meet Christ the Lord," suffers thereby.
The Communion Quinque prudentes Virgines, on the contrary, brings it
into prominence in a most captivating manner. The antiphon on the
feast of the Transfiguration portrays the Lord's going up to the summit
of a hill, but the Transfiguration itself is given less attention. On the
feast of the Ascension the Magnificat antiphon for second Vespers draws
a picture of Christ's ascent; the accompnaying petition, however: "Leave
us not orphans," which is less developed melodically, deserves more fervent
expression. St. Peter's, where the liturgy is celebrated today, perhaps
suggested tone-painting. There, gleaming from the mosaic above
the altar, was a representation of the Lord ruling from His heavenly
throne. Still, the composer may not have intended this as tone-painting
so much as a development of the thought that God thrones above the
Cherubim in absolute quiet, transcending all change and transitoriness,
perfectly happy in Himself, needing nothing to add to His bliss. If we,
notwithstanding His august majesty, are the recipients of untold favors
at His hands, that but makes His goodness appear all the more brilliant
before our eyes.
Owing to its abundance of melismas, the verse predominates over the
corpus, although it has the same range. Its first phrase is the arsis, the
rising, and closes on the dominant; its second phrase is the thesis, the
relaxation, or rest, and closes on the tonic. In the verse we should have
stressed the word intende, as it is done, for instance, in the Gradual for
the vigil of Christmas. The technique of Gradual-verses, however, calls
for a florid melisma at the beginning. Today we have time to consider
how God led His people, how long they wandered in the desert until they
finally reached the Promised Land. The same florid melisma stands at
the beginning of the verse on the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost.
Similarly prolonged passages occur in the Gradual for Wednesday after
the third Sunday of Lent. The bending upward of the last note of a
group is peculiar to the melisma over regis: deb g a, b a g a g f g, a c a fg,
dedebedd. A feeling of relaxation is introduced by the clivis over
intende, though not yet a feeling of perfect rest. The melody over (de)~
duds merely repeats what was sung toward the end of the first member
of regis.
ALLELUIA VERSE
1. Excita, Domine, potentiam 1. Stir up thy might, 0 Lor&>
tuam, 2. et veni, 3. ut salvos facias 2. and come, 3. that thou mayest
nos. save us.