Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

420 St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
ciples could hardly expect that the publication of such a miraculous
event would obtain credence; without doubt they would be scoffed at as
visionaries and dreamers. Our Lord could not permit the manifestation
of His holiness to become a subject of ridicule. After He had risen from
the dead, however, and had thus proved Himself to be the Son of God,
then the knowledge of His transfiguration would no longer cause surprise.
The fact that He had predicted not only His death but also His
glorious resurrection would then serve to confirm and corroborate His
divine dignity (J. B. Hirscher, Betrachtungen ueber die sonntaeglichen
Evangelien, p. 170.).
The event on Mount Tabor, however, was only a type of the beauty
which the transfigured Saviour displayed on Easter morning, which
henceforth needs to be kept secret no longer. Easter morn has come,
and today we make public the experience of our Lord on Tabor. Holy
Comunion, which gives us a foretaste of the happiness of Tabor, is the
seed of our own transfiguration and the pledge of our glorious resurrection
at the end of time.
The melody is practically syllabic throughout and duplicates the
Magnificat antiphon of the first and second Vespers for the second Sunday
of Lent. The only difference lies in the pes over (h6)-mi-(nis); the
antiphon in a somewhat monotonous manner signs all three syllables of
the word on the tonic d.
ST. LAWRENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR
(August 10)
All of today's chants, with the exception of the Alleluia, are found
in the oldest manuscripts.
INTROIT (Ps. 95:6)
1. Confessio et pulchritudo in 1. Praise and beauty are before
conspectu eius: 2. sanctitas et mag- him: 2. holiness and majesty in
nificentia in sanctificatione eius. His sanctuary. Ps. Sing ye to the
Ps. Cantate Domino canticum no- Lord a new canticle: * sing to the
vum: * cantate Domino omnis terra. Lord, all the earth.
Sung in the vast and beautiful basilica which houses the tomb of
St. Lawrence, this chant undoubtedly creates a lasting impression. As a
matter of fact, the above text may quite possibly have been chosen with
special reference to this beautiful structure, which was designated a