Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

446 St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
$". 1. Potens in terra erit semen ingly in his commandments. $. 1.
ejus: 2. generatio rectorum bene- His seed shall be mighty upon earthi
dicetur. 2. the generation of the righteous
shall be blessed.
The melody has comparatively few typical forms. We are acquainted
with the formula over erit semen from the Gradual of the Assumption
over (in)-clina aurem, and with benedicetur from Epiphany over orta est.
The very last group brings the corpus to a close. The resolved major
chord f a c, much favored by the fifth mode, is used a number of times
both in ascending and descending passages, brightening the entire melody.
It seems that the ending over Dominum, and particularly the cadence
and the ascent over in (manddtis) ejus and (semen) ejus have
been borrowed from the first mode, the fourths over (cu)-pit nimis from
the third. For the rest, however, this Gradual has many characteristics
of its own. At the beginning g e f d is repeated a second and a third time;
only d had to be changed to /, since the second half of the phrase sets
in on high c. Before the first / over Dominum a pause for breathing will
have to be made, as well as after manddtis; likewise after the sixth note
of nimis, and in the verse after generatio. The cadence which closes terra
appears in an extended form over ejus, the groups immediately preceding
being repetitions of semen e-(jus).
The fear of God becomes a source of joy if it leads us to fulfill the
command of God in a practical way and to bear His yoke gladly. For the
Lord Himself has said: "My yoke is sweet and My burden is light"
(Matt. 11, 30). In fact, it becomes a fountain of blessing for all mankind.
What an immense spiritual family the Gospel of St. Matthew has gathered
about itself, what a veritable fountain of blessings has it revealed!
Through it numberless souls have become righteous (recti), have deserted
the crooked path of sin, have become just men, good characters, and
have thus merited God's blessing.
The ALLELUIA VERSE is the same as that on the feast of St.
Bartholomew (August 24); cf. also that of the Assumption (August 15).
OFFERTORY (Ps. 20: 4, 5)
1. Posuisti Domine in capite 1. 0 Lord, thou hast set on his
ejus coronam de lapide pretioso: 2. head a crown of precious stones:
vitam petiit a te, et tribuisti ei, 2. he asked life of thee, and thou
alleluia. didst grant it to him, alleluia.
Many have borne a precious crown, only to lose it later. And even
if worn for many years, death finally snatched it from its owner. Whoever