Chants of the Vatican Graduale - MusicaSacra

Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ 463
In an extended form the initial motive of Domindbitur returns over
a mart usque, and in its original form at the close of terrdrum. The resolved
descending major chord c-a-f over terminos and (terra)-rum
gives the piece a bright ring. In the verse the descending c a f is twice
extended to d a f over eum. This descent may be looked upon as a symbol
of adoration.
ALLELUIA VERSE (Dan. 7: 14)
1. Potestas ejus, potestas aeterna, 1. His power is an everlasting
quae non auferetur: 2. et regnum power, that shall not be taken away:
ejus, quod non corrumpetur. 2. and his kingdom that shall not
be destroyed.
The melody agrees exactly with that of the second Alleluia-verse
for the fourth Sunday after Easter.
In the following schema we give in the first place the text of the
Sunday just mentioned, and in the second that of the new feast, indicating
how the latter agrees with the original melody:
1. Christus resurgens ex mortuis=
2. Potestas ejus potestas aeterna,
1. jam non moritur: = 2. quae non auferetur:
1. mors illi ultra non domindbitur=
2. et regnum ejus, quod non corrumpetur.
Is it, perhaps, that the adaptation of non mbritur and non domindbitur
to non auferetur and non corrumpetur has led to the borrowing of
the entire melody? For both verses have a related thought-content and
portray similar sentiments. The one speaks of the fullness of life which
has to fear death no more; the other of the plenitude of power which
none can diminish, which can neither weaken nor collapse. And in the
Credo we sing: Cujus regni non erit finis—"His kingdom shall have no
end."
In the original the second phrase has a richly developed melisma
over the word mors. Here it is placed over the insignificant et. This
doubtless causes difficulties in some minds and suggests the question:
Would it not have been possible, since it was a matter of choice, to select
a different melody and thus have avoided this defect?
But, really, the matter is not so serious, for the melody exhibits
remarkable phrasing. We see that even chants of the classical period do
not shrink from embellishing a word like et with a florid melisma, for
example the Alleluia for the fifth Sunday after Pentecost. Above all we