Chants of the Vatican Gradual, by Dom Johner - Church Music ...

INTRODUCTION
Structure And Expressiveness Of The Variable
Mass-Chants
The variable chants of the Mass (Proprium Missae—Proper of the
Mass) show surprising diversity both in content and in mood. Unlike
the inflexible sameness of the Oriental liturgy, which practically uses the
same Mass, formulary day after day, the liturgy of the Western Church
has since the fourth century witnessed a development so remarkable
that it now has special texts and melodies for almost every Sunday and
feast day of the year, including those for each day of Lent. Many of
these selections are characterized by a joyful and sincere gratitude toward
God; some are filled with the-spirit of penance; still others are expressive
of hopes and fears. As a preliminary to the study of each chant
selection it is very helpful to determine: (1) whom do the words of the
text represent as speaking—Christ, the Blessed Virgin, the saints, or
the Church herself? (2) to whom are the words addressed—to Christ,
to the saints, or to us?
There is no close relationship musically between the constituent
parts of a Mass formulary. There is neither similarity of modes nor of
motives to unify them. When songs which now immediately succeed one
another, such as the Graual and the Alleluia, (formerly this was not the
case) have the same mode, it is purely a coincidence. The exclusive development
of one thought or mood is likewise of infrequent occurrence.
The distinctive peculiarities of the chants are due entirely to the
part they are destined to play in the liturgy of the Mass. On this basis
they can be divided into two classes.
I.
The first class of chants embraces all those which are meant to accompany
some liturgical action—in a broader sense one might call them
"processionals." To this class belong the following: the Introit, which is
to be sung during the solemn procession of the priest to the altar (accedente
sacerdote ad altare, as the Rubrics of the Vatican Gradual have it);
the Offertory, which formerly was sung during the Offertory procession
of the faithful to the altar; the Communion, which was sung during the
distribution of Holy Communion. These chants embody all those factors
which make for a complete and artistic whole—word, song, and action.
They express effectively the emotions of the soul, at the same time urging
it on to still further activity. (Cf. Johner, A New School of Gregorian
Chant, p. 120.)