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

Structure and Expressiveness of the Variable Mass-Chants 5
hominibus closes on gf with reference to the following phrase, which begins
in a higher pitch, while over solliciti sitis the same cadence becomes
fg with reference to the following phrase, which begins with a lower
pitch. For the same reason the cadence e g ff e of the fourth mode often
becomes e e f; this, in fact, is the general rule whenever the following
phrase begins with low d or low c. The rule for the adaptation of phrases,
as will be pointed out later, effects a tension between the phrases and its
various members.
B. THE OFFERTORY
The Offertory is also called an antiphon, although in the oldest
manuscripts it consisted of several verses with one or more refrains. It
is, therefore, really a responsory, closely resembling the Gradual responsories
in melodic richness. The Offertory of the Requiem Mass with its
refrain Quam olim is the sole remaining example of this type of Offertory.
With truth it has been said that, to explain fully any given excerpt,
it is best to adduce the entire selection from which the excerpt has been
taken. In accordance with this, the setting for the Offertory as well as
the Introit would become much more complete and the excerpted text
much better understood, if the entire psalm from which the manuscript
text as a rule is taken, would be subjoined. Such a procedure, however,
would exceed the prupose and limits of the Gradual. Reference for such
matter should there be made to commentaries on the psalms. 3
The Introit and Offertory for the first Sunday of Advent have identical
texts, albeit the melody of the Offertory is more quiet and severe.
Similar observation can be made in regard to other Mass texts. This,
however, would not permit us to generalize and to claim that the Offertory
portrays to a higher degree the activities of the inner soul than does
the Introit.
As Wagner (III, 418) has shown, Offertories avoid the lengthier
syllabic element of chant. There are never more than five successive
syllables on the same note. Melismas usually occur within the word,
while at the end of the Offertory and particularly at the end of the last
verse we find a rather ornate vocalise. The Offertories for the Vigil of
Christmas and the twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost illustrate this
well.
Some Offertories—Offertories alone—have text repetitions. These
are introduced possibly for "artistic effect;" more probably, however,
for a liturgical reason. They were necessitated formerly to occupy the
3 The author refers to the German work Heilige Gabe, by P. Thomas Michels and Athanasius
Wintersig.