Advent responsories: Rejoice ye heavens (Responsories pt 5)

Today I want to continue my series on the history and function of the responsories of the Night Office, with a focus on the Advent set.

In each post I plan to highlight one of the responsories, but also discuss some of the context around their development, which, I should note, is a subject on which there is no consensus among musicologists and/or liturgiologists!

Rejoice ye heavens

So for our Advent focus, today's responsory is actually the second responsory for Monday in weeks 1& 2 of Advent, also used as the eighth responsory in the Benedictine Office on the First Sunday of Advent.

The text of this responsory received several polyphonic settings, including by Orlando di Lasso, and Byrd, the latter of which I've chosen for today, as it gives a wonderful sense of the joy of the season that is one of its sub-themes, along with the focus on Our Lady, and preparation for Christmas  - and the Second Coming - through repentance for sins.

The text of the respond section has been adapted from Isaiah 49:13; the verse comes from Psalm 71:7, although there are two alternative verses  associated with this respond preserved in various sources.

Here is a translation of the text showing the structure of the responsory when it is used as the last responsory of a set (as it is on the First Sunday of Advent) -  in its other uses it ends after the first repetition of the second half of the respond.

R. Læténtur / cæli, et exsúltet terra, iubiláte, montes, laudem: † quia Dóminus noster véniet, * Et páuperum suórum miserébitur. V. Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis. R. Et páuperum suórum miserébitur. V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto. R. Et páuperum suórum miserébitur.

R. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains, for our Lord will come; * And will have mercy on his afflicted. V. In his days shall righteousness flourish and abundance of peace. R. And will have mercy upon his afflicted. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. And will have mercy upon his afflicted.

This text also nicely illustrates the adaptation process that is typical of responsories - while the first half of the respond follows the biblical text closely (the variants probably just reflecting different versions of the Biblical text, the second part is heavily adapted, in order to help us apply the text to its liturgical context:

Isaiah 49:13 actually reads (I've bolded the words where alternatives have been substituted into the respond):

Laudate, cæli, et exsulta, terra; jubilate, montes, laudem, quia consolatus est Dominus populum suum, et pauperum suorum miserebitur.

Stock responsories (2)

I noted in an earlier post that this repertoire of chant seems to have been preserved largely through oral transmission.  Some eighth century (and a few other, mostly non-Roman earlier) sources give incipits or even full texts for some of them, but it wasn't until the development of neumes around the mid-ninth century, that the melodies were notated. I also noted that there is evidence the number of responsories expanded substantially over time, particularly once musical notation made the transmission process easier.

Most of the expansion in the repertoire, after the eighth century at least, though, relates to specific feasts, displacing the use of the Commons, rather than those relating to the annual bible reading cycle or the seasons.  

Even now, for most of the year, for example, rather than new responsories, the Sunday responsories are said again during the week, as was the case for the responsory discussed above.

But there do also seem to have been other key sources of 'stock' responsories that could be drawn on to fill out the necessary number on Sundays and major feasts.  

Individual semi-fixed responsories 

One source was individual responsories that had some broader appropriateness, such as that relating to the patron saint of a church.  St Peter's in Rome, for example, seems to have used the responsory Petro amas me (Peter do you love me) throughout the year.  

Similarly, Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) composed the responsory Duo seraphim clamabant, (two seraphim called out, each to the other) and mandated its use as the last responsory of Sunday Matins for much of the year.

De Psalmiis responsories

A second source of 'stock' responsories seems to have been those based on the psalms, as one of the Roman 'ordines', XVI, which (probably) dates from circa 680, mentions a set of of psalm based responsories used throughout the year and for feasts.  

Unfortunately Ordo Romani XVI (and the other Ordines and other early sources), don't actually tell us which particular responsories were used this way.

In the forms of the Office that have come down to us, there are actually several groups of psalm based responsories: some are used for particular feasts (in some cases parts of sets used at other times of the year as well), but the main ones are three sets now used in conjunction with Biblical 'letters', namely Jeremiah in Holy Week; the Catholic Epistles in Eastertide; and the letters of St Paul, in Epiphanytide.

It is the last set, those used in Epiphanytide since the reorganisation of the Matins reading cycle in the eighth century, that are of especial interest, since the liturgists have long claimed them as evidence that Rome had a fixed weekly psalm cycle before St Benedict's Office.

My own view is that the particular organisation of them in the Office as we know it is more likely to be a product of the eighth century reforms than witness to the earlier organisation of the psalter.  

But to understand the debate, we need first, I think, to look at the history of the Matins readings cycle in Rome, and some of the possible sources for the responsories, on which more anon.

Advent responsory: The shut gate and Our Lady's perpetual virginity (Responsories Pt 3)

Source: Gregobase 

I want to continue today, my series on the Matins responsories with a look at the second responsory for Tuesday in weeks I&II of Advent, Ante multum tempus, which offers a nice example of the use of responsories as keys to interpretation of the Scriptural texts.  I also want to provide the first of a few posts looking at the history of the repertoire.

Ante multum tempus

Here is the text of the responsory, laid out as it is sung.  

R. Ante / multum tempus prophetávit Ezéchiel: Vidi portam clausam; † ecce Deus ante sæcula ex ea procedébat pro salúte mundi: * Et erat íterum clausa, demónstrans Vírginem, † quia post partum permánsit virgo. V. Porta quam vidísti, Dóminus solus transíbit per illam. R. Et erat íterum clausa, demónstrans Vírginem, † quia post partum permánsit virgo.

R. A long time ago, said Ezekiel the Prophet, I saw the gate shut: behold, God went forth from it before the ages for the salvation of the world. * And it was shut again, for it is a figure of the Virgin, in that after childbirth she remained a Virgin still. V. The Lord alone shall enter by the gate that thou savest. R. And it was shut again, for it is a figure of the Virgin, in that after childbirth she remained a Virgin still.

The text of both the respond and the verse is based on Ezekiel 44:1-2, though with some obvious non-Scriptural glossing in the second part of the respond. 

Here are the relevant verses from Ezekiel, with some of the verbal allusions to the responsory text highlighted:

Et convertit me ad viam portæ sanctuarii exterioris, quæ respiciebat ad orientem: et erat clausa. 2 Et dixit Dominus ad me: Porta hæc clausa erit: non aperietur, et vir non transibit per eam, quoniam Dominus Deus Israël ingressus est per eam: eritque clausa principi. Princeps ipse sedebit in ea, ut comedat panem coram Domino: per viam portæ vestibuli ingredietur, et per viam ejus egredietur.

And the Vulgate translation:

Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

The interpretation of the text provided by the responsory is very conventional, reflecting a long line of exegesis on Ezekiel's text as references to Our Lady's perpetual virginity that can be found in St Ambrose, St Augustine and many other Fathers.

The doctrine itself, though, was formally defined at the Lateran Council of 649, and there is at least one other Advent responsory (which I'll come to, Bethlehem civitas) that may have come into the repertoire at this time to reflect that.

The history of responsories: oral transmission

You can find the chant for it at the top of the post, but it is worth keeping in mind that up until the tenth century (or thereabouts), as far as we know, the transmission of the responsory (and other) chants was entirely oral.

There are a few early sources that preserve the texts of responsories in different (mostly non-Roman, at least for the earliest sources) traditions, and rather more that just provide the initial words of the responsory (incipit) for the relevant season or feast, but the melodies associated with them had to be committed to memory and passed down through generations of singers.

The transmission process could be fragile at times and places: if almost the entire body of monks was wiped out by illness (as happened during St Bede the Venerable's childhood at Wearmouth-Jarrow), invasions or other factors, the sources might have to be reimported from outside.

That oral traditions could be preserved faithfully over relatively long periods, though, is attested to by the similarities in many chants from quite diverse regions when they were finally written down.  

It represents an extraordinary achievement, particularly given that the responsory repertoire is far larger than that of Mass propers. 

It has been estimated that in the seventh century, for example, there were around 200 responsories in use; the late tenth/early eleventh century (monastic) Hartker Manuscript contains around 600 responsories (annotated with neumes); but by the high middle ages the number had expanded to over 2000.  By way of comparison, the 1963 breviary contains around 800 responsories.

A Benedictine link...

Today's particular responsory, Ante multum tempus, doesn't appear in all that many manuscripts - the Cantus database lists only sixteen, most of them allocating it to the Third Sunday of Advent.  

Nor does it appear in the Old Roman manuscripts (which are thought to represent seventh century Roman practice). 

It does, however, appear in one that has many similarities to them, suggesting it may date from the same period, and appears in a manuscript written in Rome in the eleventh century preserved in the  Biblioteca Vallicelliana, C.5.

This particular manuscript was used until 1219 by the Benedictine nuns of San Sisto  on the Via Appia.  It was then taken to the (by then Benedictine) Monastery of Sant' Eutizio in Norcia, near St Benedict's birthplace.  That monastery was originally founded in the fifth century by Abbot Spes and  St Eutychius, both monks (along with other hermits who settled near Norcia around this time whom St Benedict may well have known) displaced from Syria by heresies there, mentioned in Book III of  St Gregory's Dialogues (ch 38). 

Advent reflections: Drop down, ye heavens, from above (Responsories Pt 2)

I want to continue my series today, on the wonderful Matins repertoire of responsories, important both as a source for meditation and aid to Scriptural interpretation; but also as a source for insights on the early history of the Office.

Today, apart from looking at the responsory itself, a bit of background on their structure.

The responsories for meditation and reflection

Although I'm a keen advocate for monasteries reviving the Matins responsories where possible in chant (or polyphonic) settings, I should note that even if you just read them in text form outside of the Office, or sing them on one note in the context of the Office, I still think they have great value.

In particular, many of these texts preserve key theological concepts and themes that help us understand the meaning of the season, feast or bible book. 

Accordingly today and tomorrow I want to take a quick look at a couple of responsories for which I can't locate a recording.  

A responsory for Tuesday in the first week of Advent: Montes Israel

Today's responsory is the first of the responsories set for Tuesday in week one and two of Advent, Montes Israel, also used on the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

First of all, here's the text as it is said, with a translation:

R. Montes / Israël, ramos vestros expándite, † et floréte, et fructus fácite: * Prope est ut véniat dies Dómini. V. Roráte, cæli, désuper, et nubes pluant iustum: † aperiátur terra, et gérminet Salvatórem. R. Prope est ut véniat dies Dómini.

R. O ye mountains of Israel, shoot forth your branches and blossom and bring forth fruit. * The day of the Lord is at hand to come. V. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down the Righteous One let the earth open, and let her bring forth the Saviour. R. The day of the Lord is at hand to come.

First, a bit of background.  The responsory, it should be noted is sung immediately after each reading of the day at Matins, 'respond' in some sense to the (ever changing) readings.

Although there are far fewer responsories than readings (typically the same set of up to eleven responsories is used from periods between a week and a month or more while the same book or set of books of the Bible is being read), in most cases the link between the responsory and the readings is fairly obvious, drawing us back to key overarching themes in the book being read, the season, or feast.

For most of the year, the texts of the respond are typically drawn from the Scriptural books being read (in December, the Matins readings are mostly from Isaiah), while the verses that then comment on it may be from the same or another biblical book, the psalms, or non-Scriptural sources.

The mountain of God in Ezekiel

The 'respond' section (marked R.), in this case is 'O ye mountains of Israel, shoot forth your branches, bloom and bring forth fruit, for the day of the Lord is at hand'  and is sung to a composed melody specific to the responsory.

As for a few other Advent responsories, today's text comes from Ezekiel (36:8), though like most responsory texts, has been adapted somewhat.  The book of Ezekiel was actually read in November rather December, so its use may possibly be a remnant of the original rather longer duration of Advent in Rome. 

That theory gains some weight from the fact that it appears in the two 'Old Roman' manuscript sources, thought to preserve the seventh century Roman Office (as well as multiple other sources: the cantus database lists 82 manuscript sources for it).

Either way, it is worth looking also at the verses that comes after the respond text in Ezekiel, as it helps us understand the meaning of the responsory:

 

 But you, mountains of Israel, must burgeon anew, and grow fruit for my own people to enjoy; their home-coming is not far off now. Watch for me, I am coming back to you; soil of you shall be ploughed and sown anew; and men, too, shall thrive on it, Israel’s full muster-roll, peopling the cities, restoring the ruins. (Knox translation)

Although the Advent responsories have arguably been selected mainly for their connection to Advent themes rather than to the book of Isaiah (which is read through December) per se, today's text does actually link quite directly (whether by accident or design), with the first reading for today from Isaiah, which is:

The word that Isaias the son of Amos saw, concerning Juda and Jerusalem. And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go, and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall come forth from Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

The verse - Rorate caeli

In terms of the standard structure of responsories, the respond is followed by a verse (marked V.) in the text for today above, which is normally sung on a more or less fixed psalm tone varying according to the mode of the respond, which is then followed by a repeat of the second half of the respond.

There are some variants on this basic pattern - Aspiciens a longe, which I posted on previously, for example, is not alone in having more than one verse, and in some cases the repeated sections start from different places, but these are rare in the modern breviary at least.

Today's verse, Rorate caeli de super, is actually does come from Isaiah (45:8), and is probably best known in its hymn form.  There are, however, many different settings of it both in responsory form (including as a respond), antiphon and more.

And for those interested in the chant version of the responsory, here it is:

Source: Stanhofe Nocturnale Romanum, via Gregobase

You can find an alternative version of the chant here.