Advent responsory: Rain on a fleece as a symbol of the Incarnation

Today's responsory is the third for Tuesday in week three of Advent (also the seventh of Sunday), and contains some rich imagery of the Incarnation.  The text is largely taken from Psalm 71:

R. Descéndet / Dóminus sicut plúvia in vellus: * Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis. V. Et adorábunt eum omnes reges, omnes gentes sérvient ei. R. Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis. V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto. R. Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis.

R. The Lord shall come down like rain upon a fleece. * In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace. V. All the kings of the earth shall fall down before Him, all nations shall serve Him. R. In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace.

St Augustine's commentary on this psalm links it to the story of Gideon and the fleece in Judges 6:

He has called to our minds and admonished us, that what was done by Gedeon the Judge, in Christ has its end. For he asked a sign of the Lord, that a fleece laid on the floor should alone be rained upon, and the floor should be dry; and again, the fleece alone should be dry, and the floor should be rained upon; and so it came to pass.  

Which thing signified, that, being as it were on a floor in the midst of the whole round world, the dry fleece was the former people Israel. 

The same Christ therefore Himself came down like rain upon a fleece, when yet the floor was dry: whence also He said, I am not sent but to the sheep which were lost of the house of Israel.  There He chose out a Mother by whom to receive the form of a servant, wherein He was to appear to men...

The earliest responsories?

Most of the responsories we've looked at so far this Advent have been either non-psalm based, so this is an interesting example of a distinct set of psalm responsories clearly chosen for their appropriateness to the season or feast.

And indeed, one of the oldest possible references to the responsory repertoire relates to exactly this type of responsory.  Gennadius of Marseilles wrote about some work commissioned by his predecessor Venerius (428-52), saying:

Musaeus, presbyter of the church at Marseilles, a man learned in Divine Scriptures and most accurate in their interpretation, as well as master of an excellent scholastic style, on the request of Saint Venerius the bishop, selected from Holy Scriptures passages suited to the various feast days of the year, also passages from the Psalms for responses suited to the season, and the passages for reading. 

The readers in the church found this work of the greatest value, in that it saved them trouble and anxiety in the selection of passages, and was useful for the instruction of the people as well as for the dignity of the service.

He also addressed to Saint Eustathius the bishop, successor to the above mentioned man of God, an excellent and sizable volume, a Sacramentary, divided into various sections, according to the various offices and seasons, readings and psalms, both for reading and chanting, but also filled throughout with petitions to the Lord, and thanksgiving for his benefits.

By this work we know him to have been a man of strong intelligence and chaste eloquence. He is said to have also delivered homilies, which are, as I know, valued by pious men, but which I have not read. He died in the reign of Leo and Majorianus.

It is unclear in this, of course, whether he is talking about the Office was well as the Mass, particularly as the Gallic equivalent of the Roman Gradual was called a responsory.  Still, the comment seems broad enough to encompass both uses of psalms.

Advent responsory: Bethlehem, the city of the most high God

Today's O antiphon is O Adonai.

And for a responsory, I want to take a brief look at Bethlehem civitas Dei, the second responsory for the Third Sunday of Advent as well as Monday in week three of Advent, brings us back firmly to the events of Christmas itself, but also on the implications of the Incarnation: 

R. Bethléhem, / cívitas Dei summi, ex te éxiet Dominátor Israël, † et egréssus eius sicut a princípio diérum æternitátis, † et magnificábitur in médio univérsæ terræ: * Et pax erit in terra nostra, dum vénerit. V. Loquétur pacem in géntibus, † et potéstas eius a mari usque ad mare. R. Et pax erit in terra nostra, dum vénerit.

R. From you, Bethlehem, city of the Most High God, shall come forth he that is to be ruler of Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting, and now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. * And there will be the peace in our land when he comes. V. He shall speak peace unto the gentiles, and shall have dominion from sea to sea. R. And there will be the peace in our land when he comes.

The text of the respond is based on Micah 5:2:

Et tu, Bethlehem Ephrata, parvulus es in millibus Juda; ex te mihi egredietur qui sit dominator in Israël, et egressus ejus ab initio, a diebus æternitatis.

Bethlehem-Ephrata! Least do they reckon thee among all the clans of Juda? Nay, it is from thee I look to find a prince that shall rule over Israel. Whence comes he? From the first beginning, from ages untold. (Knox translation).

The verse is from Zachariah 9:10.

This is another responsory that may have come into the Roman repertoire from Gaul or Spain.

It is worth noting though, that many of the Advent seasonal responsories we have been looking at were almost certainly not those used in the Benedictine Office in St Benedict's time due to the strongly ferial character of the Office at that time, but also because Advent (the Ember days aside) was mostly a rather late arrival to Rome.  Although Christmas was introduced into the calendar early on, and the lead up to the feast quickly spread in the West, in Rome the pre-season itself seems to have developed only over the later part of the sixth century.

Advent responsory: Make haste O Lord and do not tarry - and preparing for the last week of Advent in the Office (Responsories Pt 8)

 

First, a reminder that we are coming into the last week of Advent, when things become particularly complicated in the Office, so make sure you set up your ribbons and prayer cards in advance!

Advent between December 17 and 23

In particular, keep in mind that the days between December 17 and 23 are Class II days, and at Lauds to Vespers a set of antiphons for the psalms for each day of the week in the period December 17-23 are used, set out at MD 37*/AM 212 ff.

At Lauds the Benedictus antiphons are normally of the day of the week in the third week of Advent, but there are specific antiphons said on December 21 and 23.

At Vespers, the 'O Antiphons' for the Magnificat are of the date (MD 35-6*/AM 208 ff), displacing the Magnificat antiphon of the Advent day.  you can listen to ta recording of the first of the set above.

At Matins there is a proper Invitatory antiphon for the season (Prope est, NM 14).

Advent responsory: Festina ne tardaveris

Today's Advent responsory is the second responsory for Saturday in the second week of Advent, also said as the tenth of the Second Sunday.  

R. Festína, / ne tardáveris, Dómine: * Et líbera pópulum tuum. V. Veni, Dómine, et noli tardáre: † reláxa facinóra plebi tuæ. R. Et líbera pópulum tuum.

R. Make haste, O Lord, make no tarrying. * And deliver thy people. V. O Lord, come and make no tarrying loose the bonds of thy people. R. And deliver thy people.

The text

The text is non-Scriptural,  but perhaps loosely based on Habakukk 2 which says:

Write down thy vision, the Lord said, on a tablet, so plain that it may be read with a glance a vision of things far distant, yet one day befall they must, no room for doubting it. Wait thou long, yet wait patiently; what must be must, and at the time appointed for it. 

[Quia adhuc visus procul; et apparebit in finem, et non mentietur: si moram fecerit, exspecta illum, quia veniens veniet, et non tardabit]

The wording also, though, has echoes of  the final verse of  Psalm 39, a psalm which prophesizes the Incarnation, as these couple of extracts illustrate:

2 Patiently I waited for the Lord’s help, and at last he turned his look towards me... 8 See then, I said, I am coming to fulfil what is written of me, where the book lies unrolled; 9 to do thy will, O my God, is all my desire, to carry out that law of thine which is written in my heart... 17 Rejoicing and triumph for all the souls that look to thee; Praise to the Lord, will ever be their song, who now long for thy aid. 18 I, so helpless, so destitute, and the Lord is concerned for me! Thou art my champion and my refuge; do not linger, my God, do not linger on the way. [Adjutor meus et protector meus tu es; Deus meus, ne tardaveris.]

Which are the oldest responsories?

I have included it in part firstly because although the liturgists would argue that its non-Scriptural text makes it more likely a later composition, it seems on the face of it to be very old indeed.  

It appears, for example, in the surviving Old Roman manuscripts (possibly capturing at least part of the seventh century repertoire of responsories in Rome), as well as multiple other sources.  

But the other key point of note is that it has a very short respond, and is musically very straightforward indeed - at least as short and straightforward to sing, if not more so, as many of the psalm based responsories that the liturgists argue represent the oldest layer of responsories.

But more on this anon!

Advent responsory: Jerusalem plantabis vineam (Responsories Pt 7)

Source: Gregobase (Gregofacsimil)

Today's Advent responsory is used on Sunday and Friday in the second week of Advent.   

You can listen to it in a setting by Lassus below, but it focuses on the imagery of Jerusalem, and above all the vineyard which the Lord plants and calls his labourers to tend.  The text is actually from Jeremiah 31: 5-7:

R. Ierúsalem, / plantábis víneam in móntibus tuis: † exsultábis, quóniam dies Dómini véniet: † surge, Sion, convértere ad Dóminum Deum tuum: gaude et lætáre, Iacob: * Quia de médio géntium Salvátor tuus véniet. V. Exsúlta satis, fília Sion: iúbila, fília Ierúsalem. R. Quia de médio géntium Salvátor tuus véniet. V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto. R. Quia de médio géntium Salvátor tuus véniet.

R. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon thy mountains, O Jerusalem thou shalt sing for joy, for the day of the Lord cometh; arise, O Zion, and turn unto the Lord thy God; rejoice and be glad, O Jacob. * For thy Saviour cometh from the midst of the nations. V. Sing aloud for joy, O daughter of Zion; shout with gladness, O daughter of Jerusalem. R. For thy Saviour cometh from the midst of the nations. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. For thy Saviour cometh from the midst of the nations.

The original text of the respond though reads as follows:

5 Once more thou shalt plant vineyards over the hill-country of Samaria; planted they shall be, and the men who planted them await the appointed time before they gather the vintage. Watchmen there shall be, when that day comes, in the hill-country of Ephraim that will cry aloud, Up, to Sion go we, and there worship the Lord our God!  Rejoice, the Lord says, at Jacob’s triumph, the proudest of nations greet with a glad cry; loud echo your songs of praise, Deliverance, Lord, for thy people, for the remnant of Israel! (Knox translation)

The verse is from Zachariah 9:9, which then continues 'See where thy king comes to greet thee, a trusty deliverer; see how lowly he rides, mounted on an ass, patient colt of patient dam'.

Advent responsory Ecce Dominus veniet and the diverse chant traditions of late antiquity (Responsories Pt 6)

Source: Gregobase (Sandhofe)

For today's Advent responsory I have selected Ecce Dominus veniet, which is used both on Thursday in the second week of Advent, and on the Second Sunday of Advent.

It's a nice example of Advent texts with something of an eschatological dimension to them.  Here is the text, which is based on Zachariah 14, and Isaiah 40:

R. Ecce / Dóminus véniet, et omnes Sancti eius cum eo, † et erit in die illa lux magna: † et exíbunt de Ierúsalem sicut aqua munda: et regnábit Dóminus in ætérnum * Super omnes gentes. V. Ecce Dóminus cum virtúte véniet: † et regnum in manu eius, et potéstas, et impérium. R. Super omnes gentes.

R. Behold, the Lord shall come, and all His saints with Him, and it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall be great; and they shall go out from Jerusalem like clean water; and the Lord shall be King for ever, * Over all the earth. V. Behold, the Lord cometh with a host, and in His hand are the kingdom, and power, and dominion. R. Over all the earth.

One of the intriguing aspects of this particular responsory is that a recent study has identified it as one of a group of responsories that may have entered into the Roman repertoire from Gaul and/or Spain, since the adaptations to the text are mirrored in a responsory in the Old Hispanic repertoire, and although the melody is different too the Gregorian chant version, the number of notes allocated to each syllable is essentially the same in the Gregorian and Old Hispanic versions (1).

And that brings us nicely to the topic I want to start exploring today, namely, when and where did responsories originate, and how did the repertoire develop to the form that we know know it in?

Pretty much everything about these questions, it has to be said upfront, is highly contested, with no clear answers on many points.

Different chant traditions for responsories?

The repertoire of responsories used today in the Office (to the very limited extent that they are actually used) are examples of Gregorian chant, or as musicologists prefer to call it, Franco-Roman chant, to reflect the fact that what emerged as Gregorian chant somewhere around the twelfth century probably represents (largely) the interaction of two different styles and repertoires of chant, Old Roman and Gallican.

The best known and arguably earliest unambiguous reference to the great responsories of Matins is in the Rule of St Benedict (circa 510-28).  

Roman origins?

For this reason, most liturgiologists have long assumed that responsories originated in Rome sometime in the fifth century with a set of psalm based responsories derived repertoire of refrains used with psalms displaced by the shift from responsorial (soloist sings the verses, people sing the refrain) to antiphonal (two choirs singing alternating verses) singing of the psalms (2).  

They also argue that a particular set of psalm based responsories, used since the eighth century reform of the Matins reading cycle in the period after Epiphany, represent a set of proto-responsories that attest to a shift to a fixed weekly psalm cursus before St Benedict, some time in the late fifth century (3).

The alternative theory is that responsories  - as for several other elements such as hymns - were introduced into the Roman Office at some point, perhaps through the influence of the Benedictine Office.

I'll go into the arguments for and against these theories in due course, but suffice to note now that many musicologists have long been skeptical of the Roman origin theory, and there is a growing body of evidence to support those doubts.

Non-Roman responsory repertoire

Those doubts have rather been amplified by the discovery, in recent decades, that responsories seem to have been a part of all of the major Western chant traditions that we know about from late antiquity and through the early middle ages.  

In some cases, such as Ambrosian and old Hispanic chant, the distinct responsories of these traditions survived long enough to be recorded in some form, and continued to evolve along side the Gregorian tradition.  

Similarly, although Beneventan and Old Roman chant were eventually suppressed in favour of Gregorian, musicologists have been able to identify a number of manuscripts that preserve at least some of the distinctive repertoire or versions of responsories of these traditions.  

The Gallican repertoire dissapeared rather earlier (from the late eighth century onwards, under Pepin the Short, compared to the tenth century for Beneventan for example) and was more thoroughly suppressed, though some work aimed at identifying the traces it has left on the repertoire has been done.

How far back do these various responsory sets go though, and do they all originate from one common source?

More on that anon.

In the meantime, here is a polyphonic setting of the respond to today's responsory by Praetorius to listen to.

 

Notes

(1) Rebecca Maloy, Mason Brown, Benjamin Pongtep Cefkin, Ruth Opara, Megan Quilliam And Melanie Shaffer, Revisiting ‘Toledo, Rome, and the Legacy of Gaul’: new evidence from the

Divine Office, Plainsong and Medieval Music, 31, 1, 1–35, 2022.

(2) The most developed version of the theory is set out in R. Le Roux: ‘Etude de l’office dominical et férial: les répons “de psalmis” pour les matines de l’Epiphanie à la Septuagésime selon les cursus romain et monastique’, EG, vi (1963), 39–148.

(3) For the most recent articulation and summary of this theory, see Lazlo Dobsay, The Divine Office in History, in Alcuin Reid (ed), T&T Clark Companion to the Liturgy, London, 2016, pp 207-238.

Feast of St Lucy

 Niccolò di Segna c. 1340
Source: Wiki commons

Today is the feast of St Lucy, martyred in 304, after she distributed her dowry to the poor, her betrothed denounced her as a Christian.  Here is the Matins reading on her for the feast:

Lucy a virgin of Syracuse, noble by birth and by her Christian faith, went to the tomb of St. Agatha at Catheria and obtained the cure of her mother, Eutichia who was suffering from a hemorrhage. Soon after, she gained her mother's permission to distribute to the poor all the possessions which were to have served as her dowry. As a result of this charitable action, she was accused of being a Christian and brought before Paschasius the Prefect. When neither promises nor threats could induce her to sacrifice the idols, Paschasius became enraged and commanded Lucy to be taken to a place where her virginity would be violated. But the power of God gave the virgin a strength that matched the firmness of her resolution, so that no force could move her where she stood. And so the prefect commanded a fire to be kindled all around here, but the flames did not harm her. After she had suffered many torments, therefore her throat was pierced through with a sword. So wounded she foretold that the Church would have peace after the deaths of Diocletian and Maximilian, and on December 13 she gave up her spirit to God. Her body was first buried at Syracuse, than taken to Constantinople, and finally transferred to Venice.

You can listen to one of the responsories for the feast here:

The text is as follows:

R. Lúcia virgo, quid a me petis quod ipsa póteris præstare continuo matri tuæ? nam et fides tua illi subvenit, et ecce salváta est: * Quia jucúndum Deo in tua virginitate habitáculum præparásti. V. Sicut per me cívitas Catanensium sublimátur a Christo, ita per te Syracusana cívitas decorábitur. R. Quia jucúndum Deo in tua virginitate habitáculum præparasti.

R. Maiden Lucy, why seekest thou of me that which thou thyself canst presently give thy mother? For thy faith hath helped her, and, behold, she is made whole * Because thou hast made in thy virginity a pleasant dwelling-place for thy God. V. Even as Christ hath by me glorified Catania, so by thee shall He glorify Syracuse. R. Because thou hast made in thy virginity a pleasant dwelling place for thy God.

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.