SUNDAY VIII and ASH WEDNESDAY

PUTTING THE ALLELUIA AWAY

This Sunday we sing Alleluia for one last Sunday, as we approach the penitential season of Lent (Ash Wednesday, March 5, is less than a week away).  In keeping with tradition, some of our hymns and anthems today will contain ample Alleluias, sending them off with a bang.  The Gloria will also be put away after this Sunday, but will make a cameo on March 19 (the Solemnity of Saint Joseph), a return on Holy Thursday, and a triumphant return at the Easter Vigil.  The Alleluia will be gone completely until the Vigil of Easter, in celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, what are the replacements for these?  Well, the Gloria is omitted completely.  Not even said, let alone sung.  The Alleluia is replaced by a Gospel Acclamation.  There are a few options for the Gospel Acclamation.  They are:

- Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. (the one we'll be singing during Lent)

- Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

- Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ.

- Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

- Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.

The format of this is the same as the Alleluia, whereas, the cantor intones the acclamation, the people repeat it, the cantor sings a verse, and the people repeat it one last time.

In the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (1962 Roman Missal) and even in the Ordinary Form of the Mass in parishes that use the Roman Gradual for the Proper chants, the Alleluia is replaced by a Tract - basically a Psalm or excerpt from a Psalm.  Unlike the modern Gospel Acclamation, the Tract is often as short as two Psalm verses, and as long as eighteen Psalm verses (the Tract for the First Sunday of Lent, the entire Psalm 91).

SUNDAY VIII; III-2-14

All numbers given are in the red Worship hymnal.

Gloria: recited, or Mass VIII
Remainder of the Ordinary of the Mass: Community Mass, music by Richard Proulx
This is the last Sunday of this Ordinary for a while!

Entrance hymn: Praise, my soul, the King of heaven, #530 (Listen)

- Each verse has two alleluias!

- The listen link here has about as much entertainment value as it does educational value.  There are two organs playing in this video.  One is the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ housed at the venue, the Methuen Music Hall in Methuen, Massachusetts.  The other is a Rodgers digital organ.  The two organists are Douglas Marshall and David Ogeltree, owners of the Marshall/Ogeltree Organ Company of Needham, Massachusetts.  At the time of the video (2009), Marshall/Ogeltree was the local sales representative of Rodgers organs.  Our organ at Sacred Heart is a Rodgers.

Psalm 62: Rest in God alone, my soul, music by Richard Rice. (Score)

Alleluia: music by Dom Anthony Gregory Murray, OSB (last round!)

Offertory hymn: O God, our help in ages past, #579 (Listen)

Communion anthem:

(Saturday 5:00) Let the whole creation cry (tune: "Llanfair")

- The tune is quite familiar, as it is used in such hymns as Hail the day that sees him rise and Praise the Lord, his glories show.  The text is based on Psalm 148, and is found in the hymnal Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Canticles, the brainchild of Theodore Marier, who I have mentioned in previous posts on this blog.  Each line of verse ends with Alleluia!  So, although you don't have the words handy, feel free to belt out the Alleluia!

(Sunday 7:30) an organ improvisation based on Dulce Carmen 

- Alleluia! Dulce Carmen, or Alleluia! song of gladness, a hymn traditionally sung on the Sunday before Lent (or in the Extraordinary Form, the Sunday before Septuagesima).

(Sunday 9:00 and 11:15) Festive Alleluia, music by Gordon Young

- The text of this choral piece contains two short excerpts: one inspired by the Credo, and the other by the Gloria Patri, sandwiched in between multi-fold Alleluias!

Meditation hymn: Ave Maria (Chant, Mode I), #713 (Listen)

- The singing on this listen link begins at about the 1:15 mark.

Recessional hymn: Ye watchers and ye holy ones, #707

- As little as five and as many as seven alleluias per verse!

ASH WEDNESDAY; III-5-14
Masses: 9 AM, 12 Noon, 6:30 PM

A sudden change of atmosphere.  Green vestments are traded in for violet.  The Alleluia and Gloria are gone.  There is a little bit taken off the sound of the organ (to sound a little "darker", somewhat).

Sung Ordinary of the Mass: Mass XVIII (the simple chants that we've sung many times) for the Sanctus and Agnus Dei; the chant Save us, Savior of the World (Listen) as the Memorial Acclamation (our response to Mysterium Fidei, or The Mystery of Faith), and the chant Amen (based on the beginning of the Sanctus from Mass VIII)

Entrance hymn: Lord, who throughout these forty days, Maroon, #59

Psalm 51: Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned, music by Providence's own C. Alexander Peloquin, Worship #1091

Gospel Acclamation (replaces Alleluia): Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, music by yours truly, based on the Mode I chant Vexilla Regis Prodeunt.

Offertory hymn: Our Father, we have wandered, Worship #755
- Same tune as O sacred Head, surrounded

Communion hymn: Attende, Domine, Worship #414


Music for the distribution of ashes: Parce, Domine, music by Carlo Rossini
- Any time left over will be filled by soft organ improvisation, based on penitential themes.

Peace,
BMP

SUNDAY VII

II-23-14; MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Music for the sung Ordinary of the Mass and the Alleluia before the Gospel are the same as the past couple of weeks.

Entrance hymn: Love divine, all loves excelling, Maroon #479, first tune

- Same tune as the more familiar Alleluia! sing to Jesus 

Psalm 103: The Lord is kind and merciful, music by David Haas (antiphon) and Pére Joseph Gelineau, SJ (verses).  Can be found in Worship, #883.

Offertory hymn: Jesus, lover of my soul, Maroon #415, first tune (Listen)

Communion anthem: Jesus, my Lord, my God, my All, music by Mother Alexis Donnelly, RSM

- A nifty (but different) little tune to a familiar hymn text that I inherited from Dave Sylvester, my distinguished predecessor. :)

Meditation hymn: Fairest Lord Jesus, Maroon #346, second tune (Listen)

- The text is a translation from the German Schönster Herr Jesu.  Some hymnals have another translation, Beautiful Savior, set to the same tune.  Others might recognize the tune with the hymn God's blessing sends us forth, which was a staple back in the days of Monthly Missalette, or the now out of print missalette We Worship (which was in the pew at Sacred Heart back in 1989, my first stint as organist there).

Recessional hymn: Father, we thank thee who hast planted, Maroon #195 (Listen)

- The tune Rendez a Dieu that is sung with this hymn is written by Louis Bourgeois, who also gave us the Old Hundredth, which you would recognize with the hymns All people that on earth do dwell and Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Peace,

BMP

SUNDAY VI

II-16-14: MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Hymn numbers this weekend are found in the red Worship hymnal.

Ordinary of the Mass and Alleluia are the same as last weekend.

Entrance hymn: Sing praise to God who reigns above, #528 (Listen)

Psalm 119: Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord, music by Royce Nickel

Offertory hymn: The living God my shepherd is, #612 (Listen)

- Not to be confused with the more commonly-sung The King of love my shepherd is, though both are based on Psalm 23.  The listen link given here is for the tune.  The text sung is yet another paraphrase of the same Psalm.

Communion anthem: God so loved the world, by Sir John Stainer

- God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoso believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

Meditation hymn: I sought the Lord, #593 (Listen)

- This is a different tune than the one we normally use in the Maroon hymnal, but easy to sing.

Recessional hymn: Sing praise to the Lord, #539 (Listen)

Peace,

BMP

FIRST FRIDAY AND SUNDAY V

Back to our regularly numbered Sundays/weeks of Ordinary Time.  By the way, although last Sunday's feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ superseded the Fourth Sunday of the Year, the weekdays are still of the Fourth Week of the Year.

FIRST FRIDAY; II-7-14

SACRED HEART COMMUNITY MASS 6 PM

This Friday is First Friday.  There is no feast (although the Gospel of the day does recall the beheading of John the Baptist by King Herod).  Simply a feria (or "weekday"), and the Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart.  The hymns of the day will reflect that votive Mass, while the Psalm will be that of the day.

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Sung Mass Ordinary: A Community Mass (Richard Proulx)

- This is the Mass we did for the last two weeks of January.  We did the Laus Tibi Christe Latin setting last week for the major feast (Presentation).  A Community Mass, which is in English, will be resumed for the remainder of this portion of Ordered Time.

The Gloria is omitted on the weekday.

Entrance hymn: O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine (music on sheets provided)

Psalm 18: Blessed be God, my salvation, sung to Psalm Tone 8G.

- This is the Psalm of the Day for February 7 in the Daily Mass Propers section of the missalette.

Alleluia: music by Dom Anthony Gregory Murray, OSB (same as the last few weeks, also for this portion of Ordered Time)

Offertory anthem: Cor dulce, Cor amabile 

Communion anthem: Panis Angelicus, sung to a Hungarian tune from the Pius X Hymnal

Recessional hymn: To Jesus' Heart, All-Burning (music on sheets provided)

SUNDAY V OF THE YEAR; II-9-14

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Sung Mass Ordinary: Gloria sung from Mass VIII (chant) or recited.  The remainder is from A Community Mass (see First Friday list, above).

Entrance hymn: When morning gilds the skies (Maroon, #367) (Listen)

Psalm 112: The just man is a light in darkness to the upright, music by yours truly

Alleluia: same as First Friday, above

Offertory hymn: O Jesus, I have promised (Maroon, #570, second tune) (Listen)
- Listen link is for the tune itself.  The title given in it just uses the same tune.

Communion anthem: Laudate Dominum, music by Giuseppe Pitoni

Meditation hymn: Blest are the pure in heart (Maroon, #418) (Listen)

Recessional hymn: Ye holy angels bright (Maroon, #600) (We sang this two weeks ago.) ;)

Peace,
BMP