Friday, December 28, 2018

Four-Day Weekend, followed by Three-Day Weekend

Music lists for Holy Family (this weekend), Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1, a Holy Day of Obligation), and the Epiphany (next weekend)

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Sat. XII-29-18 at 5 PM; Sun. XII-30-18 at 7:30, 9, and 11:15 AM

Ordinary of the Mass:
- Mass of the Shepherds (Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus) (11:15)
- Mass VIII (Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus) (all others)
- Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine (Memorial Acclamation) (Worship, #349)
- Dresden Amen

The rest:
Entrance hymn: Once in royal David's city (Worship hymnal, #402)
Psalm 84: R./ Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord (BMP) (PDF)
Alleluia "Divinum Mysterium" (BMP) (PDF)
Offertory hymn: While shepherds watched their flocks by night (Worship hymnal, #382)
Communion music:
- Psalm 27: R./ Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business? (BMP) (PDF)
- (11:15): Gaudete! Christus est natus (Piae Cantiones, 1582, arr. BMP)
Meditation hymn: What Child is this (Worship hymnal, #411)
Recessional hymn: Angels we have heard on high (Worship hymnal, #376)

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
(A Holy Day of Obligation)
Mon. XII-31-18 at 5 PM; Tues. I-1-19 at 10:30 AM

Ordinary of the Mass:
- Mass VIII (Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus)
- Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine (Memorial Acclamation)
- Dresden Amen

The rest:
Entrance hymn: While shepherds watched their flocks by night (Maroon hymnal, #13)
Psalm 67: R./ May God bless us in his mercy (music in missalette, page 42)
Alleluia "Divinum Mysterium" (BMP) (PDF)
Offertory hymn: The First Nowell (Maroon hymnal, #30)
Communion (Psalm 34): R./ Exult, O daughter of Sion (BMP) (PDF)
Meditation hymn: In the bleak midwinter (Maroon hymnal, #44)
Recessional hymn: Angels we have heard on high (Maroon hymnal, #42)

First Friday (Sacred Heart Community Mass)
Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Fri. I-4-19 at 6 PM

Ordinary of the Mass:
- Mass VIII (Sanctus, Agnus)
- Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine (Memorial Acclamation)
- Dresden Amen

The rest:
Entrance hymn: Hark! the herald angels sing (Worship hymnal, #387)
Psalm 98: R./ All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God (BMP) (PDF)
Alleluia "Divinum Mysterium" (BMP) (PDF)
Offertory hymn: What Child is this (Worship hymnal, #411)
Communion (Psalm 8): R./ How great is your Name, O Lord our God, through all the earth (Worship hymnal, #27)
Recessional: Joy to the world (Worship hymnal, #399, verses 1, 2, 4)

The Epiphany of the Lord
Sat. I-5-19 at 5 PM; Sun. I-6-19 at 7:30, 9, and 11:15 AM

Brass will be on hand for all Masses except 7:30.

Ordinary of the Mass:
- Mass VIII (Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus) (7:30)
- Mass of the Shepherds (Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus) (all others)
- Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine (Memorial Acclamation)
- Dresden Amen

The rest:
Entrance hymn: O come, all ye faithful (Maroon hymnal, #12, verses 1, 2, 3, 6)
Psalm 72: R./ Lord, every nation on earth will adore you (BMP) (PDF)
Alleluia "Divinum Mysterium" (BMP) (PDF)
Offertory hymn: We three Kings of Orient are (Maroon hymnal, #51)
Communion music:
Break forth, O beauteous heav'nly light ("Emuntre Dich")
- (7:30): Psalm 72: R./ We have seen his star in the East, and have come with gifts to adore the Lord (Bartlett)
Meditation hymn: As with gladness men of old (Maroon hymnal, #52)
Recessional hymn: What star is this with beams so bright (Maroon hymnal, #47)

Quod scripsi, scripsi!
BMP

Friday, December 21, 2018

The Music of Christmas at Sacred Heart

Masses Christmas Eve (Monday) at 5 and 10 PM and Christmas Day (Tuesday) at 9 and 11:15 AM.  There will be a prelude of music by singers and brass approximately 15-20 minutes before each Mass.

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Prelude:
1. Tu scendi dalle stelle (traditional Italian)
2. Break forth, O beauteous heav'nly light (Johann Schop, arr. Johann Sebastian Bach)
3. Gaudete, Christus est natus (Piae Cantationes, 1582, arr. BMP)
4. selected carols performed by brass
5. if time permits, organ improvisations on Christmas themes

Holy Mass:
Mass Ordinary: Mass of the Shepherds (Pietro Yon) (Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei)
- - Pietro Yon, longtime organist/choirmaster of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (in St. Louis, MO, of course), is well known for his Gesu Bambino, but he also gave us this gem, which we will be using for this, my eighth Christmas at Sacred Heart.
- Memorial Acclamation: Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine
- Amen: Dresden

Entrance hymn: O come, all ye faithful (Worship hymnal, #392, arr. David Willcocks)
- Verse 1 in Latin, followed by verses 1-4 in English)
Psalm 96: Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord (Richard Proulx/Père Joseph Gelineau, SJ)
Alleluia "Divinum Mysterium" (BMP) (PDF)
Offertory hymn: Hark! the herald angels sing (Worship hymnal, #387, arr. David Willcocks)
Communion anthem: Hallelujah! (George Frederick Handel, from his most famous work, Messiah)
Meditation hymn: Silent night (Worship hymnal, #379)
Recessional hymn: Joy to the world (Worship hymnal, #399, verses 1, 2, 4)
Postlude: Angels we have heard on high (organ/brass)
- Organ improvisation: based on Louis-Claude Daquin's Noel Suisse

Merry Christmas and a Blessed MMXIX to all who read this!

Quod scripsi, scripsi!
BMP

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

The Rest of Advent (including Immaculate Conception)

This week's musing, "Decoding a Hymn Revisited", another rendition of my explanation of hymn credits, including text, tune, and meter.  Click here to read it.

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION!!!  Friday XII-7 (6 PM) and Saturday XII-8 (9 AM, 5 PM)

Ordinary of the Mass:
- Mass XVIII (Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei)
- Mass VIII (Gloria) (or recited)
- Memorial Acclamation: Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine
- Amen adapted from Sanctus VIII

The rest:
Entrance hymn: Immaculate Mary (Worship hymnal, #708)
Psalm 96: R./ Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds (Worship hymnal, #1060)
Alleluia "Conditor Alme" (BMP) (PDF)
Offertory hymn: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came (Worship hymnal, #695)
Communion responsory: R./ Glorious things of thee are spoken, O Mary (BMP, adapted from Austria) (PDF)
- The tune "Austria" is the tune most familiarly associated with the hymn "Glorious things of thee are spoken", which we sang about three months or so ago.
Meditation hymn: Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming (Worship hymnal, #374)
Recessional hymn: Tell out, my soul (Worship hymnal, #534)

Sunday II of Advent
Sunday, XII-9 (7:30, 9, and 11:15 AM)

Ordinary of the Mass:
- Mass XVII (Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei)
- Memorial Acclamation: Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine
- Amen adapted from Sanctus VIII

The rest:
Entrance hymn: On Jordan's Bank (Maroon hymnal, #10)
Psalm 126: R./ The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy (Alfred Calabrese) (PDF)
Alleluia "Conditor Alme" (BMP) (PDF)
Offertory hymn: Hark! a Thrilling Voice Is Sounding (Maroon hymnal, #9)
Music during Communion:
- Psalm 147: R./ Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high, and behold the joy that shall come to you from your God (BMP) (PDF)
- (11:15) Comfort, Comfort, O my people (Worship hymnal, #370)
Meditation hymn: The King Shall Come when Morning Dawns (Maroon hymnal, #11)
Recessional hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Maroon hymnal, #2)

Sunday III of Advent
Saturday, XII-15 (5 PM); Sunday, XII-16 (7:30, 9, and 11:15 AM)

Ordinary of the Mass:
- Mass XVII (Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei)
- Memorial Acclamation: Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine
- Amen adapted from Sanctus VIII

The rest:
Entrance hymn: On Jordan's Bank (Maroon hymnal, #10)
Responsorial Psalm (Isaiah 12: 2-6): R./ Cry out with joy and gladness, for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel (Alstott)
Alleluia "Conditor Alme" (BMP) (PDF)
Offertory hymn: The King Shall Come when Morning Dawns (Maroon hymnal, #11)
Music during Communion:
- Psalm 147: R./ Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high, and behold the joy that shall come to you from your God (BMP) (PDF)
- (11:15) Magnificat (Tone 8g/Ciro Grassi, alternating)
- - In this "Magnificat" setting, the versicles alternate between the Gregorian Psalm Tone 8g and a choral tone written by Ciro Grassi.  This tone was published in the Pius X Hymnal right around the time of Grassi's death in the early 1950's.  Alternating tones is a practice used in some churches even today, and I try to continue that practice when possible.
Meditation hymn: Hark! a Thrilling Voice Is Sounding (Maroon hymnal, #9)
Recessional hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Maroon hymnal, #2)

Sunday IV of Advent
Saturday, XII-22 (5 PM); Sunday, XII-23 (7:30, 9, and 11:15 AM)

Ordinary of the Mass:
- Mass XVII (Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei)
- Memorial Acclamation: Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine
- Amen adapted from Sanctus VIII

The rest:
Entrance hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Worship hymnal, #357)
Psalm 80: R./ Lord, make us turn to you, let us see your face and we shall be saved (Evans) (PDF)
Alleluia "Conditor Alme" (BMP) (PDF)
Offertory hymn: Tell out, my soul (Worship hymnal, #534)
Music during Communion:
- Psalm 19: R./ Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son; and his name shall be callèd Emmanuel (BMP, based on O Heiland Reiss) (PDF)
- (11:15) Alma Redemptoris Mater (Webbe, alt.)
Meditation hymn: Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming (Worship hymnal, #374)
Recessional hymn: O Come, Divine Messiah (Worship hymnal, #367)
- When I was at Precious Blood Church in Woonsocket through a good chunk of the 1990's, we sometimes sang this hymn in the original French, "Venez, Divin Messie".

Quod scripsi, scripsi!
BMP

Decoding a Hymn Revisited

When you look at a hymn in a hymnal, do you ever wonder what some of the items on that page mean?  What is "CM", "LM", or "87 87"?  What is "St. Stephen" or "Winchester New"?  I'm going to revisit that right now.

First thing to know that in modern music, there are "lyrics" and "music".  In hymnody, the "lyrics" and "music" are referred to as "text" and "tune", respectively.  Also, in hymnody, in most cases, the author or source of the text is different from the composer or source of the tune.  "Source" is defined as a book or other collection of music that a particular text or tune was first known to be published in.

Some hymnals are more detailed than others in hymn credits.  A good reason for that is as hymnals are updated, more information may be found about certain hymns.  In some cases, information may even be corrected in future editions.

Let's take a look at our two hymnals that are in use at Sacred Heart, the red hymnal, Worship, and the maroon hymnal, The Hymnal.  The edition of Worship we use was published in 1986, while The Hymnal, although formally titled The Hymnal 1940, was published around 1943 and has addenda as recent as 1981.  Here you will see two contrasting presentation of hymn credits.  Let's look at an Advent hymn that I can safely say almost everyone is familiar with: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

In Worship (red), the number and title are on top, and all the credits are on the bottom.  Very user-friendly to the average congregant.  In O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, #357, you will find this at the bottom of the hymn:
Text: Veni, veni, Emmanuel, Latin, 9th c.; Tr. by John M. Neale, 1818-1866, alt.
Tune: VENI, VENI, EMMANUEL, LM with refrain; Mode I; Adapt. by Thomas     Helmore, 1811-1890; Acc. by Richard Proulx, b. 1937, © 1975 GIA Publications, Inc.
In the text line, you first see "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel".  That is the original Latin from which "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is translated.  It's known source is that it was originally in Latin (duh!) and dates back to the 9th century.  John M. Neale (full name John Mason Neale), was the translator (thus the "Tr."), and the years following his name is his life span.  The abbreviation "alt." indicates that this is an altered form of Neale's translation.  Usually the alterations are made by the hymnal's editor(s).  In this case, sadly, the words "thee", "thou", and "thy" have been removed.  This is a dumbing-down of a really good hymn, and such will be discussed in a future post.

In the tune line, the words "VENI, VENI, EMMANUEL" in all capital letters (some hymnals use italics in place of capitals, the italics being my personal preference when presenting manuscript) is the actual title of the tune.  "LM with refrain" is the poetic meter (I will discuss this further down in this post).  This tune, being chant, is set to "Mode I", one of eight modes given to chant melodies (in most cases Gregorian chant).  Thomas Helmore (again, the dates following indicate his life span) adapted the chant tune to a more metrical form that appears in some hymnals, but not in this one.  Nonetheless, he was still credited here.  Richard Proulx, many of his works published by GIA Publications in Chicago, Illinois, wrote the organ accompaniment provided in the organ edition of this hymnal (the edition in the pew contains only melody and text).  Proulx's accompaniment is copyrighted by GIA.  In terms of lifespan, as of the printing of the Worship hymnal, Proulx was born in 1937 ("b. 1937").  He has since died, and his lifespan is reflected in future hymnals (1937-2010).

Now, let's look at the same hymn (#2) in our maroon hymnal, The Hymnal.  Keeping in mind that the maroon hymnal is 43 years older than the Worship hymnal, you will see what I mean by a difference not only in the presentation of the credits, but the actual credits themselves.

First, let's look at the top of the page.  The Hymnal does not use hymn titles.  Underneath the heading "Advent" is the numbers "88.88.88".  That's the poetic meter, and (as I'll explain further down) is just as accurate as the "LM with refrain" presented in Worship.  At top left, you see "VENI EMMANUEL", again in all caps.  OK, they shortened the tune name by one "Veni".  At top right is the tune source.  Again, you see that Thomas Helmore adapted the tune ("Melody adapted from plainsong, Mode I by Thomas Helmore, 1854") ("plainsong", "chant", same thing, pretty much).  Notice that instead of the composer's lifespan, you see the actual year Helmore made the adaptation.

Now, let's look at the bottom of the second page, after the hymn is finished.  Here is the text sources.  Though the text translation is that of John Mason Neale (in its unaltered form), that's not what it says here.  You have "Hymnal Version, based on Latin, c. 9th cent.; St. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, pub. Cologne, 1710".  Hymnal Version is used for a number of hymn texts in the maroon hymnal, meaning that it was the version hand picked for the hymnal by its editors.  Note that it states here that the text was "based on" the Latin, and not "translated from" the Latin.  Also, according to this, five stanzas (1, 3, 4, 5, and 6) were first published in Cologne, Germany, in 1710.

So, you can see the big difference in how the facts of a hymn are presented, as well as what facts are presented, from hymnal to hymnal.  But there is one more thing I would like to discuss, and I promised this twice in preceding paragraphs: meter - poetic meter, to be exact.

"88.88.88", as presented in the maroon hymnal, is the number of syllables in each line of verse, in this case, including the refrain.  Each of the six lines has eight syllables, and, as you see by the periods after each "88", the lines are grouped in pairs, as the poetry here dictates.  Some hymnals use a space instead of a period to separate the grouped lines.

In the Worship hymnal, you see "LM with refrain".  There are six types of meters that are not often given by number, but by abbreviations: SM, SMD, CM, CMD, LM, and LMD.  "LM" indicates that each verse has eight syllables per line and that it has a refrain, without giving the meter of the refrain.  Here's a primer on those abbreviations.

"SM" stands for "Short Meter", and it seems to be exactly that - short.  Presented in numbers, that would be "66 86", meaning the first pair lines are six syllables each, followed by a pair of lines that are eight syllables and six syllables, respectively.  A familiar example of such meter is Blest Are the Pure in Heart (#418 in the maroon hymnal).  "SMD" is "Short Meter Double" (a "D" added to any meter means "double").  In numbers, that would be "66 86 66 86" or "66 86 D".  It's like having two short meter verses in one.  Familiar example: Crown Him with Many Crowns (#352 in the maroon hymnal or #496 in Worship).

"CM" stands for "Common Meter".  In numbers, that's "86 86", two pairs of lines of eight and six syllables, respectively.  Familiar example: Lord, Who throughout these Forty Days (#59 in the maroon hymnal or #417 in Worship).  "CMD" is "Common Meter Double".  Again, it's like having two common meter verses in one.  Familiar example: Your Hands, O Lord, in Days of Old (#750 in Worship).

"LM" stands for "Long Meter", or in numbers, "88 88" - two pairs of eight-syllable lines.  A perfect example is the Advent hymn, On Jordan's Bank (#10 in the maroon hymnal or #356 in Worship), which we will be singing for the Second and Third Sundays of Advent.  The "LMD" ("Long Meter Double") is rarely used, but definitely does exist.  The Lorica (or "Breastplate") of St. Patrick, I Bind unto Myself This Day" (#268 in the maroon hymnal) uses such meter.

Some hymn meters include the words "with Refrain" (like O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, as presented in Worship).  Some include the words "with Alleluias" (like Jesus Christ Is Ris'n Today and Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones).  On occasion, you will also find the word "Irregular".  Irregular meters are those in which no two verses have the same set number of syllables.  Our National Anthem (#142 in the maroon hymnal or #761 in Worship) is one such example.  Christmas carols, well-known ones, have irregular meters: O Come, All Ye Faithful, The First Noel, and Silent Night being the most popular examples.  The first two are actually "Irregular with Refrain".

One of the most popular reasons for having the poetic meter listed for each hymn is that many tunes are interchangeable.  You could sing Lord, Who throughout these Forty Days to the same tune as Shepherd of Souls, Refresh and Bless, and vice versa, not that I'd want to.  You could sing Alleluia! Sing to Jesus to the same tune as Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.  The "Metrical Index" in the back of both hymnals categorize each tune name by meter, giving the musician options if he/she ever wanted to change the tune to a hymn.  Some hymns, as you may know, appear in the hymnal to more than one tune already (in both hynmals).

Finally, I want to mention one more item of note: the difference in many tune names between our two hymnals.  I'm not talking different tunes, but the same tune, just under different names.  Many tunes, not all, known by their German titles appeared under alternate names (usually in English or in Latin, or maybe the name of a German or Austrian city) in the maroon hymnal.  Remember, that particular hymnal was conceived in 1940 and published in 1943, during World War II.  So, for Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, you'll see the tune listed as Lobe den Herren in the Worship hymnal (#547), and simply Praise to the Lord in the maroon hymnal (#279).  Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones is given the tune name Lasst uns Erfreuen (German) in Worship (#707), while the maroon hymnal (#599) uses the name Vigiles et Sancti (Latin) for that same tune.

Have I satisfied some curiosities yet? ;)

Quod scripsi, scripsi!
BMP

PS: "Quod scripsi, scripsi!" is the Latin for "What I have written, I have written".  In St. John's rendition of Our Lord's Passion and Death, Pilate wrote on the Cross of Christ, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (INRI - "Iesus Nazorenus, Rex Iudeorum", not "In Rhode Island").  Anyways, the chief priests and scribes told Pilate to write instead, "He said 'I am the King of the Jews'".  Pilate's response, "Quod scripsi, scripsi!"  ("What I have written, I have written!")