Sunday 19 December 2010

The Fourth Sunday of Advent


The Fourth Sunday of Advent is a semi-double Sunday of the second class. The liturigcal colour is violet. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke concern the preaching of St. John the Baptist preaching the baptism of repentance by the Jordan and the reference to Isaias "Prepare ye the way of the LORD: make straight His paths: every valley shall be filled: and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain: and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

'Every valley' instantly associates in Rubricarius' mind with that musical genius G.F. Handel and 'Messiah':

(Here an extract taken from YouTube with Jon Humphrey and Robert Shaw. A very fine recording of 'Messiah', and one that suits Rubricarius' tastes, is with Rene Jacobs directing on Harmonia Mundi with the Choir of Clare College and Freiburger Barockorchester HMC 901928.29)

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons proper to the Sunday, Canite tuba., were sung with the psalms of Saturday. The Office hymn was Creator alme siderum and the Great 'O' Antiphon O Adonai in its entirety both before and after the Magnificat, with the choir standing. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Prope est jam Dominus: Venite adoremus and the hymn Verbum supernum prodiens. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken, as usual in Advent, from Isaias. In the second nocturn the lessons are again taken from St. Leo's sermon on the fast of the tenth month. The homily in the third nocturn is from the twentieth homily of St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel. At Lauds the antiphons that were sung at Vespers, Canite tuba etc., are sung with the Dominical psalms.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are used in the usual sequence. At Prime the versicle in the responsory is Qui venturus es in mundum and the Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The ministers wear violet folded chasubles. The Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of the BVM in Advent, Deus qui de beate, the third collect Ecclesiae or Deus omnium. The Creed is sung and the preface that of the Trinity. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

At Vespers the antiphons Canite tuba etc are sung with the Dominical psalms. The hymn is again Creator alme siderum. The antiphon on the Magnificat is the Great 'O' Antiphon appointed for the 19th December O radix Jesse. The antiphon is sung in its entirety both before and after the canticle with the choir standing. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons as usual. At Prime the Dominical preces are omitted. At Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, there is only one collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

Art: Jerome Nadal

5 comments:

Andy said...

Hello Rubricarius,

I have two questions about this coming Friday's Vigil of Christmas:

1) Is the Jam lucis orto sidere sung to the Simple Tone at Prime on that day?

2) In what book would we find the tone for chanting the Martyrology of the Vigil of Christmas? Or, if the tone is fairly simple, could you just describe it here if you know it? Thanks.

May you have a blessed Christmas and a holy new year!

Andy

Rubricarius said...

Andy,

Thank you for your good wishes which I reciprocate.

1)Jam lucis is sung to the tone given in the Antiphonale i.e. to the melody of En clara vox - or a polyphonic setting if that is the custom.

2) The Martyrology gives the tone for the Vigil of the Nativity. It really is quite straightforward and I will attempt to describe it as you ask.

The day and moon are announced in the usual manner. Then follows, to the tone of any other day Anno a creatione mundi, sung to the usual tone. At the words In Bethlehem Judae etc the voice is raised (from C to F equivalent). For Nativitas Dominini nostri Jesu Christi secundum carnem the tone of the Chronista of the Passion is used. After that the rest is a usual for any other day.

If you like I am happy to photograph the page that gives the tone in the Martyrology. Please let me know.

Matthew Schellhorn said...

I have posted about this on the LMS Southwark Blog: http://lmssouthwarknorth.blogspot.com/2010/12/traditional-proclamation-of-christmas.html

Andy said...

"If you like I am happy to photograph the page that gives the tone in the Martyrology. Please let me know."

Could you do that please? I would really appreciate it since I do not presently own a Martyrology.

Thank you so much.

Andy

Rubricarius said...

Thank you Matthew,

I might be doing something wrong but I can hardly read the print - old age catching up on me no doubt!

Andy,

Go to page 27 of this: http://musicasacra.com/books/laudes_festivae_1940.pdf

In terms of announcing the Moon it is 'Luna undevicesima.'


I hope it goes well.