medieval.org
Hungaroton HCD 32358
june-july, 2005
Calvinist Church, Ócsa
OLD ROMAN LITURGICAL CHANTS
1st Sunday of Lent
MATUTINUM
1 - Antiphon Cum jejunatis
[0:22]
2 - Prĉludium (organ) [3:48]
I. Nocturnus
3 - Antiphon Cum autem oraveris + Ps. 1.
[1:27]
Lectiones cum Responsoriis
4 - L. Lectio de Epistola
[0:25]
5 - R. Ecce nunc tempus
[2:18]
6 - L. Ait enim [0:17]
7 - R. Emendemus in melius
[2:33]
8 - L. Ecce nunc tempus
[0:14]
9 - R. In jejunio et fletu
[2:08]
10 - Fantasia super "In jejunio" (organ)
[1:42]
II. Nocturnus
11 - Antiphon Nesciat sinistra + Ps. 15.
[0:59]
Lectiones cum Responsoriis
12 - L. Nemini dantes [1:21]
13 - R. Paradisi portas
[2:37]
14 - L. Per arma justitiĉ
[0:46]
15 - R. Tribularer si nescirem
[2:35]
16 - L. Quasi tristes [0:24]
17 - R. Abscondite elemosinam
[2:19]
18 - Fantasia super "Abscondite" (organ)
[2:02]
III. Nocturnus
19 - Antiphon Thesaurizate vobis + Ps. 18.
[1:19]
Lectiones cum Responsoriis
20 - L. Sermo sancti Leonis Papĉ
[0:48]
21 - R. In te Domine speravi
[3:04]
22 - L. Quamvis enim nulla
[0:51]
23 - R. Petre amas me [1:33]
24 - L. Ut excellens [0:18]
25 - Fantasia super "Petre amas"
[1:43]
LAUDES
26 - Antiphons Cor mundum - O Domine salvum me
[2:23]
Sic benedicam - In spiritu humilitatis - Laudate Deum
27 - Interludium (organ) [4:
13]
MISSA
28 - Introit. Invocabit me
[2:44]
29 - Kyrie [2:55]
30 - Gradual. Angelis suis
[2:18]
31 - Tract. Qui habitat
[9:32]
32 - Offertory. Scapulis suis
[4:36]
33 - Sanctus [1:10]
34 - Ad Elevationem (organ)
[1:26]
35 - Agnus [0:51]
36 - Communion. Scapulis suis
[1:05]
37 - Postludium (organ)
[5:12]
SCHOLA HUNGARICA
Soloists:
Kiss Bálint, Csuthy István
Conducted by
DOBSZAY LÁSZLÓ
(5, 9, 15, 21, 26, 29, 33, 35)
SZENDREY JANKA
(1, 3, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 28, 30, 31, 32, 36)
Erőd Iván, organ
(2, 10, 18, 25, 27, 34, 37)
Sung in Latin
SUNG
TEXTS
Old Roman Liturgical Chants
1st Sunday of Lent
About one hundred years ago when the Benedictine monks of Solesmes
started to collate Gregorian manuscripts from several parts of Europe,
they were surprised to see that some Roman codices contained the
melodies transformed, in special style, even though they agreed with
the rest of the sources as regards liturgical order and the basic
structure of the melodies. First they thought that the original form of
the melodies "deteriorated" in Rome in the course of time. Later
research proved, however, that this must have been the early,
"Mediterranean" style of the Roman liturgical chant and its Transalpine
version, the Gregorian chant emerged under the influence of a different
taste. Although the ancient melodies underwent changes in Rome as well
and the material of the codices written down between the late 11th and
the 13th centuries could not be antedated, it is still most likely that
these variants come close to the 7th-8th-century
form of the "cantilena Romana". This is why the five codices mentioned
(and several other fragments) were termed "Old Roman".
The core of the melodies is identical in both the Old Roman and the
Gregorian chant. In the Old Roman tunes this melodic concept is
realized, however, by means of rich ornamentation in which certain
characteristic turns of the style, the 6-8-note "formulas" are
constantly repeated. The cadential formulas became fixed differently
from Gregorian chant and repeated motives of two-three notes took the
place of tone repetitions. All this is evidently not only the vestige
of the Mediterranean tradition but the consequence of the oral
transmission of the melodies as well. Schola Hungarica has already
recorded melodies of the so-called "gloriosum officium", the Roman
Vespers at Easter (Old Roman Liturgical Chants, Hungaroton HCD 12741)
and a musical document each of the veneration of old Roman saints (A
Pilgrimage to Rome, HCD 31574). This time the almost complete liturgy
of a day is demonstrated, based on the old Roman tradition. The ancient
material of the First Sunday of Lent lends itself perfectly for this
purpose.
The first unit offers a cross-section of the daily Office. As proper antiphons,
the most essential genre of the Office, occur only sporadically after
Ash Wednesday, they are gathered to head the individual units of the
Office. The first antiphon was chosen as the motto of the CD (1). The
first great unit is the night Vigil divided into three sections called
"Nocturns" Each Nocturn begins with an antiphon (3, 11, 19). The
antiphon is, in fact, a verse sung before and after a recited psalm
presented here by the first two verses of the Sunday psalms. The five
psalms of the Office at dawn were also surrounded by antiphons but they
must be given here without psalms because of space limitations,
separating the five psalm antiphons merely by the alternation of
singers (26).
There are three readings at each Nocturn followed,
except for the last one, by a responsory (4-9,
12-17, 20-24). From the readings only a sentence is quoted.
Responsories represent perhaps the most beautiful, most attractive
items of the Old Roman repertory; as a result, none of them was
omitted. The responsory after the eighth reading is not about Lent: at
St. Peter's basilica the last item commemorated the Apostle St. Peter
on each Sunday and holiday.
The second part of the CD contains the Sunday Mass.
The proper parts (28, 30-32, 36) agree with those
of the Gregorian chant but they have a more ornate melody. All Mass
chants of this day were taken from Psalm 90, as this text became so to
say the leading psalm of the Lent season, having a reference to the
Gospel of the day: the fasting and temptation of Jesus. Particular
attention deserves the tract (almost the entire
psalm sung continuously yet lively varied to a melodic model of
identical structure throughout: 31) and the offertory
with its beautiful verses (32). The verses disappeared from the
Gregorian variants in about the 12th century; the old Roman repertory
interprets them in its own style (see for example the motive
repetitions of the second verse!).
In the ancient Rome the ordinary parts (29, 33, 35)
were steady both in text and melody. The Kyrie
melody to which a textual insert, a trope is added is identical
throughout. The Sanctus shows an archaic sense of
tonality: the main motif is fixed while the ending (the final) is
accidental. The Agnus does not have "dona nobis
pacem" yet; "miserere nobis" is heard for the third time as well.
In real life the various units of the liturgy were separated by the
alternation of actions, scenes,
persons and frequently by an interval of several hours. On recordings
contemporary polyphony proves adequate for this dividing function as in
the Middle Ages liturgical polyphony was performed in Gregorian
environment as well; the Gregorian corpus of the liturgy was often
combined with polyphonic music. This method cannot be used here because
polyphonic music was used in to the early Roman practice. Consequently,
organ music was chosen to form a counterpoint to
monophony. Since no contemporary music could be reproduced, it seemed
more appropriate to stress the stylistic differences; therefore Erőd
Iván was asked to compose fantasias and versettos modern in style yet
not contrary in character to the spirit of the liturgy. These organ
pieces use Old Roman melodies as cantus firmus; as for structure, they
evoke customs from the Middle Ages to the Baroque. Nevertheless, they
do no archaize in notes and shaping but accept the tone of our time. In
this way, the CD not only evokes history but tends to realize a large
cycle justifying itself as well.
Dobszay László