Schola Hungarica / Old Roman Liturgical Chants


IMAGEN

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