DOCSLIB.ORG

Reflection – Requiem Aeternam by Jennifer Rodgers, UUCR Director of Music

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Reflection – Requiem Aeternam by Jennifer Rodgers, UUCR Director of Music Reflection – Requiem Aeternam by Jennifer Rodgers, UUCR Director of Music “Rest eternal and light perpetual. In the end, this is my only prayer.” The whole of Fauré’s Requiem could be summed up just that neatly. Earlier Requiems delve deeply into the Day of Judgment texts –“Dies Irae! Dies Illa! Day of Wrath! Day of calamity and misery!” They swell with angry passages, fear for the wrath of God and our own fear of death. Fauré’s Requiem has been called a lullaby by comparison. It’s as if he has written a mantra for peace in death that he repeats over and over. Or a petition patiently applied through every common form of address to this “God” that people worship. You see, Fauré, reportedly, was an agnostic - a quiet, free-thinking, creative agnostic. I think that we see this right up front in the first movement. After he opens with his central prayer – rest eternal and light perpetual – he sets a text that can be translated as “Thou, O God, are worshiped in holy Sion and vows to you are fulfilled in Jerusalem.” Not “I worship you,” but “you are worshiped.” As if he’s saying, “you have the praise and the ear of the people. The people come to you and so I will make my plea to you, too.” He uses a litany of titles and accolades - the Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy), the Sanctus (Holy Lord God of Hosts – Hosanna in the highest), the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). He uses Pie Jesu (Merciful Lord), Domine Deus Sabaoth (Lord God of Hosts), Rex Gloriae (King of Glory) - and each one, except the simple statement of the Sanctus, is simply a prelude to saying, rest eternal and light perpetual. “That’s all I want,” he’s saying, “I want death to be peaceful and full of light.” Which brings me to another possible source for his philosophy. He was just 25 when the Franco-Prussian War broke out and he volunteered for the front line. It was a terrible war that left Paris in ruins and its people starving. And there is evidence that when he returned to “normal post war life,” he suffered bouts of dizziness, intense depression, and migraine headaches. Nowadays, we might well call that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. And it was enough for his fiancé to call off their marriage. There is one movement in the Requiem where he (oh so briefly!) includes some of the Day of Wrath language that Mozart and Verdi spend huge movements on. Even then, he wraps it in prayer and quiet hope. And, even more telling, his first version of the Requiem didn’t include this movement at all! You’ll hear Greg Yoder quietly state the heart of it – “Libera Me, Domine, de morte aeterna: Deliver Me, Lord from everlasting death” – a melody that the choir repeats later with great restraint. Greg’s solo is followed by this tremendously powerful pianissimo passage about the fear of death - “Tremens, Tremens.” I’ve been saying to the choir about that section: it’s as though you hope so much for peace in death that you can hardly speak the words. So briefly, the horns announce the “Dies Illa! Dies Irae! Day of Wrath and misery!” and then we tumble quickly back to rest eternal and light perpetual. “That’s all I ask, you God of the people, you who are said to be merciful. I wish there to be rest eternal and light perpetual. I wish for those who die, and inevitably for myself as well, to be shown Paradise where there is rest eternal and light perpetual.” .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Divine Liturgy
    THE DIVINE LITURGY OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS JOHN CHRYSOSTOM H QEIA LEITOURGIA TOU EN AGIOIS PATROS HMWN IWANNOU TOU CRUSOSTOMOU St Andrew’s Orthodox Press SYDNEY 2005 First published 1996 by Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia 242 Cleveland Street Redfern NSW 2016 Australia Reprinted with revisions and additions 1999 Reprinted with further revisions and additions 2005 Reprinted 2011 Copyright © 1996 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia This work is subject to copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior written permission from the publisher. Enquiries should be addressed to the publisher. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data The divine liturgy of our father among the saints John Chrysostom = I theia leitourgia tou en agiois patros imon Ioannou tou Chrysostomou. ISBN 0 646 44791 2. 1. Orthodox Eastern Church. Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. 2. Orthodox Eastern Church. Prayer-books and devotions. 3. Prayers. I. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. 242.8019 Typeset in 11/12 point Garamond and 10/11 point SymbolGreek II (Linguist’s Software) CONTENTS Preface vii The Divine Liturgy 1 ïH Qeiva Leitourgiva Conclusion of Orthros 115 Tevlo" tou' ÒOrqrou Dismissal Hymns of the Resurrection 121 ÆApolutivkia ÆAnastavsima Dismissal Hymns of the Major Feasts 127 ÆApolutivkia tou' Dwdekaovrtou Other Hymns 137 Diavforoi ÓUmnoi Preparation for Holy Communion 141 Eujcai; pro; th'" Qeiva" Koinwniva" Thanksgiving after Holy Communion 151 Eujcaristiva meta; th;n Qeivan Koinwnivan Blessing of Loaves 165 ÆAkolouqiva th'" ÆArtoklasiva" Memorial Service 177 ÆAkolouqiva ejpi; Mnhmosuvnw/ v PREFACE The Divine Liturgy in English translation is published with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos of Australia.
    [Show full text]
  • Rosary for Peace
    ROSARY FOR PEACE SIGN OF THE CROSS SALVE REGINA In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and AMEN. our hope. To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn We pray this rosary for world peace. Please feel free to add your own then, O most gracious Advocate, thy eyes of mercy toward us, and intentions at this time. after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! V. We pray to the Lord. (followed by intention) R. Lord hear our prayer! V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the APOSTLES’ CREED promises of Christ! I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. V. Let us pray: I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, was born of the blessed Virgin Mary, O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech buried; He descended to the dead. On the third day, He rose again; Thee, that, meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
    [Show full text]
  • Kyrie Litany Luke D
    30147332 Kyrie Litany Luke D. Rosen 30147333 (PDF) SATB Choir, Cantor, Keyboard, Guitar, Solo Instrument in C, Assembly CHORAL SERIES Kyrie Litany Verses based on Luke D. Rosen the Sarum Missal, 11th century * OSTINATO REFRAIN Lamenting ( = ca. 60) q % Capo 3: (Am) (Fmaj7) (Am/G)(Gadd9) (C) (C/F) (C/G) (Gsus4) (G) Cm A maj7 Cm/B B add9 E E /A E /B B sus4 B Soprano b b b b b b b b b b bb 3 . j 4 Œ 3 j 4 Œ 3 & bAlto4 . œ. œ 4 œ œ 4 œ œ œ. œ œ 4 œ œ ˙œ 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙œ œ œ œ œ 1. Ký - ri - e, e - lé - i - son. Ký - ri - e, e - lé - i - son. 2. Chri - ste, e - lé - i - son. Chri - ste, e - lé - i - son. 3. Ký - ri - e, e - lé - i - son. Ký - ri - e, e - lé - i - son. Tenor j j œ. œ œ œ ˙ ? b 3 . œ œ œ. œ 4 œ œ ˙ Œ 3 œ œ œ 4 Œ 3 b bBass4 . œ œ œ œ 4 œ œ ˙ 4 œ 4 œ œ ˙ 4 (Dm)(Asus4) (Am/G) (F) (Gadd9) (Am) (Fmaj7) (Am/E) (Esus4/G ) Fm Csus4 Cm/B A B add9 Cm A maj7 Cm/G Gsus4/B# b b b b (U) bb 3 œ j 4 Œ 3 j 4 Œ 3 . & b 4 œ œ œœ. œ œ 4 œ œ 4 œ. œ 4 œ œ 4 . œ œ œ ˙œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙˙ ( ) 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Common Prayer
    The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church Together with The Psalter or Psalms of David According to the use of The Episcopal Church Church Publishing Incorporated, New York Certificate I certify that this edition of The Book of Common Prayer has been compared with a certified copy of the Standard Book, as the Canon directs, and that it conforms thereto. Gregory Michael Howe Custodian of the Standard Book of Common Prayer January, 2007 Table of Contents The Ratification of the Book of Common Prayer 8 The Preface 9 Concerning the Service of the Church 13 The Calendar of the Church Year 15 The Daily Office Daily Morning Prayer: Rite One 37 Daily Evening Prayer: Rite One 61 Daily Morning Prayer: Rite Two 75 Noonday Prayer 103 Order of Worship for the Evening 108 Daily Evening Prayer: Rite Two 115 Compline 127 Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families 137 Table of Suggested Canticles 144 The Great Litany 148 The Collects: Traditional Seasons of the Year 159 Holy Days 185 Common of Saints 195 Various Occasions 199 The Collects: Contemporary Seasons of the Year 211 Holy Days 237 Common of Saints 246 Various Occasions 251 Proper Liturgies for Special Days Ash Wednesday 264 Palm Sunday 270 Maundy Thursday 274 Good Friday 276 Holy Saturday 283 The Great Vigil of Easter 285 Holy Baptism 299 The Holy Eucharist An Exhortation 316 A Penitential Order: Rite One 319 The Holy Eucharist: Rite One 323 A Penitential Order: Rite Two 351 The Holy Eucharist: Rite Two 355 Prayers of the People
    [Show full text]
  • A Concise Glossary of the Genres of Eastern Orthodox Hymnography
    Journal of the International Society for Orthodox Church Music Vol. 4 (1), Section III: Miscellanea, pp. 198–207 ISSN 2342-1258 https://journal.fi/jisocm A Concise Glossary of the Genres of Eastern Orthodox Hymnography Elena Kolyada [email protected] The Glossary contains concise entries on most genres of Eastern Orthodox hymnography that are mentioned in the article by E. Kolyada “The Genre System of Early Russian Hymnography: the Main Stages and Principles of Its Formation”.1 On the one hand the Glossary is an integral part of the article, therefore revealing and corroborating its principal conceptual propositions. However, on the other hand it can be used as an independent reference resource for hymnographical terminology, useful for the majority of Orthodox Churches worldwide that follow the Eastern Rite: Byzantine, Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian et al., as well as those Western Orthodox dioceses and parishes, where worship is conducted in English. The Glossary includes the main corpus of chants that represents the five great branches of the genealogical tree of the genre system of early Christian hymnography, together with their many offshoots. These branches are 1) psalms and derivative genres; 2) sticheron-troparion genres; 3) akathistos; 4) canon; 5) prayer genres (see the relevant tables, p. 298-299).2 Each entry includes information about the etymology of the term, a short definition, typological features and a basic statement about the place of a particular chant in the daily and yearly cycles of services in the Byzantine rite.3 All this may help anyone who is involved in the worship or is simply interested in Orthodox liturgiology to understand more fully specific chanting material, as well as the general hymnographic repertoire of each service.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada with the Revised Common Lectionary
    Alternative Services The Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada with the Revised Common Lectionary Anglican Book Centre Toronto, Canada Copyright © 1985 by the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada ABC Publishing, Anglican Book Centre General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada 80 Hayden Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y 3G2 [email protected] www.abcpublishing.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. Acknowledgements and copyrights appear on pages 925-928, which constitute a continuation of the copyright page. In the Proper of the Church Year (p. 262ff) the citations from the Revised Common Lectionary (Consultation on Common Texts, 1992) replace those from the Common Lectionary (1983). Fifteenth Printing with Revisions. Manufactured in Canada. Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Anglican Church of Canada. The book of alternative services of the Anglican Church of Canada. Authorized by the Thirtieth Session of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, 1983. Prepared by the Doctrine and Worship Committee of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada. ISBN 978-0-919891-27-2 1. Anglican Church of Canada - Liturgy - Texts. I. Anglican Church of Canada. General Synod. II. Anglican Church of Canada. Doctrine and Worship Committee. III. Title. BX5616. A5 1985
    [Show full text]
  • The Great Litany the Great Litany
    The Book of Common Prayer, Formatted as the original This document was created from a text file through a number of interations into InDesign and then to Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. This document is intended to exactly duplicate the Book of Common Prayer you might find in your parish church; the only major difference is that font sizes and all dimensions have been increased slightly (by about 12%) to adjust for the size difference between the BCP in the pew and a half- sheet of 8-1/2 X 11” paper. You may redistribute this document electronically provided no fee is charged and this header remains part of the document. While every attempt was made to ensure accuracy, certain errors may exist in the text. Please contact us if any errors are found. This document was created as a service to the community by Satucket Software: Web Design & computer consulting for small business, churches, & non-profits Contact: Charles Wohlers P. O. Box 227 East Bridgewater, Mass. 02333 USA [email protected] http://satucket.com The Great Litany The Great Litany To be said or sung, kneeling, standing, or in procession; before the Eucharist or after the Collects of Morning or Evening Prayer; or separately; especially in Lent and on Rogation days. O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, Have mercy upon us. O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy upon us. O God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful, Have mercy upon us. O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God, Have mercy upon us.
    [Show full text]
  • The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom an English Translation from the Greek, with Commentary, of the Divine Liturgy of St
    The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom An English translation from the Greek, with commentary, of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom The annotations in this edition are extracted from two books by Fr. Alexander Schmemann, of blessed memory: 1) The Eucharist published in 1987, and, 2) For The Life of The World, 1963, 1973, both published by Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press. Fr. Schmemann died in 1983 at the age of 62 having been Dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary for the 20 years previously. Any illumination for the reader of the meaning of the Liturgy is directly from Fr. Schmemann’s work; any errors are directly the fault of the extractor. In this edition the quiet prayers of the priest are indicated by being in blue italics, Scripture references are in red, the Liturgical text is in blue, and the commentary is in black. (Traditionally, the service of Orthros is celebrated right before each Liturgy. The traditional end of the Orthros is the Great Doxology. In our church, the end of the Orthros is separated from the Great Doxology by the Studies in the Faith and the Memorials. Thus, it appears that the Great Doxology is the start of The Eucharist, but that is not the case. [ed.]) The Liturgy of the Eucharist is best understood as a journey or procession. It is a journey of the Church into the dimension of the kingdom, the manner of our entrance into the risen life of Christ. It is not an escape from the world, but rather an arrival at a vantage point from which we can see more deeply into the reality of the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Requiem Mass ❖ All Souls ​ November 2, 2020 ​
    Requiem Mass ❖ All Souls ​ November 2, 2020 ​ Introductory Rites Introit Requiem Aeternam ​ Requiem aeternam dona eis Eternal rest grant unto them, O Domine: et lux perpetua luceat Lord; and let perpetual light shine eis. upon them. Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion, A hymn, O God, becometh Thee et tibi reddetur votum in in Sion; and a vow shall be paid to Jerusalem: exaudi orationem Thee in Jerusalem: hear my prayer; meam; ad te omnis caro veniet. all flesh shall come to Thee. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Eternal rest grant unto them, O Domine, et lux perpetua luceat Lord; and let perpetual light shine eis. upon them. Greeting Penitential Act Kyrie Missa Pro Defunctis ​ Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy. Christe eleison. Christ have mercy. Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy. Liturgy of the Word First Reading Wisdom 3:1-9 As sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. R. ​ He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage. R. ​ You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. R. ​ Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.
    [Show full text]
  • Service Leaflet, Gifts Must Be Received by March 12
    The Holy Eucharist The First Sunday in Lent March 1, 2020 • 11:15 AM Washington National Cathedral Worship lies at the heart of the Christian life. It is in worship that we express our theology and define our identity. It is through encountering God within worship that we are formed and transformed as the people of God. One of the glories of the Episcopal Church is its liturgical worship. Liturgy refers to the patterns, forms, words, and actions through which public worship is conducted. The people’s responses are in bold. This type of note, offering directions about the service is called a “rubric,” which comes from the Latin word rubrica (red)—referring to a time when these instructional notes were always written in red. The Entrance Rite When the service is accompanied by music, it often begins with an instrumental piece of music, during which the congregation can prepare for worship. prelude Prelude from Symphony I, Op. 14 Louis Vierne (1870-1937) introit Call to remembrance Richard Farrant (ca. 1525-1580) Call to remembrance, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindness, which hath been ever of old, O remember not the sins and offenses of my youth: but according to thy mercy think thou on me, O Lord, for thy goodness. (Psalm 25:5-6) At the ringing of the bells, the people stand as able as the procession enters in silence. opening acclamation Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins. God’s mercy endures for ever. the invitation to a holy lent Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting.
    [Show full text]
  • The Divine Liturgy John Chrysostom
    The Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom (With Commentary and Notes) The Divine Liturgy 2 The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is today the primary worship service of over 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world, from Greece to Finland, from Russia to Tanzania, from Japan to Kenya, Bulgaria to Australia. It is celebrated in dozens of languages, from the original Greek it was written in to English and French, Slavonic and Swahili, Korean and Arabic. What does the word Liturgy mean? Liturgy is a Greek word that in classical times referred to the performance of a public duty; in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament made some 300 years before the coming of Christ and still used by the Church today, it referred to worship in the Temple in Jerusalem; and for Orthodox Christians it has come to mean the public worship of the Church. Because Liturgy is always a corporate, communal action, it is often translated as ―the work of the people‖ and because it is prefaced by the word ―Divine‖ it is specifically the work of God‘s people and an experience of God‘s coming Kingdom here and now by those who gather to worship Him. This means that the Liturgy is not something that the clergy "performs" for the laity. The Liturgy was never meant to be a performance or a spectacle merely to be witnessed by onlookers. All who are present for worship must be willing, conscious and active participants and not merely passive spectators. The laity con-celebrate with the officiating clergy as baptized believers and members of the "royal priesthood…a people belonging to God" (1 Peter 2:9).
    [Show full text]
  • Litany of the Saints (Proper for Canada) (Blessings and Prayers for Home and Family, CCCB Publications, 2004, Pp
    Opening Song: “Sing a New Song” (Breaking Bread #600 (476) verses 1 and 2) Litany of the Saints (Proper for Canada) (Blessings and Prayers for Home and Family, CCCB Publications, 2004, pp. 338–341) Leader 1: ring bell (supplication to God) All: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Leader 2: ring bell (invocation of the saints) Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. Saint Michael, Holy angels of God, Leader 3: ring bell (prophets and precursors of the faith) Abraham, Moses and Elijah, pray for us. Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Baptist, Leader 4: ring bell (apostles and followers of Christ) Saint Peter and Saint Paul, pray for us. Saint Andrew, Saint John, Saint Mary Magdalene, Leader 5: ring bell (martyrs) Saint Stephen, pray for us. Saint Ignatius, Saint Lawrence, Saint John de Brebeouf and the Holy Canadian Martyrs, Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity, Saint Agnes, Leader 6: ring bell (bishops and doctors) Saint Gregory, pray for us. Saint Augustine, Saint Athanasius, Saint Basil, Saint Catherine of Sienna, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Martin, Blessed Francois de Laval, Leader 7: ring bell (priests and religious) Saint Benedict, pray for us. Saint Francis and Saint Dominic, Saint Francis Xavier, Saint John Vianney, Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, Saint Marguerite d’Youville, Leader 8: ring bell (laity) Saint Monica, pray for us. Saint Louis, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, All holy men and women, Leader 9: ring bell (Invocations to Christ) Lord, be merciful, Lord, save us. From all harm, Lord, save us.
    [Show full text]