Paschale Mysterium Gregorian Chant for Easter Ijl Vexilla regis (hymnus) Domine, exaudi (tractus) Crucem tuam (antiphona) Improperia I1 Oratio Jeremiae Exultet (praeconium paschale) Cantemus Domino (canticum) [81 Surrexit Dominus vere (antiphona cum psalmo invitatorio 94) Alleluia. Haec dies (antiphonae) Haec dies. Confitemini (responsorium - graduale) Alleluia. Pascha nostrum Victimae paschali laudes (sequentia) Exsultemus et laetemur (cantus responsorialis) Aurora lucis (hymnus) Benedicamus Domino, alleluia (ad dimittendum populum) The liturgical celebration of the mystery of Easter, the Paschale Mysterium, comes at the height of the Christian year, marking the task of human redemption and the glorification of God. It is both a record and a redemptive representation of the passion and death of Christ, on Good Friday, and of his resurrection, on Easter Eve and Easter Day. These two celebrations, which have formed the core of the Easter liturgy since the apostolic age, centre on the Cross, the "King's emblem, glowing with mystery . the wonderful, shining tree, adorned with royal purple", in the words of the hymn Vexilln regis, written by Venantius Fortunatus, seventh century bishop of Poitiers, the opening of the present release. In tl~emodern liturgy the VexiIla regis is sung at Vespers in Holy Week. Its composition presents highly lyrical melodic motifs and is constructed on an authentic protzrs mode which has a range of a modal fifth (D to A) wit11 the ornamentation of B flat. T11e liturgy of Good Friday juxtaposes the celebration of two ritual elements, the readings from the Bible followed by the universal prayer (orntio fidelitan) and the Veneration of the Cross. The first has its origin in the papal liturgy, celebrated in the Roman Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, the second, more popular in character, is derived from the presbyterial liturgy. In the first part the readings, songs and prayers alternate, following the classical pattern of the stational-liturgical synaxes, the archaic mark of which they retain. The two readings before the Passion narrative and the direct psalmody of the tracts come from the Gallican liturgical tradition. The chant Donzine, exnudi, originally sung on Ash Wednesday, from Psalm CI, contains tl~eanguished cry of the servant of Yahweh that announces the redeeming Passion. The last verse of the text, "Rise up, 0 Lord, take pity on Zion, for the time has come to have mercy on her" corresponds to the climax of the music, that touches the dominant G, with Gallican patterns that have also supplied material for the creation of the Alleluia modal D tone (1st mode). The tract Don~inzisexnlrdi is in plngnl prottrs. The main chord d (opening izrbilzls at Dollzilze in the first verse) develops its dominant on the upper third (it~bilzisof the second verse on ize nvertns) and on its fourth, on g, in the last verse. From the second part of the Good Friday liturgy (the Veneration of the Cross) come the chants of the I~~zproperin,tl~e Reproacl~es, and the antiphon Crzicem ttrallz ador.emtis (We adore thy cross). These two musico-liturgical elements, introduced into the Roman liturgy between the ninth and eleventh centuries, still today arouse emotional intensity within the striking frame of the Adoration of the Cross. The antiphon Crtrcenz ttrnnz rises like a cry of triumph, extolling the glory of the Cross. In fact it is composed on the theme of the Te Detrm. The dramatic Ir~zproperiathat follow accompany the rite of the Veneration of the Cross. The text reminds us of how the chosen people offended the Son of God and of the benefits that he had bestowed on the ungrateful nation. Here the second group of Reproaches, without the Trisagion, is offered, consisting of two-member sentences that alternate with the verses. The semi-ornate phrase that serves as a refrain is polymodal: it opens in the e mode, with melodic- textual accents on g (Poptrle nzeus, quid feci tibi?) and continues in the Gallican d mode (Atit in quo contristavi te? Responde tnihi). The verses present a syllabic psalmodic tonal pattern, stemming from the musico-liturgical tradition of Central Italy: e is the reciting note, with mediatio and tenninatio cadencing on the lower c. The prayer of the Prophet Jeremiah, offered here almost unabridged, is the lament that describes the struggle of Jerusalem and of its inhabitants. The Jews recite it on the day that commemorates the destruction of the Temple, the Church in the office of Holy Saturday, to recall the tragedy of Calvary. The melody of this text is set to an early d tone coming from a non-Roman, perhaps Gallican, musico-liturgical tradition and following the pattern of a double psalmodic tone in semi-ornate style, with cursive cadences: tnediatio cadences descend to c, while tertninatio cadences close on the reciting note of d. In the second part the reciting note of the psalmodic tenor rises to g. The Extrltet is the chant announcing the joy of Easter, commonly known as the praecotzitr~npasclzale, at the opening of the Easter Vigil, the principal of all vigils, after the blessing of the fire and the paschal candle that through its light dispels the darkness of night and of evil. The Exultet starts with an invitation to joy and thanksgiving (exstrltet . gatrdeat . laetetur), in a solemn reciting tone of wide ambitus: from the reciting note of c touching d to highlight the textual stress, the melody has two intermediate cadences on a (cnelorzrm and tizysteria) and an ornamented cadence on low c (salt~taris),prepared by means of a long step-wise melodic descending line (et pro tanti Regis). There follows, with the same melody, the humble prayer of the minister that he may worthily sing the praise of the paschal candle, symbol of the risen Christ. The prayer ends wit11 a brief dialogue with the congregation on the tone of the chant for the Preface of the Mass. The words Ve~ecligt?trnz et itrstt~711est introduce the essential and most beautiful part of the Exstrltet, to the simple tone of the Preface of the Mass. Two reciting notes c and b descend to b and n respectively at the cadences. The text is divided into four parts: 1. The praise and thanksgiving to God for his work of redemption. 2. Easter night brings to the composer's mind figures from the Old Testament, the Paschal Lamb, the Red Sea and the passage through the desert. 3. Admiration for the splendour of redemption in the four exclamations of 0. 4. The prayer to God that he accept the tribute and that the paschal candle (the risen Christ) may never fail but shine with unextinguished light. After the blessing of the paschal candle follow biblical readings that, like a series of pictures, evoke important stages in the history of salvation. Among these is the reading of the passage through the Red Sea, followed by the well known Song of Moses Cnlztetiztrs Donzilzo. This composition is part of the Roman musical tradition, with the insertion of a Gallican ilzcipit belonging to the earliest musical form of direct psalmody and built on three richly embellished reciting notes, g, b and c. Easter Day Matins that since the eighth century has been sung after the Vigil at sun-rise, opens with an invitation to celebrate the risen Christ, Stnrexit Dolnilztis vere, alleltiia. This text acts as a refrain for the invitatory Psalm XCIV. Its c-based form (octoeclzos ylngal trittis) is matched to a semi-ornate tone for the psalm Velzite, exstilte~ntisDomino, with the reciting note on the higher fifth. The chant Allebiia. Haec dies consists of several antiphons in the fifth mode for Easter, all of them beginning wit11 alleltiia. There is a second alleltrin at the middle cadence and two more at the end of each chant. These antiphons constitute a nzodal tone of the same kind as Alleltiia. Noli flere Maria, which is also recorded in the early Roman and Ambrosian liturgical repertoires. They have the characteristic form of a psalm with double refrain. The Haec dies is the resporzstinz (refrain) to a series of verses that were formerly sung on Easter Day. Now they are divided over each day in Holy Week, but they all share the same form, a d ornate style (modal tone) of Gallican origin. In the verse (Colzfitemilzi) the melody moves away from the rigid scheme of the tone, rising boldly in an explosion of joy at the words quoninm bolztrs. The resyo~zstinzHaec dies is a late composition built 011 set phrases borrowed from the verse. It consists of three melodic phrases, each of them ending with a itibiltis, the first, at the last syllable of Domirzus, of limited range, has the character of a melodic stress on the dominant (c); the second, at the last syllable of Exstrltemzrs, descends to the low fifth with a smootl~melodic movement; the third, at the last syllable of irz ea is wide-ranging and of some intensity, stressing the melodic accent on the modal fifth and then descending to the tonic. Alleltiia. Pnscha tzostrtim has a text that declares "a banquet is prepared: the Lamb is ready: this Lamb is Jesus Christ who was sacrificed and now lives". It is impossible to imagine or devise a more fitting alleluia itibilzls to this Easter proclamation. The alleluia melody (in atithentic tetrardtis) settles on the dominant d after sequential rebounds round the notes c, d and e, offering expressive trills with the melodic upper step e, before gracefully moving to g, the better to reveal the religious feeling of the soul. The verse tone covers the range of a tenth, permeated with rich melismata.