“Music of the Hours”
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“MUSIC OF THE HOURS” Schola Antiqua of Chicago Michael Alan Anderson, Artistic Director Special Guest: Roger S. Wieck, The Morgan Library & Museum The Belgian scholar L.M. Delaissé called the Book of Hours "the late medieval best-seller,” and the characterization has persisted as a way of describing the unusually high rate of survival of these devotional manuals for the laity. Art historians have been drawn to these books for their magnificent illuminations, and this program in part offers a guided tour of the fascinating artwork that one encounters in these books of devotion. The projected images are taken from the outstanding collection of Books of Hours housed at The Morgan Library & Museum and presented by the library’s Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, Roger S. Wieck. Music also takes center stage in this special presentation. Specifically, the visual highlights of these manuscripts will be accompanied by music set to texts commonly found in Books of Hours. Although Books of Hours do not feature musical notation, they indisputably make reference to copious musical “works” (mostly plainchant). The core of the book—the celebration of the “Little Office” of the Virgin Mary—is a collection of texts modeled on the music sung in monasteries, from psalms and antiphons to versicles and responsories. Even scripture readings (lections) that are recopied in the Hours were to be sung in the liturgy. Other complete liturgies are detailed in the Hours, including those for the Mass for the Dead and Offices for the Cross and for the Holy Spirit. The texts of some choral motets by Renaissance composers can directly be traced to sections of short sanctoral prayers in Books of Hours known as suffrages. It is our hope that this unique exhibition brings the visual and aural realms together harmoniously to produce window into late-medieval lay piety, particularly among the nobility, who could afford this unparalleled quality of art and music at court. PROGRAM I. Gospel readings o John 1:14 II. Hours of the Virgin o Invitatory: Ave Maria gratia plena (with Psalm 94) o Hymn: Quem terra pontus aethera (Binchois) III. Prayers to the Virgin o Obsecro te (anon., late 15th c.?) IV. Penitential Psalms o First Penitential Psalm [Psalm 6] (Lassus) INTERMISSION V. Litany of the Saints VI. Accessory Texts o Stabat Mater/Comme femme desconfortée (Josquin des Prez) VII. Suffrages o Inter natos mulierum (Jean Mouton) o Celeste beneficium/Adiutorium nostrum (Mouton) VIII. Office of the Dead o Qui lazarum (plainchant antiphon with Magnificat) GOSPEL READING (John 1:14) Dominus vobiscum. The Lord be with you. Et cum spiritum tuo. And with your spirit. Sequentia sancti evangelii secundum Ioannem. [A reading] from the holy Gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Gloria tibi domine. Lord. In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Deus erat Verbum. Hoc erat in principio apud Deum. Omnia Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things per ipsum facta sunt et sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum were made by Him: and without Him was made nothing that was est. In ipso vita erat et vita erat lux hominum. Et lux in made. In Him was life: and the life was the light of all. And the light tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non conprehenderunt. Fuit shineth in darkness: and the darkness did not comprehend it. There homo missus a Deo cui nomen erat Iohannes. Hic venit in was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came testimonium ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine ut omnes for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might crederent per illum. Non erat ille lux sed ut testimonium believe through him. He was not the light, but was to give testimony perhiberet de lumine. Erat lux vera quae inluminat omnem of the light. That was the true light, which enlightens every man that hominem venientem in mundum. In mundo erat et mundus comes into this world. He was in the world: and the world was made per ipsum factus est et mundus eum non cognovit. In propria by Him: and the world knew Him not. He came unto his own: and venit et sui eum non receperunt. Quotquot autem receperunt his own received him not. But as many as received him, he gave eum dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri his qui credunt in them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his nomine eius. Qui non ex sanguinibus neque ex voluntate name. Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor carnis neque ex voluntate viri sed ex Deo nati sunt. Et of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis et vidimus dwelt among us (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only gloriam eius gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre plenum gratiae et begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. veritatis. INVITATORY: Ave Maria gratia plena (with Psalm 94) Ave Maria gratia plena Hail Mary, full of grace, Dominus tecum. The Lord is with you. Venite exsultemus Dominum Come, let us exult with joy to the Lord; iubilemus Deo salutari nostro; let us rejoice in God our salvation. Praeoccupemus faciem eius in confessione Let us come before him with thanksgiving in psalmis iubilemus ei; and extol him with psalms. Quoniam Deus magnus Dominus For the Lord is the great God, et rex magnus super omnes deos; a great King above all gods; quoniam non repellet Dominus plebem suam for he will not spurn his people. Quia in manu eius sunt omnes fines terrae For the ends of the earth are in his hand, et altitudines montium ipse conspicit; and the mountain peaks belong to him. Quoniam ipsius est mare et ipse fecit illud The sea is his, for he made it, et aridam fundaverunt manus eius; and his hands formed the dry land. Venite adoremus et procidiamus ante Deum: Come, let us bow down in worship before God ploremus coram Domino qui fecit nos; let us cry aloud before the Lord who made us; Quia ipse est Dominus Deus noster, For he is our Lord God, nos autem populus eius we are his people, et oves pascuae eius. the flock of his pasture. Hodie si vocem eius audieritis Today, if only you would hear his voice, nolite obdurare corda vestra, do not harden your hearts, Sicut in exacerbatione secundum diem As in the provocation, temptationis in deserto: according to the day of temptation ubi tentaverunt me patres vestri in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; probaverunt me et viderunt opera mea. they tried me and saw my works. Ave Maria... Hail Mary... HYMN: Quem terra pontus aethera (Binchois) Quem terra, pontus, aethera The one whom earth, and sea, and sky colunt, adorant, praedicant, adore, laud, and proclaim, trinam regentem machinam Ruling over the threefold scheme, claustrum Mariae baiulat. the Virgin's spotless womb carries. Cui Luna, Sol, et omnia The one whom moon, sun, and all things deserviunt per tempora, serve through all times, perfusa caeli gratia, Clothed with heavenly grace, gestant puellae viscera. Was carried in the flesh of a girl. Beata Mater, munere, O blessed Mother, in whose shrine cuius supernus artifex, the heavenly maker, mundum pugillo continens, whose hand held the world, ventris sub arca clausus est. vouchsafed, as in His ark, to lie. Beata caeli nuntio, Blessed by the divine messenger; fecunda Sancto Spiritu, Fertile by the Holy Spirit; desideratus gentibus, desired by the peoples, cuius per alvum fusus est. he was cast in the womb. Iesu, Tibi sit gloria, All glory be to you, qui natus es de Virgine, O Jesus, born of the Virgin, cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, with the Father and the nourishing Spirit, in sempiterna saecula. Amen. forever and ever. Amen. PRAYER TO THE VIRGIN: Obsecro Te (anon., 15th c.) Obsecro te, Domina Sancta Maria, I implore you, Holy Lady Mary, Mother Mater Dei, pietate plenissima, summi of God, most full of piety, daughter of the regis filia, Mater gloriosissima, Mater highest king, most glorious Mother, orphanorum, consolatio Mother of orphans, consolation of the desolatorum, quam filius tuus desolate, whom your only begotten son unigenite coronavit. Salva me, crowned. Save me, you who are the honorificentia populi mei. highest honor of my people. PENITENTIAL PSALM: First Penitential Psalm [Psalm 6] (Lassus) Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me, O Lord, rebuke me not in your indignation, neque in ira tua corripias me. nor chastise me in your wrath. Miserere mei, Domine, quoniam infirmus sum; Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: sana me, Domine, quoniam conturbata sunt ossa mea. heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. Et anima mea turbata est valde, And my soul is troubled exceedingly: sed tu, Domine, usquequo? but you, O Lord, how long? Convertere, Domine, eripe animam meam; Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: salvum me fac propter misericordiam tuam. O save me for your mercy's sake. Quoniam non est in morte, qui memor sit tui, For there is no one in death, that is mindful of you: in inferno autem quis confitebitur tibi? and who shall confess you in hell? Laboravi in gemitu meo, lavabam I have labored in my groanings, per singulas noctes lectum meum; every night I will wash my bed: lacrimis meis stratum meum rigabo.