medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Offertorium – 35
There is a change of tone between the procession and the Mass for Palm
Sunday. The former is concerned with Christ’s triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, and the antiphons reflect this; the latter is concerned with
his crucifixion, and again this is reflected in the chants.
The Introit is taken from psalm 21, the Antiphon from verses 20 and 22,
the psalm verse being verse 2 (actually the first verse of the psalm):
Domine, ne longe facias auxilium tuum a me, ad defensionem meam aspice:
libera me de ore leonis, et a cornibus unicornium humilitatem meam.
Deus Deus meus, respice in me: quare me dereliquisti? longe a salute
mea verba delictorum meorum.
Gloria Patri is omitted, and the antiphon, Domine, ne longe is
immediately repeated. I used to love the horns of the unicorns, which
alas have now been replaced by wild oxen. Is nothing sacred? ‘My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me’ are of course the words of Christ on
the cross, and make a particularly poignant start to the Mass.
The Epistle is the remarkable passage from St Paul, Philippians 2:5-11,
which talks not only of Christ’s death but of his exaltation: ‘Because
of which, God has also raised him up, and given him a name which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in
heaven, on earth, and in the underworld; and every tongue confess, that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’
The Gradual, ps. 72 verses 24 and 1-3, continues the theme of
exaltation:
Tenuisti manum dexteram meam: et in voluntate tua deduxisti me: et cum
gloria assumpsisti me. Quam bonus Israel Deus rectis corde! mei autem
pene moti sunt pedes: pene effusi sunt gressus mei: quia zelavi in
peccatoribus, pacem peccatorum videns.
The rest of the Mass however dwells exclusively on the suffering of
Christ. There is a long tract, consisting of most of psalm 21 (verses
2-9, 18, 19, 22, 24 and 32), including once again the magnificent
‘Libera me de ore leonis: et a cornibus unicornium humilitatem meam.’
The tract is followed by the reading of the very long account of the
Passion according to St Matthew (26:1-75 and 27:1-66), traditionally
sung by three voices plus the choir.
I always found the tract for Palm Sunday the most moving of the chants
of the year, with the possible exception of the Offertory, ps. 68:21-22
Improperium exspectavit cor meum, et miseriam: et sustinui qui simul
mecum contristaretur, et non fuit: consolantem me quaesivi, et non
inveni: et dederunt in escam meam fel, et in siti mea potaverunt me
aceto.
The Communion is a quotation from Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 26 verse
42:
Pater, si non potest hic calix transire, nisi bibam illum: fiat
voluntas tua.
In the old days, as I recall, the Blessing of Palms, Procession and
Mass for Palm Sunday would take about two and a half hours. How long it
took at Sarum in the Middle Ages one can only guess. At least three
hours, and probably more like four, I would have thought.
Bill.
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