medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Interesting inquiries!

Two observations.  First, these antiphons used at mass are, in respect 
of both text and music (also of form) not the whole picture: antiphons, 
and their relatives, responsories, form part of the divine office 
(condensed in the breviary and associated musical works, themselves 
eventually digested, for convenience (along with the mass pieces), in 
the Liber Usualis).  There are, if I recall correctly, cross-borrowings 
between mass and office; and when new feasts were instituted, or older 
ones raised in status with new texts provided, it seems that very often 
the same hands were at work in both mass and office, texts and music.

Second, I think the disappearence of the offertory antiphons in the 
Missal of Pius VI was related to the assumption that the normal form of 
mass was taken to be the spoken or "low" mass, where the reading of the 
antiphon may be thought to disrupt the flow of the rite.  The (Latin) 
Missale Romanum of 1970 has no offertory antiphon.

And thanks for the parody!  All too close.

Hal Cain
Joint Theological Library
Parkville, Victoria, Australia
[log in to unmask]

Bill East wrote:
> 
> Fratres et sorores:
> 
> I have for many years had a great love of the antiphons sung at Mass. 
> These are very ancient and are therefore a fitting subject for our 
> deliberations on the medieval religion list. However, for all my 
> devotion, I cannot claim to be an expert in their origin and the 
> principles of their selection and composition, so I write, not so much 
> to display my own expertise, as to invite other members to gratify my 
> scholarly curiosity and, it may be, that of other members. For those who 
> are not interested the delete button is close to hand, and yet I feel 
> that many of us will be interested, for the Mass was at the heart of 
> medieval religion, and the antiphons were a prominent feature of the 
> Mass, then more so than now, when they are often omitted.
> 
> Let me explain exactly which antiphons I mean: those scriptural verses 
> sung at the beginning of the Mass (the Introit), after the first reading 
> (the Gradual), before the Gospel (the Alleluia or, in Lent, the Tract), 
> at the Offertory (the Offertorium) and at the Communion. All of these 
> are still to be found in the modern Graduale Romanum, the book which 
> supplies the chants for the Mass; and all except the Offertorium have 
> been translated into English. That is to say, an English Mass now has an 
> Entrance Antiphon, though without the psalm-verse which accompanies it 
> in the Latin, a responsorial psalm which provides an equivalent for the 
> Gradual, a Gospel Acclamation – usually the Alleluia – and a Communion 
> Antiphon.
> 
> The Offertory Antiphon has not been translated, giving one the 
> impression that it has been dropped from the modern liturgy, but it is 
> still there in the Graduale Romanum. The rubrics in the English version 
> of the Roman Missal authorise the singing of a ‘song’ at the Offertory, 
> but no text is provided. Usually an offertory hymn is sung, and while 
> some of these are very fine, often they are quite banal. I once 
> suggested a parody of one of these to an organist:
> 
>  
> 
> We bring you bread, O Lord,
> 
> We bring you bread.
> 
> We bring you bread, O Lord,
> 
> Because you were dead.
> 
>  
> 
> We bring you wine, O Lord,
> 
> We bring you wine.
> 
> We bring you wine, O Lord,
> 
> Because now you are alive again and everything is fine.
> 
>  
> 
> The organist remarked that she hadn’t heard that one before, but didn’t 
> realise it was a parody; which says something about the standard of 
> Offertory Hymn commonly in use.
> 
> However, I am not seeking to gripe about present-day liturgy, but to 
> examine its medieval origins. I’ve gone on a bit for one posting, so 
> I’ll begin my examination proper tomorrow with a fresh one.
> 
>  
> 
> Bill.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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