Audite Verbum: An Advent Matins Responsory

Canto ambrosiano, Avvento, Responsorio AUDITE VERBUM, Schola Gregoriana Mediolanensis, Giovanni Vianini, Milano, Italia - YouTube

That's an Ambrosian Chant version of the Advent Responsory, Audite verbum.

Here's something about this Responsory from the 1918 book, Liturgica historica: papers on the liturgy and religious life of the Western church, available in full at the Google Books link. (Psst, Derek: It looks like quite a good resource!)

At the end of each lesson for matins, i. e. the night office, is a long responsory which, in its simplest form, is thus made up: first, a biblical text (or an adaptation of one), which is the 'responsory' in a strict sense; on which follows a 'verse', also from Scripture; and after that the second half (or part) of the preceding 'responsory'.

For instance, .... the responsory at the end of the eighth lesson at matins of the first Sunday of Advent:—Responsory: 'Audite verbum Domini gentes, et annuntiate illud in finibus terrae *. Et insulis quae procul sunt dicite: Salvator noster adveniet.' Verse: 'Annuntiate, et auditum facite: loquimini et clamate.' And then comes a repetition of the second half of the 'responsory' proper: * Et insulis quae procul sunt dicite: Salvator noster adveniet.' It is obvious that, with an arrangement of this kind, to be tolerable at all the ' verse' must be such that its last words, when followed by the second half of the 'responsory', will make sense and form a continuous phrase. But the authentic and native Roman method of singing these responsories knew no need for such clever dovetailings; for according to that Roman method the ' responsory' was simply repeated in its entirety after the 'verse'.

The translation found at Divinum Offocium for this Responsory (along with the entire service of Matins - another good resource) is:

R. Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the ends of the earth * And in the isles afar off, and say Our Saviour shall come.
V. Declare it and make it known, lift up your voice and cry aloud.
R. And in the isles afar off, and say Our Saviour shall come.

The Medieval Music Database has a page on this responsory, as well, along with a page from The Poissy Antiphonal. This is a different tune, though:

The Introit for May 15, the Fourth Sunday of Easter: Misericordia Domini

Here's an mp3 of this Introit, from JoguesChant; their translation of this text from Psalm 33:5-6, then 1:

The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord, alleluia; by the word of the Lord, the heavens were established, alleluia, alleluia. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! Praising befits those who are upright.

The chant propers for today were once used on the previous Sunday; I'm not sure why everything got moved back one week, but will try to find out.

These days, this is "Good Shepherd Sunday," reflected both in the reading from John and the Alleluia and Communion Song which both use the text Ego sum Pastor bonus - "I am the Good Shepherd."

Here's the chant score for the Alleluia:

Here's a video labeled "Domenica IV di Pasqua - Alleluja" - but it's definitely not the chant in the score above! As far as I can tell - by going to the YouTube uploader's page - it's an Ambrosian chant version of the Alleluia. And it is beautiful!



That was recorded in 2008; here's the same chant from 2009:



I must get to know more about Ambrosian chant! I'll be checking out that YouTube account to get the skinny, I promise.

Here's the (Gregorian) Communio, with the score embedded in the video:



(I must add that, strangely enough, our reading from John leaves "I am the Good Shepherd" out entirely!  We read only John:1-10, but the Good Shepherd parts of the text are in verses 14 (the Communion Song) and 11 (the Alleluia above) (see all of John 10 here).   Very odd!   But, we do get these verses (11-16) in Year B, so we'll hear them eventually.)

And how about this, for Good Shepherd Sunday? Wikipedia says it's from around 300 CE; that it's marble, 92cm high, and that the legs have been restored. The sculpture resides in the Vatican Museum in Rome.