The Passion Reading Chanted by the Trinity Choir

Here's that Palm Sunday sung Passion again; Trinity Wall Street has extracted it from the full Palm Sunday video to show it by itself.



The blurb says:

On Palm Sunday, the traditional scripture text from the Gospel of Mark was chanted in an improvisational style by members of the Trinity Choir, with participation by the congregation in a sung refrain.

It's really quite beautiful, isn't it? It might make a really good new version of a sung Passion - although it would have to be nailed down a bit (rather, that is, than "chanted in an improvisational style by members of the Trinity Choir") so that the congregation could get to know the melodies and sing them, either in the service, or on our own time (as happens now, once you get to know the Passion tones!).

This is one place where the Revised Common Lectionary has improved the situation, I think! Prior to this year, I don't think I've ever heard the Passion start out where it does here, at the anointing of Jesus at Bethany, by the woman "with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard."

Good Friday: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to St. John

In Latin, with the English translation scrolling at left.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:

Palm Sunday and sung Passion, from Trinity Wall Street

This starts with the Procession coming into the church - certainly a good public witness in Manhattan. (Perhaps they begin at St. Paul's Chapel? Not sure.)

And , with procession music and a sung Passion they've composed themselves, it looks like. It's really worth seeing, even though I personally prefer the simple plainchant version of the passion we sang at St. Mary's (the congregation sings the part of Jesus, so we learn to sing that tone, and now I know all the various tones as well). In this video, the Passion narrative is a kind of alternatim, with the choir singing the composed part, and (I think) the whole congregation singing verses, in refrain, of "Ah, Holy Jesus." Here's what the blurb at the site says:

The traditional scripture text from the Gospel of Mark will be used in the reading of the Passion, which will be chanted in an improvisational style by members of the Trinity Choir, with participation by the congregation in a sung refrain.

The Passion starts at around 17:00, right after the singing of another composed version of Christus Factus Est (called here "A song of Christ's humility"). Very interesting, really.



TWS is doing some really interesting things in terms of music these days. For instance, a few years ago they sang a composed (and choral!) version of the Exsultet at Easter Vigil. Again, I prefer the simpler stuff, just because the tunes stick in my head and become part of my psychic world; composed stuff is often too difficult to do this with - but it is dramatic and can be very lovely. It seems to veer off into a kind of interesting "Orthodox chant" style, which I do really like. This passion is very long, because they start it from the story of the woman anointing Jesus' feet; a nice touch, I think. Here's the service bulletin, in PDF.

TWS has some priests with really excellent singing voices!