The Recovering Choir Director

Jerry Galipeau of WLP has posted on his blog “The Earth Feared and Was Silent”, a composition by the late Fr. Chrysogonus Waddell, OCSO.  The piece takes its text from a translation of the Offertory proper chant for Easter Sunday.

• Download the sample PDF octavo.
• Download the mp3 of the final refrain.
  [audio:http://www.wlp.jspaluch.com/download/002311-018.mp3]

I note that the soprano line stands quite well on its own when sung in the manner of declamatory, unmetered chant.  Astute listeners and music readers will notice that the entire piece is informed by the original Mode IV chant, and wherever possible takes melodic material from the chant.

• Download a GIF scan of the chant.
• Download the mp3 of the Gregorian chant.
  [audio:http://www.christusrex.org/www2/cantgreg/cantus/of_terra_tremuit.mp3]

Additionally, this setting employs translations of two verses whose texts may be found in the Offertoriale Triplex.  The Latin of the entire Offertory as found in that volume (including a third verse) is reproduced below:

Térra trémuit et quiévit, * Dum resúrgeret in iudício Déus.
V/. Nótus in Iudaéa Deus, in Israel mágnum nómen éius, allelúia.
* Dum resúrgeret.
V/. Et fáctus est in páce lócus éius et habitátio éius in Síon,
* allelúia. vel * Dum.
V/. Ibi confrégit córnu, árcum, scútum et gládium et béllum: illúminans tu mirabíliter a móntibus aetérnis * [allelúia.]

This is one example of the kind of organic development I believe the Church had in mind when drafting and approving Sacrosanctum Concilium, and were I responsible for an Ordinary-form Mass, I would be hard-pressed not to put this in the Easter Sunday Mass…in its proper place.

I wonder how many other pieces like this are in the WLP catalog…