From the Organist & Choirmaster
This Sunday, you will hear the Advent Matin Responsory adapted to music by the Renaissance composer Palestrina (1525-94). Though this text is the traditional responsory for Matins during Advent, its text joyfully summates Advent’s great “theme” of waiting for the one who will redeem the world.
“I look from afar: and lo, I see the power of God coming, and a cloud covering the whole earth. Go ye out to meet him and say: Tell us! art thou he that should come to reign over thy people Israel? High and low, rich and poor, one with another. Go ye out to meet him and say: Hear, O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. Tell us! art thou he that should come? Stir up thy strength, O Lord, and come to reign over thy people Israel.”
Perhaps a great tragedy of the first versions of the Book of Common Prayer was cutting Matins (Morning Prayer), of course Morning Prayer now appears in our BCPs along with other monastic offices like Evening Prayer and Compline. This office of Matins was originally sung during the darkness of early morning, in our Anglican context, Matins combines the Benedictine hours of Matins and Lauds and was most grandly observed in the Sarum Rite (see our blue appointments for Advent as well!). This chant would have been sung as a chant in response to a lesson, similar to the singing of the Magnificat or Nunc Dimittis at Evensong.
I especially love the text of the responsory, it asks huge questions: “art thou he that should come to reign over thy people?” “art thou he that should come?” The last response feels like a plea, “Stir up thy strength, O Lord, and come to reign over thy people Israel.” It’s one of the few times that I think an exclamation point should be added to liturgical texts. The deep tone of the text is about yearning, maybe even desperate yearning. The people have seen something in the distance but they don’t know what it is, it is unclear but looks incredible. It’s “the power of God coming.” This power, the chant assures, isn’t reserved for certain sects, it’s for “high and low, rich and poor,” it’s for everyone.
While it may be a Pavlovian response personally, like hearing “O come, all ye faithful” at Midnight Mass, it wouldn’t be Advent without this almost “harbinger” of exquisite choral music. I’ve seen countless memes and digital graphics that poke fun at the way Palestrina skillfully goes through the responses, a solo choirboy introducing the responsory followed by the full choir loudly singing “Tell us!” but I think Palestrina knew what he was doing. The people want to know, I want to know, is it really the one? and if so, come!