3rd Sunday After Easter
Processional hymn: On This Day the, First of Days, 945
Recessional hymn: Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain, 844
Kyriale: I, 696; Credo III, 776
Motet at Offertory: Urbs Beata Jerusalem, Pietro Pontio, 1532–1596
Motet at Communion: Ad cænam agni providi, Tomás Luis de Victoria
This Sunday following the proper chant for Communion, the choir will sing Ad Cænam Agni Providi by Thomás Luis de Victoria. The text is a setting of the Vespers hymn during Eastertide which dates to the 500s. Victoria composed the even verses of this hymn alternating with the ancient chant melody for the odd verses—a technique he often employed for other hymns. Each choral verse is unique from one another and doesn’t employ any repetition as one might expect in a hymn. Instead he crafted each line to portray the text being sung. In verse six, Victoria only composed for the Tenor, Alto, and Soprano voices as the text describes Christ rising from the grave and opening paradise so our ears hear only high tones. In the final verse, the Holy Trinity is invoked and the music changes to groups of three, while all voices sing the text in rhythm together making for a very effective three-in-one quality in musical form.
Tomás Luis de Victoria (c.1548–1611), along with Palestrina and de Lassus, is one of the greatest composers of the 16th C., famous for its ethereal polyphony. Ordained a priest at age 27, he lived in Rome for years, and assisted St. Philip Neri as chaplain of San Girolamo della Carità.