Palm Sun / Good Fri Gospel Acclamation

gwyn · Post by **gwyn** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:14 pm

Regarding the Gospel Acclamation for Palm Sunday and for Good Friday;

"Christ was humbler yet even to accepting death . . . Name that is above all names".

Does this text stand alone? Or should it be preceeded and followed by the Lentern "Glory and praise to you, O Christ?

Bestest,

Gwyn.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:14 pm

We usually sing a setting of 'Christus Factus Est' at this point (the Latin translation) so wouldn't use the Lenten refrain - I don't see any reson why you couldn't however.

gwyn · Post by **gwyn** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:50 pm

Thanks Chris.

Yes, we've always used a version of "Glory and praise to you . . ." pre and post. I ask because I've seen a few settings where "Christ as humbler yet . . ." stands alone. I wondered whether there are any guide lines.

pirate · Post by **pirate** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:39 pm

Well, call me a nitpicketty liturgist (and plenty of people do) but the Lectionary does include the 'Praise to you O Christ...' before and after 'Christ was humbler yet...' on both Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) and Good Friday.

On the other hand, page 339 of vol 1 of the Lectionary says:
'During Lent, both before and after the Gospel Acclamation, one or other of the following phrases may be used, or another similar phrase:
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory!
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God'

Then it gives some 'verses' (or whatever the meat (or cheese if you've gone veggie for Lent) in the sandwich is called) to use on the weekdays of Lent, in the manner of Common Psalms.

Having found and said all that, I am not so nitpicketty as to have ever followed it! In my previous parish we used the 'Christ was humbler yet...' from Music for the Mass 1 or 2 (don't have it here to check) with the JS Bach tune, which everyone sang with gusto on both Palm Sun and Good Fri. It launched the two Passion Gospels with an impressive amount of gravitas, I thought, and because it was 'big', the readers moved into the silence afterwards in a way that made us listen. Or so it seems to me now, remembering.

Also a nice simple bit of four-part for those unused to it!

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:08 am

I blush

to remind you that you can download my SATB setting from the Music for Download section of this forum. (You have to be logged on as a registered member.)

Alan

gwyn · Post by **gwyn** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 8:56 am

Alan, it's your setting that has prompted my question.

Thanks Chris, Pirate for your responses. I've got it clear in my somewhat limited capacity mind now :lol:

quaeritor · Post by **quaeritor** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:36 am

Originally - tho' I don't quite know when that was - there was no "response"

(It always seemed odd to me that having decided not to acclaim "Alleluia" during Lent we should subsequently decide to replace it with a more-or-less literal translation, or at least one that conveys the same attitude).

I was shall we say somewhat set back to discover one Palm Sunday that the service sheets distributed to the congregation had the "Praise to thee, O Christ . . " added fore and aft - particularly because the setting "wot I had wrote" in about 1983 started sombrely in the Minor but ended triumphantly in the Major. Since my first objective in writing settings of any of the parts of the liturgy was to set "the text, the whole text, and nothing but the text" I had to embark on a sort of musical Sudoku to devise a response which had the same tune at start and finish but could be harmonised either way.

I suppose the reason for the change would be that if the Gospel Acclamation is indeed going to be an acclamation there must be something that doesn't change every day for the congregation to be able to join in, as with the Alleluia at other times of the year.

I'm not exactly sure when the change took place - I have two different Sunday Missals, both claiming to have been printed in 1985, one with just the verse, and the other with the "response" added.

quaeritor · Post by **quaeritor** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:43 am

Help!!

How did I manage to post that last one all in red - thought I was just saving it to revise later - or is it only in red when displayed on my computer?

Apologies to all for continued technical ineptitude!

Fixed by Musicus

musicus · Post by **musicus** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:57 pm

quaeritor wrote:Help!!
How did I manage to post that last one all in red - thought I was just saving it to revise later - or is it only in red when displayed on my computer?
Apologies to all for continued technical ineptitude!

The 'Make this post a draft' box works like that! You get to do any drafting in the public gaze, I'm afraid. :wink: