Friday, May 13, 2016

Chants from the Recent Mozarabic Mass in Rome

During the Mozarabic Mass celebrated last Friday in the Roman Basilica of the Holy Cross ‘in Jerusalem,’ I was able to record a few of the shorter chant parts. The first two are proper to the Mass for the Finding of the Holy Cross, the other two are from the Ordinary. (Texts are given beneath each video in Latin and English, except the Our Father.) The first is the Psallendum, the equivalent of the Gradual.


Dominus regnavit a ligno, etenim correxit orbem terrae, qui non commovebitur. V. Laetentur caeli, et exsultet terra. R. Qui non commovebitur. (The Lord hath ruled from the tree, for He hath corrected the world, which shall not be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth exult, which shall not be moved. -  These words from Psalm 95 are quoted with the addition of the word “from the tree,”, a variant which was known to St Justin Martyr in the 2nd century, and also cited in the hymn Vexilla Regis.)

The second is the Alleluia, which in the Mozarabic Rite is said after the Gospel.


Alleluia, Tu es Crux fidelis, in qua pependit salus nostra, Alleluia. (Alleluia, thou art the faithful Cross, upon which hung our salvation, Alleluia.)

The Sanctus has a few variations from the text common to the Roman, Ambrosian and Byzantine Rites, (italicized) with a few words in Greek added at the end.


Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth, pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria maiestatis tuae, Hosanna Filio David. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini, Hosanna in excelsis. Hagios, Hagios, Hagios, Kyrie, o Theos. (Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, the heavens and the earth are full of the glory of Thy majesty, hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest. Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God.)

Lastly, as the priest sings the Lord’s Prayer, the choir adds “Amen” after each few words.

More recent articles:

For more articles, see the NLM archives: