The Litany of St Martin

Until the time of the Revolution, and even beyond, to the beginning of the 19th century, some dioceses in France preserved the custom of singing a litany known from its opening words as Dicamus omnes. The ancient character of this text is unmistakable; prayers are offered for the Emperor and the Roman army, which may date it back to the fourth century.

This litany is probably one of the very few remnants of the ancient Gallican Rite which survived the suppression of that rite decreed by Pepin the Short and Charlemagne, in favor of the Roman Rite. It is known in a similar form in the rites of territories which border that of the Gallican Rite; in the Ambrosian Rite, it is still sung to this day at the beginning of the Masses of the 2nd and 4th Sundays of Lent, and in the ancient Celtic Rite of Ireland, it was sung between the Epistle and Gospel.

In the most precious witness to the latter, the Stowe Missal (Royal Irish Academy, Dublin; D ii 3, f° 16), which dates to the end of the 8th century, the litany is titled “Deprecatio Sancti Martini pro populo – St Martin’s prayer for the people.” The importation of a Gallican prayer into the Celtic liturgy is explained by the close ties between the monastic practice of Ireland and that observed early on in Gaul, in the time of St Martin.

The attribution of this prayer to him is perfectly plausible: the whole tone of the text takes us back “to the era when Caesar ruled the world.” Without being an exact translation of an Eastern diaconal litany, the similarity of expressions used therein indicates that the text is probably the reformulation of a model litany originally written in Greek. The people’s response, as in the East, is “Kyrie eleison”, here translated into Latin, “Domine miserere”, or, in the version in the Stowe Missal, “Domine exaudi et miserere.”

Here is the chant notation for it from the Processional of Laon (Processionale Laudunense), published by Jean-François-Joseph de Rochechouart, bishop and duke of Laon (1755). Even in the middle of the 18th century, it preserves all the beauty of the primitive deacon’s chant, in the third mode. The litany was probably originally sung at the beginning of the Mass, like the Great Litany of Peace in the Byzantine Rite, and the Ambrosian Litanies of the Sundays of Lent. Like certain other texts of the ancient Gallican liturgy, it was able to survive the Carolingian suppression by being incorporated among the chants used on the Rogation Days, which were instituted in Vienne in the 5th century, and from there passed into the Roman Rite.

V. Dicamus omnes, Domine, miserere. (Let us all say, Lord have mercy.) R. Domine, miserere.
V. Ex toto corde, et ex tota mente, adoramus te. (With all our heart, and all our minds, we worship Thee.) R. Domine, miserere.
V. Pro stabilissima pace, et prospera Imperii constitutione, supplicamus te. (For long-lasting peace, and the prosperous condition of the Empire, we beseech Thee.) R. Domine, miserere.
V. Pro Congregatione Catholica, quæ est in hoc loco constituta, invocamus te. (For the Catholic Church, which is established in this place, we call upon Thee.) R. Domine, miserere.
V. Pro imperatore nostro, et& omni exercitu ejus, Rex regum. (For our emperor, and all his army, o King of Kings.) R. Domine, miserere.
V. Pro aëris temperie, et fructibus ac fœcunditate terræ, largitor bone. (For mildness of weather, and the fruits and fertility of the earth, Good Giver.) R. Domine, miserere.
V. Pro civitate ista, et conservatione ejus, deprecamur te. (For this city and its preservation, we beseech Thee.) R. Domine, miserere.
V. Pro his qui infirmantur et diversis languoribus detinentur, sana eos. (For those who are sick, and detained by various illnesses, heal them.) R. Domine, miserere.
V. Pro remissione peccatorum, et emendatione eorum, invocamus te. (For the forgiveness of sins, and the correction of them.) R. Domine, miserere.
V. Exaudi nos, Deus, in omni oratione nostra, quia potens es. (Hear us, o God, in our prayer, for Thou art mighty.) V. Dicamus omnes. R. Domine, miserere.

With some modifications (see the text used for the Offertory in this Mass booklet), we sing the Litany of St Martin at the church of Saint-Eugène in Paris, especially on his feast day, on the Rogations, and this year, on November 11, the centenary of the of the Armistice which ended the slaughter of the First World War, on which occasion we ardently pray “for lasting peace, and the prosperous condition of France.”

Mass this morning at the church of Saint-Eugène; the Litany of St Martin begins at 1:03:25.

The original version of this article was published earlier today on the website of the Schola Sainte-Cécile; translation by Gregory DiPippo. 

Tenebrae 2018: Photo and Audiopost

We begin our Tenebrae photopost with the mighty Schola Sainte-Cécile, and so I take the opportunity to remind our listeners that the services which they sing at the church of St Eugène in Paris are live-streamed on their Youtube channel, and posted for viewing immediately after. Videos of their three Tenebrae services are included below; we also have links to recordings of the three Tenebraes at Trinità dei Pellegrini in Rome.

For many centuries, Tenebrae was one of the most popular parts of Holy Week, and even today, it is no secret that many churches throughout the world which would not touch the EF Missal with a barge-pole nevertheless do some kind of service during the Triduum based on the customs of Tenebrae, while ignoring the official text of the Liturgy of the Hours completely. In connection with this, there is a great story in Mons. Pierre Batiffol’s History of the Roman Breviary. In the early 16th century, a decadent era of the Church’s life in several ways, the canons of Saragossa Cathedral in Spain decided to sing Maundy Thursday Tenebrae according to the form of the infamous Quiñones Breviary. (The original edition of this monstrosity was basically a Bible-study, and did not include any responsories at Matins.) This caused a riot among the faithful, who “made an uproar in the cathedral itself, and went near to making an auto-da-fé of the canons and their new breviary.” They were not far from the kingdom.

St Eugène - Paris, France

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The Parisian Sequence for Epiphany

The Schola Sainte Cecilé has just published on their Youtube channel a recording of the sequence for Epiphany from the Parisian Missal of 1685, Ad Jesum accurrite; this was made during the Mass of Epiphany at the church of St Eugène in Paris. Note that the odd numbered verses are “sung”, so to speak, by the organ, a practice sometimes called “alternatim”, and very common once upon a time. (A single cantor sings them along with the organ, although he can hardly be heard in this recording.) Below the video, we reproduce from their website the text with notation, followed by my own prose translation.

1. Run to Jesus, subject your hearts to the new King of the nations.
2. The star preaches abroad; within, the faith shows the Redeemer of all.
3. Bring here gifts of your free will, but gifts of the heart.
4. This will be a most pleasing offering to the Savior, the sacrifice of the heart.
5. Charity offers gold, austerity myrrh, desire incense.
6. By gold, he is acknowledged as king, by myrrh, as a man; by incense, worshipped as the god of the nations.
7. Judea, show no envy to the nations who rejoice at the mystery revealed.
8. After the shepherds, the Magi join the company of the faithful.
9. Even He that calls the Jews, calls together the nations into one fold.
10. Bethlehem becomes today the beginning of the whole Church as it is born.
11. Let Christ reign in our hearts, and His rule advance, the rebellious being conquered.
Amen. Alleluia.

A reminder that Masses for Sundays and feast days can now be followed live from St Eugène at the Youtube channel Ite, Missa est: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIz1_vK-gfwd26Q3cIvDxPg.

An Original Setting of Psalm 116 by Henri de Villiers

We are very pleased to share with our readers this recording of Psalm 116, Laudate Dominum, in an original composition by one of our long-time contributors, Henri de Villiers. This was made live at the church of St Eugène in Paris on November 26, during Mass of the external solemnity of St Cecily, patron Saint of the church’s choir, the Schola Ste Cécile, which Henri has directed for many years now.

As you can see from the title in the video, the setting was written for three choirs (12 voices), but here they are reduced to two (8 voices total). The original setting for three choirs was composed to be sung at Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini in Rome, at the end of Benediction during the Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage in 2015.

The complete Mass can be seen here:

Masses for Sundays and feast days can now be followed live from St Eugene at the Youtube channel Ite, Missa est: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIz1_vK-gfwd26Q3cIvDxPg