This day is known as Gaudete Sunday, after the first (Latin) word in the Introit proper to this day, in English, “Rejoice!” The text for the Introit is from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice: let your moderation be known unto all men: the Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.”
The Introit concludes with a verse from Psalm 85: “Lord, thou art become gracious unto thy land: thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.”
The music in our service leading up to the chanting of the Introit elucidates the source of our joy. Before our Processional hymn, the choir will sing James MacMillan’s O Radiant Dawn as a prelude. The text to this 2008 motet is the antiphon sung on December 21st, one of the Advent O Antiphons: “O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.”
Our Processional hymn is “Wake, awake, for night is flying.” The story behind this hymn is remarkable; both text and tune have elicited some remarkable musical responses, such as the renowned cantata composed by J. S. Bach, Wachet auf, many lesser known settings like this one, and the many arrangements of the hymn, including a rousing version by the great Lutheran choir master, F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955).
Our Sermon hymn is not as familiar. “O Savior, rend the heavens wide” is based on an Advent poem by Friedrich Spee (1591-1635), a German Jesuit priest. This hymn is not in our Hymnal, but will be printed in the bulletin, and you may download a copy of it here. As with the hymn “Wake, awake,” this hymn too has inspired many composers to create rich and evocative settings. Johannes Brahms’s motet O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf is a case in point.
The Offertory anthem is Sergei Rachmaninov Bogoroditse Dyevo, taken from his 1915 Vespers (or All-Night Vigil). Our choir hopes to be up the challenge of singing the text in Church Slavonic, which, like the Latin Ave Maria, reproduces the promises uttered by Gabriel to the Virgin Mary: “Rejoice, virgin mother of God, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you have borne the Savior of our souls.”
Here is a performance of this work by VOCES8.
If you would like to set aside an hour to hear the Rachmaninov Vespers in full, here is a classic recording made by (however improbably) the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir, conducted by Valeri Polyansky. (I guess the Communists couldn’t eliminate all expressions of divine beauty. Grace wins!)
At Communion, the choir will sing Judith Weir’s setting of a portion of the Advent prose, Drop down, ye heavens from above: “Drop down ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people; my salvation shall not tarry. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions. Fear not, for I will save thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy redeemer. Drop down ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness.”
Here is a performance of this brief work by the Choir of Peterhouse, Cambridge, directed by Simon Jackson.
The Communion hymns are “Sion, praise thy Saviour, singing” and “Very Bread, good Shepherd, tend us.” The closing hymn is “O Word that goest forth on high.” The text for this hymn probably dates to the tenth century, and the tune is from the Catholische Geistliche Gesänge (1608). This Roman Catholic hymn book was published by the Guild of St. Cecilia at Andernach, apparently in an attempt to imitate and thereby offset the influence of those popular Lutheran hymns. May a hundred flowers bloom!