Historical Lectionary Readings

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Hello all,

This is my first post, so I’d like to introduce myself. I’m John, a graduate student in music with a penchant for early sacred music (Renaissance polyphony especially), the Latin language, and Christianity (historically, theologically, etc.). I grew up in the Methodist church, but through music, I find a particular closeness to older Catholic traditions (even if my own understanding of the intricacies is not what I wish it were). Either way, I do have a specific question I would appreciate any help with that can be offered (and one that I hope has been placed in the correct forum).

Orlando di Lasso, a Catholic Franco-Flemish composer working in Munich in the employ of Duke Albrecht V, wrote a motet in 1579 that is a setting of 1 Corinthians 13:11 - 13 (When I was a child . . . ). The Latin text starts out “Cum essem parvulus” if anyone happens to be familiar with the motet. Sources I’ve seen reference August of 1579, and I do not know if this means it was written in August of 1579, first used in a service in the chapel in August of 1579, or both (though I suspect the second or third options).

I’m wondering if there might be a way of finding out how this piece may have fit into the service, or any more specifics about it. I’m trying to research the motet historically, but I’m especially interested in how it would have fit into the mass. If there were assigned scriptures for particular Sundays for the month of August in 1579 in Munich, the motet may have fit in with a scriptural theme specifically. If it may have been a feast day, or some other sort of special celebration, that could have significance.

Unfortunately, I do not know how one would go about finding these things out, or if it is even possible without hoping for some long lost scrap of note that the composer himself may have written. Is there some way to determine specific readings from a timespan in history? If so, were these scriptures used reliably throughout Christendom, or would it be common to disregard them in favor of a local choice? If anyone happens to have any such knowledge (whether of how to obtain the information, of the information itself, or of the motet), I would greatly appreciate any help you could offer.

Dominus vobiscum,
  • John
 
John, I can’t answer many of your questions, but maybe here’s a little help. You seem to have a fairly good basis of knowledge on this, so just to make sure we’re clear: some sung texts of the Mass are called the Ordinary, and don’t change week-to-week (e.g., the Kyrie, the Agnus Dei), and some are called the Propers, which change by week, and also for special feasts, etc. Cum essem parvulus is neither of these – as a motet, it’s not really a part of the Mass at all, just a piece that can be sung at Mass. You’re right that it would be customary to choose motets based on the texts, especially the readings, for that day, but it need not be so.

As far as I know, in the 1750 Missale Romanum the text from 1 Corinthians that you’ve identified was used only on Quinquagesima, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. (You can see it in a 1621 Missal here.) I believe that would have fallen on March 1 in 1579, and February 13 in 1580.
 
Just a quick clarifier: would that be the 1570 Missale Romanum or was there a 1750? Also, I have tried doing a search, but I don’t believe there is an available English translation online of the 1570 version, and while my Latin’s decent for most scripture and prayers, it’s not quite up to par with searching through calendar information. 😛

If there isn’t a translation available, would you happen to be able to tell me what (if any) assigned texts there were in August of 1579 (which would be year 3 on the 19-year cycle if I translated correctly?), or at least be able to point me to where in the Missale I would look to find it.

As for the Proper versus the Ordinary and the likes, I know of the differences (and am obviously a little more familiar with the Ordinary), though part of what I would love to learn more about is exactly how the Proper changes from day to day or week to week. Basically, I’m familiar enough with the concept of the Proper to understand its purpose, just not enough with the details to claim a full grasp (partially the fault of being raised in a Protestant setting where there are many elements of the Mass present, but not the full weight of tradition or practice of the actual Mass). Thanks again for your help!
 
Sorry, clumsy fingers, I meant 1570, not 1750. And the earliest I’ve found poking around online is this one from 1587, but there shouldn’t be any appreciable difference.

Okay, so let’s see. In 1579, Easter was on April 19, so Pentecost would be June 7. That would make the five Sundays of August the 8th - 12th after Pentecost. That starts of page 327 of the edition I linked (page 310 according to the little counter at the top). So the Sunday epistle readings are
8th: Rom. 8:12-17
9th: 1 Cor. 10:6-13
10th: 1 Cor. 12:2-11
11th: 1 Cor. 15:1-10
12th: 2 Cor. 3:4-9
(In case I’ve miscounted somewhere and am off a week, then on the 7th week post Pentecosten the epistle is from Romans, and on the 13th it’s from Galatians.)

As to whether it would have been general practice in de Lassus’s part of the country to stick to the given readings or pick whatever you felt like, I would guess the former, but it’s pretty much impossible to say.
 
That’s exactly what I was looking for, and my counting came up with the same number of weeks you did. Thank you so much; this truly is a great help!
 
You’re welcome – I don’t know that it answers very many of your underlying questions, but it’s what I can offer. You might consider asking also at the MusicaSacra Forum, which is frequented by much smarter people than me.
 
It’s important to note that until St. Pius X, any double feast would trump any ordinary Sunday (e.g., all the Sundays of August). There may be a few feast days that use that particular epistle. What’s more, feast days of particular saints, especially patrons of the country, region, diocese, town, parish, etc., would be celebrated even more than ordinary Sundays, even if they fell during the week. It would be celebrated basically how we celebrate 4 July or Memorial Day. That epistle is not from any of the commons, I’m pretty sure, but I also recall hearing it multiple times throughout the liturgical year. I’ll see if I can come up with something in August for you.

Also important to note is that it is possible to sing a longer motet for the duration of a low Mass. This wasn’t very common before the Baroque age. Most of the Renaissance-inspired Counter Reformation polyphony was very liturgically-based. I’m not familiar with this particular motet from di Lasso to know its length, but my assumption would be that it would have been sung during the offertory or after the Agnus Dei. It was uncommon for the faithful to receive holy Communion during Mass, but depending upon the setting for the ordinary and propers, there would perhaps still be time after the Agnus Dei and Communion antiphon to have a motet. The propers usually were sung in plainsong, I believe, for a few decades more, so that would give even more time for a motet, though this is usually compensated for by a longer Angus Dei. (You may have wondered why it is that these words are extended so long per capita compared to the rest of the ordinary; this is the reason.) It also possibly could have been sung at vespers (e.g., during the incensation of a large choir, especially at the Cathedral or a collegiate church) or some other liturgical service.

N.B. By this time the liturgy had been codified such that the readings that Mr. Thompson gave would be chanted at Mass. Whether the motet was chosen based upon that (or upon some other part of the Mass, e.g., the introit) was up to the composer, but as I noted above, the Counter-Reformation was heavily liturgically-based. I would guess this would play a role. Another possibility (considering what was chosen) could be an occasion of State. Did the Duke Albrecht have a child around this time? Did one of his sons recently marry? These themes could also be an occasion for such a motet.

This certainly would make for an interesting research topic!
 
I wasn’t able to come up with anything in the universal calendar for August, unfortunately, but there could have been a local feast day, as I said, especially a patron. I guess it’d be good to know the titles for the major churches in Munich and especially the duke’s parish church. The Cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, though I’m not sure the Frauenkirche was the Cathedral at di Lasso’s time. Another possible explanation could simply be that di Lasso had a particular devotion to this passage of sacred scripture. Oh, and my hypothesis that such a motet would be sung during the incensation at vespers is surely incorrect. He would have just written a Magnificat for that, and I believe he wrote several Magnificats.
 
He certainly did. So many Magnificats that the assumption is that vespers was a frequent occurence. Everything done for the Duke by di Lasso was for the Duke’s own chapel, so I’m not sure how that would affect it.

Albrecht V died later that year (October I believe), and his son Wilhelm took his place. I’m not sure when Wilhelm (or the other Ducal offspring) were married though.
 
Yes, all the faithful would assist at vespers at least on Sundays and holy days. It would be publicly chanted everyday in the Cathedral and collegiate churches. If it was the duke’s private chapel, he may have had some sort of canons to chant the office for him, perhaps members of his court.
 
1 Cor 13:11-13 is the prescribed reading for a nocturn within the weekly cycle after the Epiphany at Matins. There are rules for transference, but in any case, August is too early. I have looked in a couple of “Propers” for Munich from the 17th century, and but it appears in none of them - although it is possible that the Duke’s chapel may have possessed its own Proper. One other possibility is that he was not working off the Roman liturgy but an adaption of it. Some German missals possessed cycles of Epistles for Wednesdays and Fridays. None of the cycles I have looked at have this Epistle, but none are from Munich specifically and the cycles varied greatly.
 
AJV said:
One other possibility is that he was not working off the Roman liturgy but an adaption of it. Some German missals possessed cycles of Epistles for Wednesdays and Fridays. None of the cycles I have looked at have this Epistle, but none are from Munich specifically and the cycles varied greatly.
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Did these exist after 1570?
 
I don’t know if they did, but I could also see a possibility in a Duke’s chapel of there being some time needed for changes to be effected even if they were. After all, Albrecht V was in the last decade of his life and could have been stuck in his ways. That’s 100% conjecture though, so take it at its value 😛
 
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