October, 2023 Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas

byClaudia Ochoa Cruz - 0 Comments

The Cleveland Museum of Art's Department of Mediaeval Art houses the October cover image. It's from an Antiphonary called «Initial Gloria tibi Trinitas: The Trinity» and is sung before the Psalms in the Roman Litugy. This image was chosen because the theme for this month is John Taverner's (c1490-1545) Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas.


Cover October 2023

Cutting from an Antiphonary: Initial G[loria tibi Trinitas]: The Trinity

Initial Gloria tibi Trinitas The Trinity
Image from Cleveland Museum of Art

According to Hugh Benham's research, the majority of John Taverne's works were «votive antiphons - pieces addressed to Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or another saint» -including Saint Michael-; Orthodox Catholic and «first master of the choristers at Cardinal College, Oxford»; sadly, Taverne's music is rarely performed, with recordings by The Sixteen and Tallis Scholars being the most commonly found (Benham, 2016). Taverne's innovative textures and sounds had an indelible influence on later composers (Phillips, 1995). The «In Nomine» instrumental musical heritage derives from the six-part Mass Gloria tibi trinitas; John Bull was one of the composers who wrote the most of these works (cantus firmus) «In Nomines» or «Gloria tibi trinitas» for keyboard instruments (Blank, 2016).


Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas
LatinEnglish
GloriaGloria

Gloria in excelsis Deo

et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.            

Laudamus te. Benedicimus te.

Adoramus te. Glorificamus te.

Gratias agimus tibi

propter magnam gloriam tuam.

Domine Deus, Rex caelestis,

Deus Pater omnipotens,

Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.

Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.

Qui tollis peccata mundi,

miserere nobis.

Qui tollis peccata mundi,

suscipe deprecationem nostram.

Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,

miserere nobis.

Quoniam tu solus sanctus.

Tu solus Dominus.

Tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe.

 

Cum Sancto Spiritu

in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest

and on earth peace to men of goodwill.

We praise you. We bless you.

We worship you. We glorify you.

We give thanks to you

for your great glory.

Lord God, heavenly King,

almighty God the Father,

O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.

You take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us.

You take away the sins of the world,

receive our prayer.

You sit at the right hand of the Father,

have mercy on us.

For you only are holy.

You only are the Lord.

You only are the most high, Jesus Christ.

 

With the Holy Spirit

in the glory of God the Father. Amen.


Credo
 Credo

Credo in unum Deum,

Patrem omnipotentem

factorem caeli et terrae,

visibilium omnium et invisibilium.

Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,

Filium Dei unigenitum.

Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula.

Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,

Deum verum de Deo vero.

Genitum, non factum,

consubstantialem Patri:

per quem omnia facta sunt.

Qui propter nos homines

et propter nostram salutem

descendit de caelis.

Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto

ex Maria virgine:

et homo factus est.

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis:

sub Pontio Pilato

passus et sepultus est.

Et resurrexit tertia die

secundum scripturas.

Et ascendit in caelum:

sedet ad dexteram Patris.

Et iterum venturus est cum gloria

iudicare vivos et mortuos:

cuius regni non erit finis.

 

Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum.

Et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

I believe in one God,

the almighty Father,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is seen and unseen.

I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only begotten Son of God.

Eternally begotten of the Father.

God from God, light from light,

true God from true God.

Begotten not made,

of one being with the Father:

through him all things were made.

For us men

and for our salvation,

he came down from heaven.

By the power of the Holy Spirit he became

incarnate of the virgin Mary:

and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified:

under Pontius Pilate

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

in accordance with the scriptures.

He ascended into heaven:

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

And he shall come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead:

and his kingdom shall have no end.

 

And I look for the resurrection of the dead.

And the life of the world to come. Amen.


Sanctus and Benedictus
Sanctus and Benedictus

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus,

Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Pleni sunt caeli et terra

gloria tua.

Osanna in excelsis.

 

Benedictus qui venit

in nomine Domini.

Osanna in excelsis.

 Holy, holy, holy,

Lord, God of power and might.

Heaven and earth are full

of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

 

Blessed is he who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.


 Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata

mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata

mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata

mundi, dona nobis pacem.

 Lamb of God, you take away the sins

of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins

of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins

of the world, grant us peace.

Source: The Tallis Scholars. (2013). Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas  [Album]. Hyperion Records.


The words of the Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas can also be consulted on the Hyperion website, as they coincide with the recording made by Tallis Scholars conducted by Peter Phillips in 2013, which was recorded for the group's fortieth anniversary and included the vocals of 13 members (Gantz, 2013). It is a difficult work to perform since it requires harmony and balance in a wide range of tessituras. Very long phrases, both high and low, need a unitary meaning (Guada, 2014).

Reflection


Mr. Sunao Tsuboi described the damage caused by Little Boy as «a living hell on earth» to the New York Times, claiming to have lived through and witnessed the most heinous atrocities of war. When it comes to hatred (and selfishness), the world appears to be so small that nothing else fits. The whispers from hell that urge the shedding of loss of blood (from others, obviously) do not stop. The conflict between "good guys" and "bad guys" as well as their drives for public acceptance, has been featured on a regular basis in international news. The word diplomacy appears to have vanished from regular usage, as if no one remembered it.

The recognition of "good" victims corresponds to those who suffer the most, die in the most horrible ways, and are tortured the most. The loss of human "value" is visible even on social media, where questions like "who are you for?" or "who do you support?" are openly asked as if it were a pleasant football match. What a pleasure it is to write calmly from a computer, probably with a cup of coffee nearby. The writers of these "shows" can choose (ethically or unethically) to type words that please the audience, advertisers, or their public image; however, many of these are capable of creating hatred (and selfishness). But what would they write if they were in Walter Benjamin's shoes?  Would they keep writing vanities? Who wants to live Sunao Tsuboi's life? There are no heroes in battle; this is another Modern idea. On the battlefields, one can see the ugliest displays of grief, pain, and humiliation that we cannot even imagine. Wars are simply the most extreme manifestations of human pain; «a living hell on earth» is the direct result of hatred and selfishness.

We are being deceived:

one can be deceived in many ways; one may be deceived in believing the false, but, one may deceived in not believing the true
Søren Kierkegaard

What would the millions who died from corona say about the selfishness demonstrated during the pandemic? Similarly, if we could ask victims (whether mortal or not) about hate and war, what answers would we hear besides Mr. Tsuboi's? Those who scream and argue that war is "the only possible solution" have obviously never been to one of these hellish battlefields. Similarly, people who claimed that corona was a "just flu" had no idea they would die, or stay ill for a long period, or lose their parents, siblings, children, coworkers, friends, or neighbours, in addition to the socioeconomic disaster that occurred.

In Modernity, we devoutly believe in what is false while rejecting what is true. The most obvious question is, what is The True? Of course, the philosophical argument is vast, even tiring, cynical at times, and passionate at others. Soren Kierkegaard's works, which were severely criticised from various perspectives, are evidence of this.

The truth is discovered in the subjective, the truth is present, the truth is love, and the truth is God. Each of us contains love.

Love’s secret life is in the heart, unfathomable, and it also has an unfathomable connection with the whole of existence. As the peaceful lake is grounded deep in the hidden spring which no eye can see , so a man's love is grounded even deeper in the love of God

Søren Kierkegaard

Love is known in the same way as a «tree is known by its fruits». To love others as much as you love yourself is an command, not a choice. What a brief sentence, and how difficult to understand within a belief system in which selfishness is praised -we even pay to study and research multiple "sophisticated" varieties of selfishness; multivocal and "necessary." We are being deceived. Only ethical actions motivated by love can save us both in this life and after death: 

No one can come to the Father except through me
John 14:6

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind [...] Love your neighbor as yourself
Luke 10:27; Matthew 22:36–40; Mark 12:28–31


They were two of the most essential teachings of Jesus.

Without a doubt, the Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas -in addition to being a work of musical art- reminds us of the Truth that maintains our being: God. The Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let us also pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Michael the Archangel for Love to rule over hate and selfishness in human existence.


References


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