Tenebrae responsories

Within the liturgy, each responsory followed a reading. Each day's matins was divided into three nocturns. The first nocturn had three readings from Jeremiah's Book of Lamentations, and the second nocturn three readings from one or other of Saint Augustine's commentaries on the Psalms. The three readings of the third nocturn were from the First Epistle to the Corinthians on Maundy Thursday, from the Epistle to the Hebrews on the other two days.{{Cite web |url=https://sanctamissa.org/en/music/gregorian-chant/choir/liber-usualis-1961.pdf |title=Liber Usualis 1961, pp. 631−773 |access-date=2019-02-12 |archive-date=2020-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217002346/https://sanctamissa.org/en/music/gregorian-chant/choir/liber-usualis-1961.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Over the three days, therefore, the responsories, like the readings, came to a total of 27. Since the polyphonic Lamentations were an important musical genre in their own right, many collections (such as Victoria's Officium Hebdomadae sanctae 1585) include only the 18 Responsories of the second and third nocturns. Gesualdo, who set all 27, also includes a Miserere and Benedictus for Lauds, and a few composers (Fabrizio Dentice and Tiburtio Massaino) set these last three times each, one setting for each day.

Maundy Thursday is called in Latin Feria V/Quinta in Cena Domini (an older spelling has Coena instead of Cena), meaning Thursday (fifth day of the week) of the Lord's Supper. Compositions for its nine responsories can therefore appear under such titles as Feria V – In Coena Domini. They can also be named by the day on which they were actually sung, as Charpentier's Les neuf répons du mercredi saint ("The nine responsories of Holy Wednesday").

The three readings of the first nocturn of Maundy Thursday are Lamentations 1:1–5, 1:6–9 and 1:10–14.

The first Maundy Thursday responsory refers to the Agony of Christ in Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Premier répons après la première leçon du premier nocturne, H.111, for 3 voices and continuo (1680).

• {{CPDL|In monte Oliveti|"In monte Oliveti"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

{{see|Tristis est anima mea (responsory)}}

The second responsory represents Jesus speaking to his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane. The first two lines of the responsory are {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=World English|book=Matthew|chapter=26|verse=38}}. The last two lines of are more freely based on different Gospel passages, including Mark 14:50 and Luke 24:7.{{cite book

| last = Melamed

| first = Daniel R.

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JDlBMqI628UC&pg=PA148

| title = J.S. Bach and the German Motet

| publisher = Cambridge University Press

| year = 1995

| pages = 148–149

| isbn = 0-52-141864-X

}}

Settings of this responsory include a motet by Orlande de Lassus, appearing as No. 1 in the Drexel 4302 manuscript, a SSATB motet attributed to Johann Kuhnau, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, 2 settings: Second répons après la seconde leçon du premier nocturne, H.112 (1680), for 2 voices and continuo and Second répons après la seconde leçon du premier nocturne du Mercredi Saint, H.126 (1690), for 2 voices and continuo and a setting as part of Francis Poulenc's Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence.

• {{CPDL|Tristis est anima mea|"Tristis est anima mea"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

• {{CPDL|Ecce vidimus eum|"Ecce vidimus eum"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

The readings of the second nocturn of Maundy Thursday are from Saint Augustine's commentary on Psalm 54/55

Troisième répons après la troisième leçon du premier nocturne, H.113 (1680), for 1 voice and continuo

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Premier répons après la première leçon du second nocturne du Mercredi Saint, H.127 (1690), for 1 voice , 2 flutes and continuo

• Audio: {{Audio|AmicusMeus.ogg|"Amicus meus" by Tomás Luis de Victoria|help=}}
• {{CPDL|Amicus meus osculi|"Amicus meus osculi"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Second of Poulenc's Sept répons des ténèbres.

• {{CPDL|Judas mercator pessimus|"Judas mercator pessimus"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Quatrième répons après la première leçon du second nocturne, H.114 (1680), for 2 voices and continuo

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Troisième répons après la troisième leçon du second nocturne du Mercredi Saint, H.132 (1690), for 1 voice, 2 violins and continuo

• Audio: {{Audio|UnusExDiscipulisMeis.ogg|"Unus ex discipulis meis" by Tomás Luis de Victoria|help=}}
• {{CPDL|Unus ex discipulis|"Unus ex discipulis"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

The readings of the third nocturn of Maundy Thursday are 1 Corinthians 11:17−22, 11:23−26, 11:27−34

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Cinquième répons après la seconde leçon du second nocturne, H.115 (1680), for 1 voice and continuo

• {{CPDL|Eram quasi agnus innocens|"Eram quasi agnus innocens"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Sixième répons après la troisième leçon du second nocturne, H.116 (1680), for 3 voices and continuo

First of Poulenc's Sept répons des ténèbres.

• {{CPDL|Una hora|"Una hora"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Septième répons après la première leçon du troisième nocturne, H.117 (1680), for 1 voice and continuo

• {{CPDL|Seniores populi|"Seniores populi"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Good Friday, Feria VI/Sexta in Parasceve, meaning Friday (sixth day of the week) of the Day of Preparation (from Greek Παρασκευή). Thus this second set of nine responsories can appear under such titles as Feria VI – In Parasceve.

The readings of the first nocturn of Good Friday are Lamentations 2:8–11, 2:12–15 and 3:1–9.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Répons après la première leçon de ténèbres du Jeudi Saint, H.144 (mid1690), for 1 voice, 2 flutes and continuo

• {{CPDL|Omnes amici mei|"Omnes amici mei"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Second répons après la seconde leçon du premier nocturne du Jeudi Saint, H.128, for soloists, chorus, flutes, strings and continuo (1690)

• {{CPDL|Velum templi|"Velum templi"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Second of Poulenc's Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence.

• {{CPDL|Vinea mea electa|"Vinea mea electa"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

The readings of the second nocturn of Good Friday are from Saint Augustine's commentary on Psalm 63/64

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Premier répons après la première leçon du second nocturne du Jeudi Saint, H.133 (1690), for 1 voice, 2 flutes,, 2 violins and continuo

• {{CPDL|Tamquam ad latronem|"Tamquam ad latronem"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

This responsory is included on p. 269 of the Lutheran Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch (1682). Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Second répons après la seconde leçon du second nocturne du Jeudi Saint, for 1 voice, flutes, strings and continuo, H.129 (1690).Third of Poulenc's Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence, and fifth of his Sept répons des ténèbres

• {{CPDL|Tenebrae factae sunt|"Tenebrae factae sunt"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

• {{CPDL|Animam meam dilectam|"Animam meam dilectam"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

The readings of the third nocturn of Holy Saturday are taken from {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=World English|book=Hebrews|chapter=4|verse=11|}} –{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=World English|book=Hebrews|chapter=5|verse=10|nobook=}}.

• {{CPDL|Tradiderunt me|"Tradiderunt me"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Third of Poulenc's Sept répons des ténèbres

• {{CPDL|Jesum tradidit impius|"Jesum tradidit impius"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Fourth of Poulenc's Sept répons des ténèbres

• Audio: {{Audio|CaligaveruntVictoria.ogg|"Caligaverunt oculi mei" by Tomás Luis de Victoria|help=}}
• {{CPDL|Caligaverunt oculi mei|"Caligaverunt oculi mei"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Holy Saturday, Sabbato Sancto in Latin. Responsories for this day can appear under such titles as Sabbato Sancto.

The readings of the first nocturn of Holy Saturday are from Lamentations, 3:22–30, 4:1–6 and 5:1–11.

{{quote|{{lang|la|Responsorium:

Sicut ovis ad occisionem ductus est,

Et dum male tractaretur, non aperuit os suum :

Traditus est ad mortem ut vivificaret populum suum.

Versus:

Tradidit in mortem animam suam,

Et inter sceleratos reputatus est.}}}}

• {{CPDL|Sicut ovis ad occisionem|"Sicut ovis ad occisionem"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Second répons après la seconde leçon du premier nocturne de Vendredi Saint, H.130 (1690), for 2 voices, 2 flutes and continuo

• {{CPDL|Jerusalem surge et exue|"Jerusalem surge et exue"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

This responsory has some parallels with the Book of Joel, e.g. "plange quasi virgo" ("Lament like a girl", 1:8), "accingite vos et plangite sacerdotes ululate ministri altaris" ("Put on sackcloth and mourn, you priests; Wail, you ministers of the altar", 1:13) and "magnus enim dies Domini et terribilis valde" ("for the day of Yahweh is great and very awesome", 2:11).

{{quote|{{lang|la|Responsorium:

Plange quasi virgo, plebs mea.

Ululate pastores, in cinere et cilicio,

Quia veniet Dies Domini Magna

Et amara valde.

Versus:

Accingite vos, sacerdotes, et plangite,

Ministri altaris, aspergite vos cinere.}}}}

• {{CPDL|Plange quasi virgo|"Plange quasi virgo"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

The readings of the second nocturn of Holy Saturday are from Saint Augustine's commentary on Psalm 63/64.

• {{CPDL|Recessit Pastor noster|"Recessit Pastor noster"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

{{see|O vos omnes}}

The text is adapted from the Latin Vulgate translation of {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=World English|book=Lamentations|chapter=1|verse=12}}. Some of the most famous settings of the text are by Tomás Luis de Victoria (two settings for four voices: 1572 and 1585), Carlo Gesualdo (five voices: 1603; six voices: 1611), Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Second répons après la 1ère leçon du second nocturne du Vendredi saint, H.134, for 1 voice, flutes and continuo (1690) and Pablo Casals (mixed choir: 1932).

• Audio: {{Audio|Tomas Luis de Victoria O vos omnes (The Tudor Consort).ogg|"O vos omnes" by Tomás Luis de Victoria (1585) performed by The Tudor Consort|help=}}
• {{CPDL|O vos omnes|"O vos omnes"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

{{main|The righteous perishes#Responsory "Ecce quomodo moritur justus"}}

Based on {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=World English|book=Isaiah|chapter=57|verse=1|range=–2}}. A german version of the text of this responsory is set as Der Gerechte kömmt um. Poulenc set it as the seventh of his Sept répons des ténèbres.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Troisième répons après la troisième leçon du second nocturne du Vendredi Saint, H.131 (1690), for 1 voice, muted strings and continuo

• {{CPDL|Ecce quomodo moritur|"Ecce quomodo moritur"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

The three readings of the third nocturn of Holy Saturday are {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=World English|book=Hebrews|chapter=9|verse=11|range=–14}}, {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=World English|book=Hebrews|chapter=9|verse=15|range=–18|nobook=}} and {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=World English|book=Hebrews|chapter=9|verse=19|range=–22|nobook=}}.

• {{CPDL|Astiterunt reges terrae|"Astiterunt reges terrae"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

• {{CPDL|Aestimatus sum|"Aestimatus sum"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}} {{cite podcast |host=Algemesí|title=Aestimatus sum |publisher=Gregorian Chant Summit |date=17 Feb 2019 |url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/0must24umlp806y/03%20%20%20AESTIMATUS%20SUM%20%20Schola%20Cantorum%20de%20la%20Bas%C3%ADlica%C2%B7%20Laetentur%20VAL%C3%88NCIA%20%20Dir.%20Luis%20Garrido.mp3 |access-date=7 May 2019}}

Sixth of Poulenc's Sept répons des ténèbres

• {{CPDL|Sepulto Domino|"Sepulto Domino"|prep= and text (Latin, translations) of}}

• {{ChoralWiki|Category:Tenebrae responsories|Tenebrae Responsories|prep=of}}

Category:Tenebrae