Renaissance Hit Parade: The top five church 'tunes'

If you were a good Catholic back in the Middle Ages, chances are you were more than familiar with these Mass-media favorites:  Kyrie eleison; Gloria in excelsis Deo; Credo; Sanctus; and Agnus Dei.  (That’s Lord have mercy; Glory be to God on high; I believe; Holy, holy; and O Lamb of God to the uninitiated.)

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the roots of Kyrie eleison pre-date Christianity.  It seems to have been adopted by the early Christians because of its similarity to ancient Hebrew worship.  For example, Psalm 4:1 echoes this same sentiment

(…Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer) – as do Isaiah 33:2  (O Lord, be gracious to us…) and many other Hebrew Bible passages.

According to yale.edu, the Gloria (also known as the Great Doxology) is an “ancient non-biblical hymn composed of various phrases of differing dates and origins.”  It is sometimes also referred to as Laus angelorum because of its association with the angelic proclamation in Luke 2:13-14 (Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men).

Although words of the Credo words have become well-nigh synonymous with those of the Nicene Creed since about 1014, the commonly-utilized plainchant melody is perhaps Greek in origin.  The first line – Credo in unum Deum – is usually sung solo by a lead celebrant or choir member. 

The Sanctus references Isaiah 6:3 (…Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory).  Its counterpart is to be found within the Kedushah, a Jewish liturgical prayer.

The Agnus Dei is also rooted in ancient Judaism.  It refers back to the Exodus 12 blood of sacrificial lambs that saved the Israelites.  Leviticus 4:32-34 and 5:6 also describe lambs as “sin offerings” to God.

Resources

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Music-History/dp/1592577512

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08714a.htm

http://www.yale.edu/adhoc/research_resources/liturgy/d_gloria.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnus_Dei

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credo

Copyright December 10, 2010 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved