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Agnus Dei tropes – one approach

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You’re familiar with the practice of extending the Lamb of God chant by singing several verses with Christological invocations? Like this: “Lamb of God,” “Son of God,” “Lord of love,” “Bread of life,” and the like; and then the last time the return to “Lamb of God” to signal the final ending, “grant us peace.”

Pray Tell reported earlier that official moods are moving toward opposing such tropes. According to the ascendant view, only the text “Lamb of God” (“Agnus Dei”) should be used each time if the chant is extended. This led to our solution at St. John’s last Pentecost – to sing the approved text in many languages.

Since that earlier report, I’ve found out that the USCCB hasn’t officially ruled on the matter, but has expressed its considered opinion in response to an inquiry. The permission for tropes in the US bishops’ document Sing to the Lord, then, still stands. In recently published worship aids, though, publishers are avoiding such tropes, I believe at the request of the USCCB.

Meanwhile, Alan Hommerding has convinced me that “Lamb of God” is a highly appropriate text for this moment, and one should hesitate to replace it with something which diminishes the paschal sacrificial banquet theme.

Putting all this together – Agnus Dei tropes are permitted but frowned upon, “Lamb” is the right theme for this ritual moment – I’ve decided to abandon the use of seasonal tropes for the Agnus Dei, but use the same tropes year-round. They have exclusively lamb/sacrifice themes.

Here are the tropes used for Latin chant settings in congregational layout. Here is the cantor part. Here is Agnus XVIII for schola with organum. I set it up so that each trope is one syllable longer, which both helps build momentum and makes it clearer when the Agnus Dei returns. Here’s a recording of it from Sunday Mass at the abbey.

For English settings, the congregation sings the tropes, like this.

Thoughts?

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