Aufer a me oppróbrium et contémptum, quia mandáta tua exquisívi, Dómine: nam et testimónia tua meditátio mea est.
Make those who oppress and hold me in contempt flee from me! For I have long-sought Your commandments, O Lord, and Your testimony is my meditation.
Psalm 118: 22, 24
GN 342
GT 353
In retrospect, I would’ve based my rendition on the AISCGre’s recommendations after researching the vast differences between the Vatican edition and the Graduale Novum. By consulting a variety of later, diastematic manuscripts, their reconstructions attempt to create the “original” melodies as conceived by the Frankish and Roman cantors in the 8th century. Because I (foolishly) only later looked at the Graduale Novum and even later received the relevant 1article from Beiträge zur Gregorianik (BzG), I based my rendition on the Vatican edition and the St. Gall neumes, since they – at first glance – seem to corroborate quite well. However, there are astounding differences.
The most compelling piece of evidence given by the editors of BzG is the presence of mode I psalm tones in several manuscripts, including MiW (Hymnarius vel Antiphonare, Cod. Guelf. 1008 Helmst., 11th century), G 376 (Graduale 376, 11th century), and Y (Saint-Yriex Codex lat. 903, 11th century). (See G 376 here: G 376 (280, 17) This indeed would rebuke the Vatican’s classification as mode II, though it would still be in protus. As the editors explain, the presence of mode I would require a DO-clef on the top line. This would create a transposed mode I chant with a final on LA. However, to avoid the extreme range that is thus created, the chant is transposed down a fifth and given a second-line FA clef. I will leave my readers to find the journal article if they are further interested in understanding the proliferation of Ebs throughout their reconstruction as well the confusing – and contradictory – signs found before the first note of Dómine.2
Nevertheless, I relied on the Vatican edition as it is. In learning the piece, my ear was drawn to the repeated porrecti motive on “nam et testimónia”, and I realized we heard that motive a couple weeks ago in Memento verbi on “in humilitáte”. The obvious parallel – musically, and textually – is drawn over both tonic accents on “meditátio mea” through the use of the same motive.
The piece begins with upward, emphatic, cry: ”aufer”, an imperative demand that the Lord scatter the psalmist’s enemies and oppressors. How often we believe that “others” “out in the world” are those imprisoning us, when, in reality, it is usually our own negative thoughts that ensnare us. More often than not, it is my own self-doubt and self-loathing that attempts to keep me in bondage. (However, this is not to deny the very real suffering and martyrdom that exists in many parts of the world!). It seems as if the psalmist must justify his plight to the Lord, exclaiming that he seeks His commandments and meditates on His testimonies. In light of St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians -the epistle from this past week- we are justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law (Gal 3:22-29).3 Deliverance isn’t rooted in our own worthiness, in our adherence to and recollection of God’s law. Rather, Christ’s mysterious salvation may miraculously heal some and draw others back to Himself.
- De Lille, Alessandro, “Manoscritti”, Selezione di manoscritti disponibili in rete” https://alessandrodelillo.weebly.com/manoscritti.html, accessed 10.12.24. ↩︎
- “Aufer a me”, Beiträge zur Gregorianik 44: 47. ↩︎
- Galatians 3:22-29, NABRE, https://bible.usccb.org/bible/galatians/3, accessed 10.12.24. ↩︎
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