Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia, unless otherwise stated.
Cristóbal de Morales by Angelo Rossi (dates unknown).
The original print is from Andrea Adami's Osservazioni
per ben regolare il coro dei cantori della
Cappella pontificia. Catalogo de' nomi, cognomi,
e patria de i cantori pontifici (Rome, 1711).
Date: 18th-Century.
Source: Dějiny hudby II. Renesance, p. 231.
Author: Angelo Rossi.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Cristóbal de Morales (1500 – 1553) was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Victoria. He was born in Seville and, after an exceptional early education, which included a rigorous training in the classics as well as musical study with some of the foremost composers, he held posts at Ávila and Plasencia.
There is some evidence that he was a difficult character, aware of his exceptional talent, but incapable of getting along with those of lesser musical abilities. He made severe demands on the singers in his employ, alienated employers, and likely came across as arrogant. In spite of this, he was regarded as one of the finest composers in Europe around the middle of the 16th-Century.
A Month's Mind is a Requiem Mass celebrated about one month after a person's death, in memory of the deceased.
In Mediaeval, and later, England, it was a Service and Feast held one month after the death of anyone, in his or her memory. Bede speaks of the day as commemorationis dies. These "Minding Days" were of great antiquity, and were survivals of the Norse minne, or ceremonial drinking to the dead.
"Minnying Days," says Blount, "from the Saxon "Lemynde Days" which our ancestors called their "Monthes Mind, their Year's Mind, and the like, being the days whereon their Souls (after their deaths) were had in special remembrance, and some Office or obsequies said for them, as Obits, Diriges." The phrase is still used in Lancashire.
It is still an almost universal practice in Ireland (for Roman Catholics) for the family of the deceased, and close friends, to attend Mass and take a meal together on the occasion of the Month's Mind.
Elaborate instructions for the conduct of the Commemorative Service were often left in Wills. Thus, one Thomas Windsor (who died in 1479) orders that "on my Moneth's Minde, there be a hundred children, within the age of sixteen years, to say for my Soul," and candles were to be burned before the Rood (Cross) in the Parish Church and twenty Priests were to be paid by his Executors to sing Placebo, Dirige, and other Hymns.
Ave Verum Corpus is a short EucharisticHymn that has been set to music by various composers. It dates from the 14th-Century and has been attributed to Pope Innocent VI.
Sacris Solemniis is a Hymn written by Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) for the Feast of Corpus Christi. The strophe of Sacris Solemniis, that begins with the words "Panis Angelicus" (Bread of Angels), has often been set to music separately from the rest of the Hymn. Most famously, in 1872, César Franck set this strophe for voice (tenor), harp, cello, and organ, and incorporated it into his Messe à trois voix, Opus 12. The Hymn expresses the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, in which the Bread and Wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ.
The phenomenon, whereby the strophe of Sacris Solemniis that begins with the words "Panis Angelicus" is often treated as a separate Hymn, has occurred also with other Hymns that Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote for Corpus Christi: Verbum Supernum Prodiens (the last two strophes begin with "O Salutaris Hostia"), Adoro Te Devote (the strophe beginning with "Pie Pelicane, Jesu Domine"), and Pange Lingua Gloriosi(the last two strophes begin with "Tantum Ergo", in which case the word "Ergo" ["therefore"] makes evident that this part is the continuation of a longer Hymn).
Mont Saint-Michel (English: Saint Michael's Mount) is an island commune in Normandy, France. It is located approximately one kilometre (0.6 miles) off the country's North-Western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River, near Avranches. 100 hectares (247 acres) in size, the island has a population of forty-four (2009).
The island has held strategic fortifications since ancient times, and, since the 8th-Century, has been the Seat of the Monastery from which it draws its name. The structural composition of the town exemplifies the feudal society that constructed it: On top; God, the Abbey and Monastery; Below this; the Great halls, then stores and housing; and, at the bottom, outside the walls, fishermen and farmers' housing.
Its unique position, of being an island only 600 metres from land, made it readily accessible on low tide to the many pilgrims to its Abbey. Equally, this position made it readily defensible, as an incoming tide stranded, or drowned, would-be assailants. By capitalising on this natural defence, the Mont remained unconquered during the Hundred Years' War, with a small garrison successfully defending it against a full attack by the English in 1433. The reverse benefits of its natural defence was not lost on Louis XI, who turned The Mont into a State Prison and, thereafter, the Abbey started to be used more regularly as a jail during the Ancien Régime from the 16th-Century.
One of France's most recognisable landmarks, Mont Saint-Michel and its Bay are part of the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites and more than three million people visit it each year.
Mont Saint-Michel was used in the 6th- and 7th-Centuries, as an Armorican stronghold of Gallo-Roman culture and power, until it was ransacked by the Franks, thus ending the Trans-Channel culture that had stood since the departure of the Romans in 460 A.D. From the 5th- to the 8th-Century, Mont Saint-Michel belonged to the territory of Neustria, and in the Early-9th-Century was an important place in the Marches of Neustria.
Before the construction of the first Monastic establishment, in the 8th-Century, the island was called Mont Tombe (Latin: tumba). According to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared in 708 A.D., to Saint Aubert, the Bishop of Avranches, and instructed him to build a Church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the Angel's instruction until Saint Michael burned a hole in the Bishop's skull with his finger.
Unable to defend his kingdom against the assaults of the Vikings, the King of the Franks agreed to grant the Cotentin Peninsula and the Avranchin, including Mont-Saint-Michel, to the Bretons in the 867 A.D., Treaty of Compiègne. This marked the beginning of the brief period of Breton possession of the Mont. In fact, these lands and Mont Saint-Michel were never really included in the Duchy of Brittany and remained independent Bishoprics from the newly-created Breton Archbishopric of Dol. When Rollo confirmed Franco as Archbishop of Rouen, these traditional Dependencies of the Rouen Archbishopric were retained in it.
The wealth and influence of the Abbey extended to many Daughter Foundations, including Saint Michael's Mount, in Cornwall. However, its popularity and prestige, as a centre of pilgrimage, waned with the Reformation, and, by the time of the French Revolution, there were scarcely any Monks in residence. The Abbey was closed and converted into a prison, initially to hold Clerical opponents of the Republican Regime.
High-profile political prisoners followed, but, by 1836, influential figures — including Victor Hugo — had launched a campaign to restore what was seen as a national architectural treasure. The prison was finally closed in 1863, and the Mont was declared an historic monument in 1874. Mont Saint-Michel, and its Bay, were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.
The Cannons, abandoned by Thomas Scalles, at Mont Saint-Michel, on 17 June 1434.
Marked by an explanatory plaque with the words: "BOMBARDES ANGLAISES ABANDONNEES PAR L'ARMEE DE THOMAS SCALLES LE 17 JUIN 1434". CALIBRE 380 - 420".
In the 11th-Century, William de Volpiano, the Italian architect who had built the Abbey of Fécamp, in Normandy, was chosen by Richard II of Normandy, to be the building contractor. He designed the Romanesque Church of the Abbey, daringly placing the Transept Crossing at the top of the Mont. Many underground Crypts and Chapels had to be built, to compensate for this weight; these formed the basis for the supportive upward structure that can be seen today. Today, Mont Saint-Michel is seen as a Romanesque-Style Church.
Robert de Thorigny, a great supporter of Henry II of England, (who was also Duke of Normandy), reinforced the structure of the buildings and built the main façade of the Church in the 12th-Century. In 1204, the Breton, Guy de Thouars, allied to the King of France, undertook the siege of the Mont. After having set fire to the village, and having massacred the population, he was obliged to beat a retreat under the powerful walls of the Abbey. Unfortunately, the fire, which he himself lit, extended to the buildings, and the roofs fell prey to the flames. Horrified by the cruelty and the exactions of his Breton ally, Philip Augustus offered Abbot Jourdain a Grant for the construction of a new Gothic-Style building, which included the addition of the Refectory and Cloister.
Charles VI is credited with adding major fortifications to the Abbey-Mont, building Towers, successive Courtyards, and strengthening the Ramparts.
The islet belongs to the French Commune of Mont-Saint-Michel, in the Département of Manche, in Basse-Normandie. Population (1999): Fifty. The nearest major town, with an SNCF Train Station, is Pontorson. Mont Saint-Michel belongs to the Organisation of World Heritage Cities.
Mont Saint-Michel has also been the subject of traditional, but nowadays good-humoured, rivalry between Normans and Bretons. Bretons claim that, since the Couesnon River marks the traditional boundary between Normandy and Brittany, it is only because the river has altered its course over the centuries that the Mont is on the Norman side of the border.
Historically, Mont Saint-Michel was the Norman counterpart of Saint Michael's Mount, Cornwall, England, which was given to the Benedictine Religious Order of Mont Saint-Michel, by King Edward the Confessor in the 11th-Century.
Líbera me, Dómine, de morte ætérna, in die illa treménda: in via Quando cœli movéndi sunt quando et terra. Dum véneris iudicáre sǽculum per ignem. Tremens tremens factus sum ego, et tímeo, et timeo dum discússio vénerit, atque ventúra ira. Quando cœli movendi sunt et terra. Dies illa, dies iræ, calamitátis et misériæ, dies irae'' dies magna et amára valde. Dum véneris iudicáre sǽculum per ignem. Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine: et lux perpétua lúceat eis.
Deliver me, O Lord, from death eternal on that fearful day,
When the heavens and the earth shall be moved,
When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
I am made to tremble, and I fear, till the judgment be upon us, and the coming wrath,
When the heavens and the earth shall be moved.
That day, day of wrath, calamity, and misery, day of great and exceeding bitterness,
When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord: and let light perpetual shine upon them.
Libera Me is begun by a Cantor, who sings the Versicles, alone, and the Responses are sung by the Choir. The Text is written in the First Person Singular, "Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death on that fearful day," a dramatic substitution in which the Choir speaks for the dead person.
In the Traditional Office, Libera Me is also said on All Souls' Day (2 November) and whenever all three Nocturns of Matins of the Dead are recited. On other occasions, the Ninth Responsory of Matins for the Dead begins with "Libera Me", but continues with a different Text (Domine, de viis inferni, etc.).
Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.
Hexham Abbey.
Photo: 3 February 2001.
Author: Tim Rogers
(Wikimedia Commons)
Hexham Abbey is a place of Christian worship, dedicated to Saint Andrew, and located in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, in North-East England. Since the Dissolution of the Monasteries, in 1537, the Abbey has been the Parish Church of Hexham.
There has been a Church on the site for over 1,300 years, since Etheldreda, Queen of Northumbria, made a Grant of Lands to Wilfrid, Bishop of York, circa 674 A.D. Of Wilfrid's Benedictine Abbey, which was constructed almost entirely of material salvaged from nearby Roman ruins, the Saxon Crypt still remains; as does a Frith (freedom, security) Stool; and a 7th- 8th-Century Cathedra, or Throne (Bishop's Seat). For a little while, around that time, it was the Seat of a Bishopric.
In the year 875 A.D., Halfdene (Halfdan Ragnarsson), the Dane, ravaged the whole of Tyneside and Hexham Church was plundered and burnt to the ground.
About 1050, Eilaf was put in charge of Hexham, although, as Treasurer of Durham, he probably never went there. Eilaf was instructed to rebuild Hexham Church, which then lay in utter ruin. His son, Eilaf II, completed the work, probably building in the Norman Style.
In Norman times, Wilfrid's Abbey was replaced by an AugustinianPriory. The current Church largely dates from that period (circa 1170 – 1250), in the Early English Style of architecture. The Choir, North and South Transepts, and the Cloisters, where Canons studied and meditated, date from this period.
Lancet Windows, North Transept, Hexham Abbey.
The glass in these windows was designed by W. B. Scott and made by Wailes of Gateshead, in 1873. These Lights depict the Twelve Apostles, with their emblems. (Source: Hexham Abbey Guide).
The East End was re-built in 1860. The Abbey was largely rebuilt during the incumbency of Canon Edwin Sidney Savage, who came to Hexham in 1898 and remained until 1919. This mammoth project involved re-building the Nave, whose walls incorporate some of the earlier Church, and the restoration of the Choir. The Nave was re-consecrated on 8 August 1908.
In 1996, an additional Chapel was created at the East End of the North Choir Aisle. Named Saint Wilfrid's Chapel, it offers a place for Prayer or quiet reflection.
Four of the Stained-Glass Windows in the Abbey are the work of Jersey-born Stained-Glass artist, Henry Thomas Bosdet, who was commissioned by the Abbey. The East Window was the first project and was installed about 1907. Two smaller windows followed and the large West Window was installed in 1918.
The Crypt is a plain structure of four Chambers. Here were exhibited the Relics, which were a feature of Wilfred's Church. It consists of a Chapel, with an Ante-Chapel at the West End, two side passages with enlarged vestibules, and three stairways. The Chapel and Ante-Chapel are Barrel-Vaulted. All the stones used are of Roman workmanship and many are carved, or with inscriptions. One inscription on a slab, partially erased, is:
Translated, it means: "The Emperor Lucius Septimus Severus Pius Pertinax and his sons the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antonius Pius Augustus and Publius Geta Caesar the cohorts and detachments made this under the command of . . . "
The words erased are of great interest. After the Emperor Geta was murdered by his brother, Caracalla, an edict was made at Rome ordering that, whenever the two names appeared in combination, that of Geta was to be erased. This was done, but so poorly that the name can still be read.
The first diocese of Lindisfarne was merged into the Diocese of York in 664 A.D. York Diocese was then divided, in 678 A.D., by Theodore of Tarsus, forming a Bishopric for the country between the Rivers Aln and Tees, with a Seat at Hexham and/or Lindisfarne. This gradually, and erratically, merged back into the Bishopric of Lindisfarne. Eleven Bishops of Hexham followed Saint Eata, of which six were Saints.
No successor was appointed in 821 A.D., the condition of the country being too unsettled. A period of disorder followed the Danish devastations, after which Hexham Monastery was reconstituted in 1113 as a priory of Austin Canons, which flourished until its Dissolution under King Henry VIII. Meantime, the Bishopric had been merged with that of Lindisfarne, which latter See was removed to Chester-le-Street, in 883 A.D., and thence to Durham in 995 A.D.
