Introitus (vocals)

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Page from a Graduale Cisterciense with the introit of the first Sunday in Advent Ad te levavi

The introitus ( Latin for 'entry'), entry psalm or entry chant is a proprium chant for entry at a Holy Mass . The Latin names of the Sundays in the church year are usually taken from the beginning of the respective introit.

historical development

Originally, the introit was a sung psalm with a preceding verse, the refrain-like antiphon , which accompanied the entry of the bishop into the church at the beginning of the service . From the main entrance, the celebrant and the clergy passed through the church in procession while the Schola sang the introit; Meanwhile, in the Frankish liturgy of the early Middle Ages, the bishop and clergy spoke Psalm 43 with the refrain Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat iuventutem meam (“I want to step up to the altar of God, to God who delights my youth”, Ps 43 , 4  EU ), which later became a step prayer with the Confiteor . When the procession arrived at the altar , the Gloria Patri was started .

This form of the introit was probably introduced in the 5th century when Christian basilicas were built on a larger scale. From the 8th century onwards, the introitus was regarded as part of the Holy Mass and was adopted by the priest - especially in the so-called silent mass , where the priest spoke it. This practice finally caught on for festive masses and led to a further development: the celebrant had to recite the introit in any case after kissing the altar and incensing the altar, even if it had been sung by the schola. From the 14th century, the introit began only when the celebrant had arrived at the altar.

The Introitus psalm was shortened over the years because, on the one hand, the musical weight lay on the antiphon, which was decorated and lengthened by tropics in the High Middle Ages , and because, on the other hand, the entry was shorter in smaller churches. Since the Romanesque period at the latest, the sacristy was no longer at the entrance to the church, but close to the choir .

In the 20th century, the original, longer shape was partially restored, for example in 1922 at the coronation mass for Pope Pius XI. With the instruction on sacred music of September 3, 1958, additional psalm verses could be included in the introit when it accompanied the priest's festive entry .

text

The text of the introit belongs to the Proprium Missae . It varies depending on the occasion of the celebration of mass or the time in the church year and consists of the antiphon, which is in tune with the festive mystery or the liturgical texts of the day, as the main text, on which the main musical weight lies. A psalm verse or a few verses and the Gloria Patri can be added to the antiphon . The antiphon mostly came from the psalm sung at the entrance; in the Middle Ages it was called introitus regularis . In addition to psalms, other texts were also used for the antiphon ( introitus irregularis ), for example the antiphon of the introitus of many Marian feasts Salve sancta parens ("Greetings to you, holy mother") by Cälius Sedulius (5th century). The antiphon is often taken from the daily epistle . The introit of the third Christmas mass is a quote from the prophet Isaiah : Puer natus est nobis et Filius datus est nobis. (“A child is born to us, a son is given to us”, Isa 9,5  EU ), the introitus at Pentecost comes from the book of wisdom : Spiritus Domini replevit orbem terrarum (“The Spirit of the Lord fills the world”, Weish 1.7  EU ).

In the regular form of the Roman rite , reformed after 1970, the ordinarium of the daily liturgy begins with an opening verse in place of the introit , for example on the feast of the Epiphany : See, the ruler, the Lord, has come. In his hand is the power and the kingdom. This is the translation of the traditional introit antiphon of the feast Ecce advenit dominator Dominus: et regnum in manu eius et potestas et imperium.

Singing way

Introitus Ecce advenit dominator for the feast of the apparition of the Lord in tone II

The introitus as an antiphonal chant is sung in two choirs, alternating between one or more cantors and the whole Schola or the community.

In the Choral books of the Gregorian vocal the vaginal orifice with the whole Antiphon and a psalm (indicated with Ps. ) Shown, the Gloria Patri with its initial words, and from the final cadence only the Neumen over the vowels E - u - o - u - a - e (for "saeculorum. Amen" ). The psalm tone in which the psalm is sung depends on the key of the antiphon, which is usually given above the initial of the antiphon.

The cantors begin and sing the antiphon up to the asteriscus (asterisk, "*" in the text), the entire Schola continues. The cantors sing the first part of the psalm verse up to the star, the Schola the second part, then the cantors the first part of the Doxologie Gloria Patri and the Schola the second part “sicut erat in principio…” At the end everyone repeats the antiphon.

In masses for the deceased , the final doxology was omitted in the liturgy valid until 1970 . Since the 1950s, the length of the introitus can be adjusted to the length of the entrance, as was customary in the Middle Ages. Additional psalm verses can be added, after which the antiphon can be repeated, but the introitus can also be shortened by the doxology or restricted to singing the antiphon.

Placement in the liturgy

Roman Catholic Church

In the Roman rite after the Council of Trent , the introit was the first text of the proprium that the priest on the right side of the altar spoke when he had stepped to the altar after the step prayer and kissed it. The Schola sang the introit during the entry and during the graded prayer; the regulations provided: Accedente Sacerdote ad altare, incipiunt Cantores Antiphonam ad Introitum. 'While the priest comes to the altar, the singers begin with the antiphon to the introit.' Nevertheless, the priest still had to recite the introit at the altar softly.

The full form of the sung introit appears in the Catholic liturgy, which was renewed after the Second Vatican Council, only in the chorale office ; however, the recitation by the priest is omitted. Attempts to introduce appropriate German singing forms with antiphon and psalm were unsuccessful. The praise of God still boasts some fixed time-stamped antiphons for such Sing ways.

As a rule, the municipal service a community song for collection is common as it is in the from about 1,930 popular in German-speaking Deutsche Singmesse had naturalized. The first text of the Ordinary of the Mass today is the “opening verse”, which corresponds to the antiphon of the traditional introit, but only plays a role when there is no singing: “If the entry is not sung, the opening verse provided in the missal will be used by all or some of the believers or by Lector presented, otherwise by the priest himself, who can also adapt it in the manner of an opening word. "

The proprium of holy mass on Easter vigil has no introit, since holy mass immediately followed the baptism until the liturgical reform after the Second Vatican Council ; During the procession from the baptismal font to the altar, the litany of All Saints was sung instead of the introit . Today the holy mass on Easter vigil follows the light celebration directly, the introit is still omitted.

Protestant service

The elements of the pre-Reformation Introit are still recognizable in the liturgical agendas of numerous Protestant regional churches and parishes . Here, the opening of a service often includes a “vote” or a “daily motto”, which is similar to the antiphon to the introit and refers to the name of Sunday, for example. The psalm as part of the opening of the divine service is also preserved in many places before Kyrie eleison and Gloria . In the congregations of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK) - similar to what was provided for in Agende I of the VELKD - the introit is usually sung with Gregorian psalm tones in German.

Web links

Commons : Introitus  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Introitus  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Josef Andreas Jungmann : Missarum Sollemnia. A genetic explanation of the Roman mass. Volume 1, Herder Verlag, Vienna, Freiburg, Basel, 5th edition 1962, pp. 377-386.
  2. ^ Josef Andreas Jungmann: Missarum Sollemnia. A genetic explanation of the Roman mass. Volume 1, Herder Verlag, Vienna, Freiburg, Basel, 5th edition 1962, pp. 351, 410-422.
  3. ^ Josef Andreas Jungmann: Missarum Sollemnia. A genetic explanation of the Roman mass. Volume 1, Herder Verlag, Vienna, Freiburg, Basel, 5th edition 1962, pp. 424f.
  4. Opening verse to Apparition of the Lord. In: Schott. Beuron Archabbey, accessed April 17, 2018 .
  5. De ritibus servandis in cantu Missae . Liber usualis missae et officii pro dominicis et festis. Parisi, Tornaci, Romae 1954, p. XXVIII No. I.
  6. See e.g. B. GL 229 (Advent), GL 263 and 264 (Epiphany), GL 305 (Maundy Thursday).
  7. Basic Order of the Roman Missal (2007) , No. 48.
  8. ^ Josef Andreas Jungmann: Missarum Sollemnia. A genetic explanation of the Roman mass. Volume 1, Herder Verlag, Vienna, Freiburg, Basel, 5th edition 1962, p. 427f.