Da pacem, Domine, sustinentibus te, ut prophetae tui fideles inveniantur: exaudi preces servi tui, et plebis tuae Israel.
“Give peace, Lord, to those who await you, so that your prophets will be found truthful. Answer the prayers of your servants and Israel, your people.”
Click here to listen to an audio of the chant.
Sung by Liborius Lumma, Innsbruck (Austria).
Here is one of the tiny details that I like so much about how Gregorian Chant deals with words and clauses and their meanings: The word sustinentibus has five syllables and 12 single notes, the next word te has one syllable and one single tone. But all the effort of sustinentibus has only one aim: to raise tension and to request attention for the word te.
I am convinced that Gregorian Chant can teach us a lot about rhetoric methods that need no verbal and rhythmic hammer, but work with acute and precise sensitivity.
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