Dominica Resurrectionis, Pascha, Easter Sunday...

Surréxit Dóminus de sepúlcro, allelúja, qui pro nobis pepéndit in ligno, allelúja.

Happy Easter! Not quite the tomb with its stone cover rolled away but Piero della Francesca's is my first 'mental image' of Our Lord's Resurrection. At Prime, which is ordinarily anticipating the following day's saints, there's today prefaced to the notice of tomorrow's martyrs this joyful declaration (as 'Rubricarius' at Saint Lawrence Press Blog supra reminded me: I've not gotten to Prime yet and that's not something I would recall from past years).

Hac die, quam fecit Dominus, Solemnitas solemnitatum, et Pascha nostrum: Resurrectio Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi secundum carnem.

The Mass is Resurrexi (here and here).

Am going to Holy Mass at 0700 and then to the parish High Mass at 1100. Tomorrow, Easter Monday, Feria Secunda Paschatis, I'll attend at Holy Rosary for Mass at 0700 but for today stay at Saint Stephen's, and tomorrow at 0815, too. Holy Rosary will be there next year Holy Week. The live-stream from Paris didn't end all that long ago and so I'm not sure if it is embeddable yet-- will watch and listen later on; was back here from the Vigil Mass at Saint Stephen's shortly after midnight but knew better than to attempt rising again for 0200.

Mass at Saint Stephen's earlier was a lovely celebration-- recognizable to anyone from the 7th to the 17th century to the early 20th as the Sacrifice of Our Lord's Passion and Death. At the other end of the exterior splendor spectrum, have started Saint-Eugène's Solemn High Mass: the Schola has just sung a glorious Salve festa dies and then the Vidi Aquam (although of course the 1100 at Saint Stephen's is their principal Mass) in faux-bourdon by Louis-Lazare Perruchot. The Introit is to be sung with a 10th century trope, in alteration with polyphonic verses by Claudin de Sermisy. The ordinary is André Campra's Mass Ad maiorem Dei gloriam. Trumpets, trombones, and a guitar (a sonata for lute by Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello after the homily-- it is sounding incredibly sweet, the guitar's Brescianello, and entirely appropriate, however generally deplorable the guitar repertory for Mass is).

Ante Nonam. High Mass-- missa cantata, more precisely; Fr A. has no deacon although there are obviously fellows there who could assume the role of subdeacon-- at Saint Stephen's was happily reverent and full of families and good strong singing; the schola sang a lovely polyphonic piece at Communion and while I suppose I ought to have asked about it my silly arthritic hips are being... uncomfortable and I needed to move. Lauds and missa lecta in the morning at 0815 and that will be my final event here in Portland. I check out of the 'Awesometown Homestead' (the Airbnb where I am-- it is 'awesome' although I suspect that using that appellation for Portland is rather a stretch) by 1100. I gather I ought to be at Union Station by 1330 or so.

Have started the stational Vespers-- was going to take a nap but the YouTube autoplay function must be on because the new video is playing. The Schola Sainte-Cécile chantres have new apparelled albs, I reckon they are called, with raised collars: the historical note points out that 'the Parisian use conserves the memory of these [the ancient days in the Octave in albis] by appointing that the chanters of this office [the stational Vespers] wear albs not copes'-- that is what ought to have struck me, more than the apparel, the fact that they aren't vested in the usual copes. It is a good thing to read what is offered to one to read, ahem.

In brief outline, stational Vespers are a survival of the ancient days when the Roman Pontiffs would celebrate Vespers at three stations in the City. After the Babylonian exile at Avignon, the custom fell into disuse there and then at Rome; but the French and Rhinelanders maintained it in places and did through the 20th century. Where else but at Saint-Eugène, is an interesting question. For the connexion with the newly baptised, those in albis, one must read the note in the programme.  

Ante Completorium. Went out for a walk, half-searching for coffee, settling for black tea instead. At this point in my adventure here in Portland I am occasionally beginning to dread looking at the bank account balance. There is a total amount above which I decided not to go beyond; we shall see. 

It is also the feast of Saint Isidore (7th century), of Saint Francisco (20th century), and of Saint Benedict (16th century).

V. Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum. R. Deo grátias.

LDVM