After sunrise, I observed the great masses of rain clouds I hadn't seen on the outward leg of the journey: it is balmy, for the time being, 60s, but presumably the colder airs will arrive before too much longer. Today is the feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady (Introibo, CE, Wiki). I believe that the Pauline Rite Kalendarium titles it 'of the Blessed Virgin Mary Perdolentis'. There is also a feast of Our Lady's Seven Sorrows celebrated on the Friday of Passion Week although this is historically 'of Our Lady's Compassion', I think. The Mass is Stabant iuxta crucem, and the sequence Stabat Mater dolorosa is sung.
The wonderful Ultimate Stabat Mater Website remains the best place to visit to listen to a wide variety of glorious music written in honor of the Sorrows of Our Lady. The last time I clicked over there (over a year ago, I guess), the lady widow of the site's founder, Hans van der Velden, was still managing things on her own; it looks like the site has been 'renewed' and a stable source of a certain minimal funding found, although donations are still helpful.
Post Tertiam. I suppose one might not know which are the 'Seven' Sorrows-- they are the prophecy of Simeon ('thy heart shall be pierced'), the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, the loss of the Child Jesus for three days in the Temple, Our Lady's encounter with Jesus on the Via Dolorosa, the Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord, His descent from the Cross, and His burial.
The Mass proceeds at Saint-Eugène. The sequence was lovely, although I notice that the Schola sang some text that wasn't the 'standard' Stabat Mater text; switching the first syllables of the verses is done at times to facilitate the singing but I think that this wasn't simply an instance of that. At the incensation of the altar at the Offertory, they will sing Charpentier's Stabat Mater pour des religieuses H 15, alternatim with a plainchant version in French; it is of uncertain date and scored for high voice (dessus)-- for religious women, after all-- but here it was a male voice, baritone or tenor.
Post Vesperas. A lovely sunny afternoon so the rain will happen another day, eh. The Mass from Saint-Eugène this morning... is not at YouTube, so far as I can tell. Didn't this happen yesterday, too? Hmm.
I've left this to the end of the day. According to the calculation made prior to John XXIII's fussing with the Liturgy, today is the first of the September Ember Days (because-- the very short version-- the first 'liturgical Sunday' of September, from whence the fixed series of lessons at Matins are calculated, occurred on August 29 i.e. that Sunday closest to the Kalends). According to the newer calculation, it is next Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday when they occur because the first 'liturgical Sunday' was the actual first Sunday of September, the 5th. I was intending to go with next week, as I began writing here, both because I read the wrong Office at Matins and Lauds and because Sainte-Eugène is celebrating Embertide next week (they are being quite careful these days about observing the letter of the 1962 rubrics, ahem) and they're livestreaming the Masses then. Hmm.
It is also the feast of Saint Baldus (7th century), of Saint Nicetas (4th century), and of Saint Albinus (4th-5th century). V. Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum. R. Deo grátias.
LDVM
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