The Nine-Fold Alleluia of Paschaltide

From the Antiphonal:

One of the gems of the Paschaltide Office is the glorious Nine-fold Alleluia which is sung every Sunday at Lauds between the Octave of Easter and the Feast of the Ascension. Each repetition of Alleluia has its own character. And throughout this Antiphon a story is being told.

1. Propter nostram salutem descendit de Caelis: “For our salvation, He came down from Heaven.”

In the middle of the Alleluia (at the ‘lu’), the melody jumps down from a ‘Do’ to a ‘La’ and then descends further down on a climacus to ‘Fa’. In this we hear Christ descending from Heaven in the Incarnation.

2. Jesus autem abscondit se: “Jesus however hid Himself.”

The notes of the second Alleluia rest on a ‘Sol’, in which Our Lord’s earthly life is represented. Just as the Alleluia remains rather subdued, so too was Jesus’ life hidden for the majority of His sojourn.

3. Obediens usque ad mortem: “Obedient unto death.”

In the third Alleluia, we hear Christ climbing Mount Calvary through the ascending ‘Ti-Do-Re’. Thus does He enter into His Passion.

4. Mortem autem Crucis: “Even death of the Cross.”

The trope Do-Re-Do Do-Ti-Do also appears in the fifth antiphon for the Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross: Per Signum Crucis. In fact this trope appears in many places in the liturgy, and it always is connected either to the Holy Cross or to the Holy Spirit, hence its appearance in Pentecost as well. Thus in this fourth Alleluia, we hear Jesus being nailed to the Cross and giving up His Spirit.

5. Exivit Sanguis et Aqua: “Blood and water came out.”

Our Lord having died on the Cross, we see the soldier pierce the side of Christ in the quilisma (ascending three notes with a squiggly note in the middle) of the fifth Alleluia. Then, in the descending notes, we see from His side flow Blood and Water.

6. O mors, ero mors tua: “O death, I shall be thy death.”

Here as the Alleluia lies down, it does so with Jesus in the tomb.

7. Resurrexit sicut dixit! “He has risen as He said!”

The Resurrection is depicted in the ascending triad of the seventh Alleluia in which Our Lord bursts forth from the grave.

8. Dominus est! “It is the Lord!”

The ascending and lengthened podatus shines out in this eighth Alleluia. After Our Lord’s resurrection, He appears to the disciples, radiant in His glorified Body, and remains with them for a time.

9. Ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus: “I am with you for all days.”

At last the chant resolves in the 8th mode (perfectus) ending. Herein we hear the completion (perfection) of Our Lord’s sojourn, as well as the assurance which He leaves us: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mt 28:20