Ambrosian Antiphonale
(Photo courtesy of John Sonnen)
Continuing on from Nicola's very informative piece on Ambrosian Vespers, on this the feast of St. Ambrose one aspect I personally wished to note, of the many aspects of the Ambrosian rite which I have found of interest, are the beautiful melodies of the Ambrosian chant.
First the twelve Kyrie. The twelve Kyrie are traditionally sung before Pontifical High Masses or Solemn High Masses in the Ambrosian rite on the most solemn occasions.
Second, an Alleluia Chant recorded within the context of the modern form of the Ambrosian liturgy at the venerable Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio.
Here too is a clip from within the usus antiquior Ambrosianus. Some of you may recognize the church in the following clip as that of Ss. Trinita in Rome, now in the possession of the FSSP in Rome. Some of you may also recognize Msgr. Amodeo who we have featured here many times before, and finally two of NLM's own; Gregory DiPippo and as Master of Ceremonies, Nicola de Grandi.
Within this clip, you will hear not only the chant but also see some of the distinctive elements seen within the Ambrosian rite, such as the method of incensing, how the chasuble is held aloft, how the deacon wears his stole outside the dalmatic, the "cappino" which is worn around the neck, the uncapped thurible and so on. Returning back to the chant, at the 6:00 minute mark you will hear the wonderful melodies of the "Dominus vobiscum".
Those of you who are interested in the Ambrosian rite, you may wish to search the NLM archives for many more pieces on this most interesting and rich liturgical tradition.
