“Your womb held the world’s joy
When heaven’s harmony
Chimed out of you like a bell,
Because, holy Virgin, within you
You bore the Christ who made
Your chasteness glow in God.
Like thick dew that livens
And greens the grass.
You, too, are an ever alive-green,
O Mother of all delight..”
– Hildegard von Bingen, “One Who Has Greened the World”
If you were at Mass for the Assumption of Mary last week (and you should have been, since it was a Holy Day of Obligation), you may have noticed that many of the hymns, while centered on Mary, didn’t quite match the readings, or didn’t perfectly complement the Assumption narrative. Or you may have noticed that there are a handful of Marian songs that get reused every time a feast day of the Blessed Mother comes around. Why is finding music for these celebrations so difficult, and why do we end up singing the same hymns to Mary regardless of the nature of the specific feast we celebrate?
As always, the answer goes back to the three criteria for liturgical music. Is it Liturgical? Is it Pastoral? Is it Musical? For most of the feasts dedicated to the Virgin Mary, we have to realize the narrative of what we celebrate lies outside of scripture. There is no Biblical account of Mary’s assumption into heaven, in this case, nor is there one of Mary being conceived without sin to Anna and Joachim. (The feast of the Immaculate Conception is not about the conception of Jesus to Mary, but things get confused even further when the readings are of the Annunciation on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.) So it’s impossible for composers, lyricists, and poets to write music for these feasts rooted in the Gospels. So instead, we lean heavily into the musical literature that leans into the account of Mary we do have. And besides, certain texts such as the Magnificat, or Canticle of Mary, are so beautifully crafted and spiritually profound, they certainly merit being highlighted whenever we celebrate their author, Mary.
Please accept this invitation to participate more fully, more actively, in our parish’s music ministry. If you are interested in singing in the choir, leading the congregation as a cantor,
or enriching our liturgy as an instrumentalist, email Shawn Gelzleichter at sgelzleichter@gmail.com or call the rectory at 781-662-8844.