By Sr. Fidelis
This Week 5 Communion is almost an extension of last week’s, “I am the Good Shepherd.” The opening motive is the same, and again we see the energizing “salicus” no less than 4 times in the first line of the chant! Last week’s piece was in Mode 2, and this one is Mode 8, but the relationship of the half step is the same in the opening motive. Here we see it as Ti-Do.
The most “florid” word in the entire chant occurs on the word vera – “true”, almost as if it is “growing”. The climax is reached at the culmination of the text, “he is the one who produces much fruit” – hic fert fructum multum. The last two alleluias are unique in that the first one outlines an upward triad belonging to Mode 7 – SOL-TI-RE, then the final one gently descends from DO to LA, to the Hometone SOL. The “salicus” is again evident in these final alleluias, giving a sense of energy and “growth”.
