In this Lent, we seek to reconnect with God and deepen our faith through self-examination and intentional reading of scripture and prayer. At Saint George’s, our Lenten music seeks to do the same, to allow us to reconnect with the ancient music of the church through plainsong, or plainchant. This unaccompanied singing was the only music allowed in the church up until the 9th century and usually consisted of just a simple melody that could be sung by one or many. It is sung prayer in its simplest form.

You will notice that during Lent our liturgical music and psalms are plainsong. These settings trace their roots directly back to the beginnings of the Christian church. You can learn more about plainchant in general here in this short video. Below we focus on two of the five the mass ordinaries, the Sanctus and Agnus Dei. Click on their titles to hear Latin examples of what we sing at Eucharist each Sunday in Lent.

The Sanctus (SAHNK-toos)   

Holy, holy, holy Lord. 

Lord God of power and might. 

Heaven and earth are filled with your glory. 

Hosanna in the highest. 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. 

Sanctus is Latin for “holy.”  The Sanctus concludes the proper preface in the Holy Communion liturgy with the recognition that the worshipping assembly’s praise is joined to that of the whole Church in heaven and on earth. 

The text of the Sanctus derives from Isaiah 6:3 and Matthew 21:9.  It recalls both the heavenly vision of the prophet Isaiah and the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  The Sanctus most likely dates from the second-century liturgy. 

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) 

Lamb of God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world.
Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy upon us. Grant us your peace.

The canticle “Lamb of God,” is used in our Eucharistic Liturgy.  The text is based on the biblical account of Jesus’ Baptism in which John the Baptist refers to Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29b); this is the origin of the Christian reference to Jesus as the Lamb of God.  This reference is rooted in the Passover (Exodus 12).  The Agnus Dei (AHN-yoos Day-ee) is a reminder of the connection between Easter and Passover. 

Since the early medieval period, the Agnus Dei has been sung at the time of the breaking of the bread in the Holy Communion Liturgy (the Fraction), as a reference to Christ’s crucifixion for the world’s salvation. 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Ben Keseley, Minister of Music