Responsories for Holy Week are polyphonic settings for the matinsresponsories, not of the whole of Holy Week, but only of the last three days: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Until the 1955 reform of the Holy Week ceremonies by Pope Pius XII, matins and lauds of these days were normally anticipated on the evening of the preceding day and were celebrated with the special ceremonies of Tenebrae. As a result, the readings and the responsories are sometimes associated respectively with Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, rather than with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Also before 1955 the term Triduum Sacrum, which now includes Easter Sunday and takes in only the close of Maundy Thursday, was applied to the whole of Maundy Thursday, including its matins, and excluded Easter Sunday. Composers who produced polyphonic settings for the responsories in question, which are known also as the Tenebrae responsories, include Carlo Gesualdo, Joseph Haydn, Jan Dismas Zelenka, Max Reger, Francis Poulenc, Pierre Boulez. Composers generally set to music only some of the 27 responsories.
The responsories
Within the liturgy, each responsory followed a reading. Each day's matins was divided into three nocturns, each with three readings. Over the three days, therefore, the responsories, like the readings, came to a total of 27. They were originally sung in plainchant. Each day, the first nocturn had three readings from Jeremiah's Book of Lamentations, and the second nocturn three readings from one or other of Saint Augustine's commentaries on the Psalms. The three readings of the third nocturn were from the First Epistle to the Corinthians on Maundy Thursday, from the Epistle to the Hebrews on the other two days.
Maundy Thursday responsories
is called in LatinFeria V/Quinta in Cena Domini, meaning Thursday of the Lord's Supper. Compositions for its nine responsories can therefore appear under such titles as Feria V – In Coena Domini. They can also be named by the day on which they were actually sung, as Charpentier's Les neuf répons du mercredi saint.
Responsories of the first nocturn of Maundy Thursday
The three readings of the first nocturn of Maundy Thursday are Lamentations 1:1–5, 1:6–9 and 1:10–14.
The second responsory represents Jesus speaking to his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane. The first two lines of the responsory are. The last two lines of are more freely based on different Gospel passages, including Mark 14:50 and Luke 24:7. Settings of this responsory include a motet by Orlande de Lassus, appearing as No. 1 in the Drexel 4302 manuscript, a SSATB motet attributed to Johann Kuhnau, and a setting as part of Francis Poulenc's Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence.
''Ecce, vidimus eum''
Responsories of the second nocturn of Maundy Thursday
The readings of the second nocturn of Maundy Thursday are from Saint Augustine's commentary on Psalm 54/55
''Amicus meus''
Audio:
''Judas mercator pessimus''
Second of Poulenc's Sept répons des ténèbres.
''Unus ex discipulis meis''
Audio:
Responsories of the third nocturn of Maundy Thursday
The readings of the third nocturn of Maundy Thursday are 1 Corinthians 11:17−22, 11:23−26, 11:27−34
, Feria VI/Sexta in Parasceve, meaning Friday of the Day of Preparation. Thus this second set of nine responsories can appear under such titles as Feria VI – In Parasceve.
Responsories of the first nocturn of Good Friday
The readings of the first nocturn of Good Friday are Lamentations 2:8–11, 2:12–15 and 3:1–9.
''Omnes amici mei''
''Velum templi scissum est''
''Vinea mea electa''
Second of Poulenc's Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence.
Responsories of the second nocturn of Good Friday
The readings of the second nocturn of Good Friday are from Saint Augustine's commentary on Psalm 63/64
''Tamquam ad latronem existis''
''Tenebrae factae sunt''
This responsory is included on p. 269 of the Lutheran Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch. Third of Poulenc's Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence, and fifth of his Sept répons des ténèbres
''Animam meam dilectam''
Responsories of the third nocturn of Good Friday
The readings of the third nocturn of Holy Saturday are taken from –.
''Tradiderunt me''
''Jesum tradidit impius''
Third of Poulenc's Sept répons des ténèbres
''Caligaverunt oculi mei''
Fourth of Poulenc's Sept répons des ténèbres
Audio:
Responsories of Holy Saturday
, Sabbato Sancto in Latin. Responsories for this day can appear under such titles as Sabbato Sancto.
Responsories of the first nocturn of Holy Saturday
The readings of the first nocturn of Holy Saturday are from Lamentations, 3:22–30, 4:1–6 and 5:1–11.
''Sicut ovis''
''Jerusalem surge''
''Plange quasi virgo''
This responsory has some parallels with the Book of Joel, e.g. "plange quasi virgo", "accingite vos et plangite sacerdotes ululate ministri altaris" and "magnus enim dies Domini et terribilis valde".
Responsories of the second nocturn of Holy Saturday
The readings of the second nocturn of Holy Saturday are from Saint Augustine's commentary on Psalm 63/64.
Based on. A german version of the text of this responsory is set as Der Gerechte kömmt um. Poulenc set it as the seventh of his Sept répons des ténèbres.
Responsories of the third nocturn of Holy Saturday
The three readings of the third nocturn of Holy Saturday are, and.
