Easter Vigil

30 March 2013

Procession	The Lord is my light (Taizé)
Exsultet	Missal
Psalm 103	Send forth your spirit (mtgf)
Psalm 15	Preserve me, God (Christopher Walker)
Exodus 15	I will sing to the Lord (mtgf)
Psalm 29	I will praise you, Lord (Paul Inwood)
Psalm 41-42	As the deer longs (Palestrina/Bridge)
Gloria	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Gospel Acclamation	Celtic (O'Carroll/Walker)
Baptismal Liturgy	Sprinkling: Amen, Amen (mtgf)
Preparation of Gifts	For peace (Antoine Oomen)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Lamb of God	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Communion Antiphon	Christ our Passover
Communion	Sicut Cervus (Palestrina)
Final	Christ be our light (Bernadette Farrell)
Voluntary	Acclamations sur Christus Vincit (Suite Medievale) (Langlais)

Once again little change. In addition to the congregation being familiar to the music it also means that the regular singers are also confident and are not only familiar with the music but also the pattern of the liturgy. I have been in parishes where the Vigil is seen as immensely complicated - a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is definitely long and requires quite a lot of music but there is a pattern. One of the advantages of singers' familiarity is that you can bring in new people - a couple of College Choir joined us. I promised that it would be good or their sight-reading. In preparing it meant we could focus on their contribution and familiarity.

I reflected in the Vigil as drama. In part is the way that we celebrate it in some ways a compensation for the lack of baptisms. (This is about candles and movement rather than production numbers.) I think this compensation is also implicit in the revision/restoration of the Vigil - what might you do if you are not going to baptise people. There is also a Brechtian alienation effect as well. People always gather in the chapel - last night you would not have hung around outside for too long - and the lights are on. This place which will in a short while glow in candlelight is plain for all to see. The effect it seems to me is not we are pretending but this is real because it acknowledges both states.