The music of "Agnes of God"

Throughout “Agnes of God,” Sister Agnes is heard singing the songs that make up the Latin Mass liturgy. Her voice is one of the mysterious, haunting things about her; is her beautiful voice a sign that she is chosen by God? Why does she sing only when she is alone? Agnes prefers to praise God and ask His forgiveness by singing the music from the Mass service that is familiar and comforting to her.

Services for the liturgical churches (Roman Catholic, Anglican/Episcopalian, and Lutheran) are different from other Christian denominations. The service is very structured, following a written text that has been used for centuries. The service is divided into two parts. The first part, which borrows from the traditional Jewish synagogue service, includes Bible readings, prayers, a sermon, and the asking and receiving of forgiveness. The second part is the Mass, or communion, ritual. Parts of the service may be sung instead of spoken.

There are two types of music for Mass services. The propers are the parts that change according to which Sunday of the church calendar is being celebrated; this includes the Introit, Gradual, Tract, and Communion Verse. The second type, the ordinary, is the core of the Mass liturgy; the text does not change, although the musical setting might do so. The songs might be set to a Gregorian chant style, or follow one of the many composers of the Renaissance, Baroque or Romantic Eras.

Sister Agnes sings many of the key pieces from the ordinary. The parts of the ordinary are (in the order they are heard in the service):

Kyrie 
The Kyrie, alone of all the Mass components, is not written in Latin but in ancient Greek. The chant Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison means “Lord have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us.”

Gloria 
 The Gloria praises God and Jesus Christ:

Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias agimus tibi
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give thanks

propter magnam gloriam tuam, Domine Deus, Rex caelestis [coelestis], Deus Pater omnipotens.
to You for Your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God the Father.

Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe, Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who taketh away the sins of the world,

miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
Have mercy on us; You who take away the sins of the world, hear our prayers. Who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us.

Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
For You are the only Holy One, the only Lord, the only Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father, Amen.

Credo 
The Credo is a sung version of the Nicene Creed, which states the beliefs of the catholic church (“catholic” in this sense meaning the entire Christian religion, which is how the Roman Catholic denomination got its name). Most modern services prefer this section to be recited and not sung.

Sanctus 
 The Sanctus praises the trinity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth; pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts; Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

Hosanna in excelsis
Hosanna in the highest.

Benedictus 
The Benedictus continues the thread of the Sanctus:

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Agnus Dei 
The Agnus Dei means “lamb of God,” and asks for God to grant the congregation peace. The title “Agnes of God” is a play on this wording.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

miserere nobis. 
have mercy upon us.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

miserere nobis. 
have mercy upon us.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

dona nobis pacem. 
grant us peace.

The Mass is sometimes ended by the Nunc Dimittis (“Lord Dismiss Us”), which asks the Lord’s blessing in departure back into the world.

The Mass service has inspired some of the most beautiful music in the world, moving composers like Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Gounod and Verdi to create works that have lasted for centuries. Although it is a different style than is usually heard on stage at the Gainesville Community Playhouse, it illustrates how character and story can be revealed and supported through music, even in a serious drama. I think Dr. Livingstone would agree.

xo xo GCP Girl

Sources: Wikipedia, CatholicLatinMass.org