Then Moses and the Children of Israel Sang This Song to the Lord: Exodus 15:1-21

Exodus 15:1-21: "1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: 'I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! 2 The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him. 3 The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone. 6 Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. 7 And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. 8 And with the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them." 10 You blew with Your wind, The sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them. 13 You in Your mercy have led forth The people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation. 14 The people will hear and be afraid; Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, trembling will take hold of them; All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away. 16 Fear and dread will fall on them; By the greatness of Your arm they will be as still as a stone, till Your people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over whom You have purchased. 17 You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. 18 "The LORD shall reign forever and ever." 19 For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.' 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam answered them: 'Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!'"

Parts of this pericope make up what is known as the canticle "Cantemus Domino," which is translated, "I will sing unto the Lord." This canticle is traditionally the canticle that is sung on Thursday at Matins, in place of the "Te Deum," which, strictly speaking, is the canticle for Sunday, except during the penitential seasons. The Cantemus Domino is derived from verses 1-2, 6, 11, 13, and 17-18 of Exodus 15, although it is often listed as being Exodus 15:1-18. Traditionally it is chanted to the eighth Gregorian psalm tone. Shown below:

The two notes before the double barline indicates the intonation. The reciting note is the B flat written as a double whole note. The flex, which is sometimes used on long sections of recitation, or on the "-ning" of beginning in the the Gloria Patri, indicates a drop to that note (in this case G), it is usually either a drop of a whole step or a minor third depending on what the reciting note is.

The mediation comes next. This is where the canticle verse is divided in two, usually by a colon, or semicolon, or by and asterisk. In the example above it is the two notes before the double barline marked with an asterisks above. In the eighth psalm tone, and some others as well (2nd, 4th, and 5th), sometimes the final note of the mediation is dropped. This is the case if the final syllable of a poly-syllable word is accented, or if the word is a mono-syllable. This is what is known anciently as the "monosyllabic mediation." After the mediation, the reciting note is again taken up until the termination.

The termination in the eighth psalm tone is the four quarter notes listed above. In the eighth psalm tone, besides the normal termination, there are two other "differentiae" or "variations." Also, the termination in the example above does not include what are known as "hollow notes." In Gregorian chant, these were notes that were that were not filled in, hence, they were "hollow." These notes indicated the note to be sung when two syllables were to be sung to the same note. The syllables that are sung to hollow notes are typically the "short" syllables that follow an accented syllable. They are, typically, one or two letter syllables. The note they are sung to depends on the following note, whether it is a less than two steps, or a third step or more. If less than two steps, the short syllable is sung on the same note as the accented syllable. If the next note is a third step or more, the short syllable is sung to the following note.

This canticle is the song of the people of God, who having been rescued from the perils of sin and death, praise God for His abundant mercy. Therefore let us sing this canticle and give praise to God.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas