While the
Ordinary consists of six sections, Renaissance composers only set the first five to music in
their compositions.
1) The Ordinary begins with the Kyrie. The text
translates to "Lord have Mercy, / Christ have Mercy, / Lord have Mercy." In this
section, congregants, mindful of their sin, beg for mercy from two aspects of the trinity, the
Father and the Son.
2) The Ordinary then continues with the Gloria, an
adoration of God's glory. One translation of the text is as follows:
Glory in the heights to God
And on Earth peace to
men of good will.We praise You. We bless You.
We adore
You. We glorify You.We give You thanks for Your great Glory.
Lord God, heavenly king, God the Father almighty.
Lord the
only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the
Father.
3) This is followed by the Credo: "We
believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and
unseen," a succinct summary of theological belief.
4) Forth is the
Sanctus: "Holy, holy, holy / Lord, God of hosts! / Heaven and Earth are full of your glory.
/ Hosanna in the highest!"
5) Finally is the Agnus Dei: "O Lamb of
God, that takest away the sins of the world, / Grant them rest. / O Lamb of God, that takest
away the sins of the world, / Grant them eternal rest."
Thus the
sections have something of a symmetry to them. A cry for mercy, adoration, a declaration of
faith, adoration, and a cry for mercy.
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