Introit: “I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me…”
I.
The true hymnbook of the church has been and always will be the psalms. Though certain individual psalms date back to the 11th or even 15th century BC, the book of the psalms, also called the psalter, was originally composed in the 8th century BC under the direction of King Hezekiah. Unlike his fathers before him who had devoted themselves to idolatry and had polluted the temple with false gods, Hezekiah cleanses the temple and restores the Old Testament divine service. He organizes the Levites according to the command of David, ordering them to use the instruments of David, and to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving “with the words of David” (2 Chr 29:30). To serve this purpose, the one hundred and fifty psalms that we know and love were organized and edited into a single volume— the Psalms of David. Thus was formed the church’s first hymnbook according to which the sons of Asaph would lead the congregation in song.
As people began their journey to the temple they’d do so confessing, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!” (Ps 121:1-2). As they entered Jerusalem they’d sing, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD!’” (Ps 122:1). As they prepared to offer their gifts they’d proclaim, “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Ps 124:8) and likewise, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared” (Ps 130:3-4). And though we stand almost three millenia removed from these singers and worshippers, in our divine service we stand side by side with them as we say the same words and sing the same psalms. Together, we embrace the words of David, “I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with psalms, O God, my God” (Ps 43:4). When we go to the altar of God, we do so with psalms on our lips. From this biblical-historical heritage arises the “Introit” in our Divine Service today.
II.
Hailing from the Latin of Psalm 43 (“Introibo ad altare Dei” or “I will go to the altar of God”) the “Introit” is a song for entrance, for “going” to the altar of God. In the Divine Service of the Old Testament the Psalms of Ascent (Pss 120-134) chiefly served this purpose, but in the Divine Service of the New Testament all manner of psalms have been used as part of the entrance rite. The psalm for the Introit is specifically chosen to coincide with the Old Testament and Gospel readings for a given Sunday. As such, it is the first “Proper” that the congregation encounters in the Sunday service. Propers are those parts of the service that are “proper” to a given Sunday and include the Introit, the Collect of the Day, the Gradual, the OT/Ep/G Lessons, and the Hymn of the Day. These stand in contrast to the “Ordinaries” which are the ordinary parts of the service which don’t change Sunday to Sunday. All the propers are organized so that the given theme for a Sunday is reinforced by reading, singing, praying, and preaching. The Introit was such a stable part of the church’s service that certain Sundays of the church year assumed their names from the first few Latin words of the Introit, like “Ad te levavi” (“Unto thee, I lift…”) for the First Sunday in Advent, or “Reminiscere” (“Remember…”) for the Second Sunday in Lent. All the Sundays in Advent, Lent, and Easter, in fact, bear Latin titles taken from their Introits.
Since as early as the 5th century, the Introit was composed of four parts: an antiphon, psalm verses, the Gloria Patri, and an antiphon. This pattern persists in our service today. The “antiphon” is a repeated theme verse which introduces and concludes the Introit and is typically shown in italics. The “psalm verses” make up the main body of the Introit and ordinarily range from 3-5 verses long. And the “Gloria Patri” is the trinitarian doxology (“glory be to the Father, etc.”) that typically concludes most psalmody in our hymnal. The antiphon is chanted by the Kantor or Liturgist, the psalm verses are chanted responsively between the Kantor and the congregation, the Gloria Patri is chanted by all, and, again, the Kantor chants the antiphon to close. The Introit can be chanted in its entirety by the Kantor or Liturgist, however, the historic practice of the church is to chant it responsively.
INTROIT (First Sunday in Advent, Series C)
Psalm 89:6, 14–16, 18; antiphon: Zechariah 9:9b, alt.
Behold, your king is com- | ing to you;*
righteous and having sal- | vation.
V: Who in the skies can be compared | to the Lord?*
Who among the heavenly beings is | like the Lord?
R: Righteousness and justice are the foundation | of your throne;*
steadfast love and faithfulness go be- | fore you.
V: Blessèd are the people who know the | festal shout,*
who walk, O Lord, in the light | of your face,
R: who exult in your name | all the day*
and in your righteousness are ex- | alted.
V: For our shield belongs | to the Lord,*
our king to the Holy One of | Israel.
R: Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*
and to the Holy | Spirit;
as it was in the be- | ginning,*
is now, and will be forever. | Amen.
Behold, your king is com- | ing to you;*
righteous and having sal- | vation.
As an example, we can take the Introit for the First Sunday in Advent, series C, which comes from Psalm 89 with the antiphon from Zechariah 9. The Gospel appointed for this Sunday is the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem from Luke 19. With this Introit, then, we are introduced to the Old Testament prophecy of Jesus’ entrance on a “colt, the foal of a donkey” to shouts of “hosanna.” Likewise, we are given a picture of the “festal shouts” and “exultation” over the “King,” the “Holy One of Israel,” “righteous and having salvation,” namely, Jesus. The main theme of the day is introduced and we are being prepared to listen to the Lessons and Sermon which will expound on this theme further.
At this point, a practical word about chanting the psalms is in order, especially given the vast confusion over the “what” and “how” of chanting. What is chanting? Chanting is an ancient form of singing unmetrical texts (psalms, canticles, biblical texts) by matching the natural rhythm of ordinary speech to a simple harmonized melody. To put it most simply, chanting is “speaking to a pitch.” Thus, the speed at which one chants ought to match ordinary speech, all the while married to a particular pitch with alternating notes to end a given line. In our hymnal each psalm verse is divided into two parts, with an asterisk (* ) indicating the point of division. Most of the text of each half verse is sung to a reciting tone. At the point of the vertical line ( | ) the final two or three syllables are sung to the notes provided. The Lutheran Service Book provides eight “single tones” (A-H) for shorter texts and three “double tones” (I-K) for longer texts. These tones range from bright and joyful (A-D) to more somber and reflective (E-H) and can be adjusted seasonally to match the mood and theme of each Sunday.
Chanting is an ancient practice and a unique heritage of the church. Its beauty and power has endured to this day, both within and without the church. As such, it is a gift we ought not spurn lightly. The same is true of our Introits, which keep us grounded in the church’s oldest hymnbook and give us the poetry of the Gospel. Pastors ought to be encouraged in the exercise of music and song, and if they are not able, a strong tenor or bass should be selected and appointed as the Kantor.
