[Magdalen] Vigil

[Cantor03 at aol.com]

I no longer attend an Easter Vigil, but am content to watch a 
televised Vigil.
 
Tonight it was  the Vigil from the National Shrine of the  Immaculate
Conception, Washington, DC, and the USA's largest Roman Catholic
Church.
 
They do a wonderful job in general. 
 
Some observations:
 
(1) The deacon singing the Lumen Christi's and the Exsultet had a  very
     nice baritone voice, and except for a couple of  intonation problems at
     the start of the Exsultet, he did better than  anyone I've heart there.
 
(2) There were choir tropes interspersed among the three Lumen  Christi's.
      It takes forever, it seems, for the Paschal  Candle to be carried up 
the
      center aisle to its position at the edge of  the pulpit because the 
church
      is so big.
 
(3) Three OT lessons were read, with choral response and  congregational
      antiphons on the order of Responsorial  Psalms.
 
(4) The organ - a monster four manual Moeller - was silent until the  Gloria
      as is proper, and the organ came back with  an impressive fanfare
      at the Gloria in arranged four-part  plainsong.  Thereafter, there was
      much organ presence.
 
(5) Besides the choir, up behind the altar, there was a complete  symphony
     orchestra.  There were also Kyrie and Agnus  Dei tropes sung by the
     choir.
 
(5) Why are Papal Nuncio's always so short?  It was a real  disappearing
     act during the genuflections.  It was gold  vestments all the way.
 
(6) It was a complete shock to see that the Basilica has reintroduced  
sanctus
     bells, rung at the appropriate times during the  Canon, and they have 
also
     revived the 7 altar servers with torches kneeling  down the steps in 
front of
     the altar.
 
(7) Several congregational hymns were sung, including "O Sons and  
Daughters"
     and a barnburner version of "Jesus Christ is Ris'n  Today."
 
David Strang.