Music Notes for The Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 21st, 2025. Dr. John Michniewicz

• The music for the Fourth Sunday of Advent centers on themes of preparation, prophecy, and the roles of Mary and Joseph, aligning with the readings from Isaiah, Romans, and Matthew.
• The processional hymn, “Awake, Awake, and Greet the New Morn” (Marty Haugen), is a joyful, energetic call to prepare for Christ’s coming, echoing the prophetic fulfillment in the readings.
• At the 11:30 Mass, the Choir will sing “Gabriel’s Message” (Nancy Grundahl), a contemporary arrangement of the beloved Basque carol “The Angel Gabriel” detailing the Annunciation and incorporating text from the Magnificat.
• The Communion Meditation at the 11:30 Mass features “Angelus ad Virginem” (arranged by David Willcocks), a direct narrative retelling of the Annunciation using a Medieval Irish chant melody.
• The final hymn, “O Come Divine Messiah,” is a French-originated text and tune from the early 1700s that serves as a powerful prayer and petition for the Messiah’s swift arrival.

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Music Notes for The Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 21st, 2025. Dr. John Michniewicz

In the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, God provides signs of Jesus’ coming and Joseph and Mary’s role in salvation history. The readings highlight the prophetic message and the fulfillment of God’s promises. In the First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14, the prophet Isaiah speaks to King Ahaz, offering a sign from the Lord: “the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” The text establishes the Old Testament prophecy of the Virgin Birth and introduces the title “Emmanuel” (God is with us), directly connecting the ancient promise to its New Testament fulfillment. Psalm 24 implores: “Let the Lord enter, He is the king of Glory.” The Psalm calls for the gates of Jerusalem to open, similarly, believers are to open their hearts to receive Christ and Christ’s rule and salvation. In the Second Reading, Romans 1:1-7, Paul greets the Christian community in Rome, affirming the gospel of God “concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness.” This passage firmly establishes the dual nature of Christ—both human (as shown to be a descendant of

King David) and divine (as the Son of God). Our Gospel Reading, Matthew 1:18-25 shows that Joseph plans to quietly divorce Mary until an angel appears in a dream, confirming that Mary’s child is conceived “through the Holy Spirit” and instructing him to name the boy Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins.” It presents Joseph’s faithful acceptance of his crucial role in God’s plan. It directly fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy by naming the child Jesus and affirming the presence of Emmanuel.

Sunday’s Music selections also reflect the themes of preparation, prophecy, the role of Mary and Joseph, and the joyful anticipation of Christ’s imminent arrival. Again we turn to Marty Haugen’s hymn Awake, Awake, and Greet the New Morn (W-406) as a joyful entrance song. The opening melodic interval of the hymn is like a repeated trumpet call, literally illustrating the opening words, “Awake, awake,” which alludes to both the second coming of Christ in the prophetic tradition, and as well underscores the Advent sense of celebratory anticipation of Christ’s nativity. The hymn is characterized by an energetic rhythm and accessible melody. The lyrics “Awake, awake!” also essentially provide an exhortation to action, mirroring the Advent call to prepare for the Lord’s coming. The mention of “new morn” and the call to “greet the New Morn” aligns with the sense of prophetic fulfillment described in the readings (Isaiah 7) and the dawn of salvation history (Matthew 1).

1. Awake! Awake, and greet the new morn, for angels herald its dawning.

Sing out your joy, for soon he is born, behold! the Child of our longing.

Come as a baby weak and poor, to bring all hearts together,

he opens wide the heav’nly door and lives now inside us forever.

2. To us, to all in sorrow and fear, Emmanuel comes a-singing,

his humble song is quiet and near, yet fills the earth with its ringing; music to heal the broken soul

and hymns of lovingkindness, the thunder of his anthems roll

to shatter all hatred and blindness.

3. In darkest night his coming shall be, when all the world is despairing,

as morning light so quiet and free, so warm and gentle and caring.

Then shall the mute break forth in song, the lame shall leap in wonder,

the weak be raised above the strong, and weapons be broken asunder.

4. Rejoice, rejoice, take heart in the night, though dark the winter and cheerless, the rising sun shall crown you with light, be strong and loving and fearless.

Love be our song and love our prayer and love our endless story;

may God fill ev’ry day we share and bring us at last into glory.

Here again is the link to a wonderful concert performance of the hymn by the St. Olaf Choir, from Northfield MN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28AvhFwyWAI

At the 11:30 Mass, the Choir will sing “Gabriel’s Message,” by Nancy Grundahl. “Gabriel’s Message” is based on the melody and text of the beloved Basque Christmas carol “The Angel Gabriel.” This 13th-century Latin hymn tells of the angel Gabriel, announcing to Mary that she will bear Jesus. The hymn also incorporates the text of the Magnificat. While the tune has medieval origins, the popular English version of the hymn comes from a late-19th-century paraphrase by hymn writer Sabine Baring-Gould, who heard it sung in the Basque region of Spain. After being published, the hymn first became popular in the English speaking world in the 1890’s. Contemporary arranger Nancy Grundahl has crafted a wonderful setting of this famous carol, mixing the traditional melody with interesting and surprising contemporary harmonies and melodic extensions. Sabine Barin-Gould capped off the end of each verse with the word “Gloria” as a kind of brief celebratory refrain. Grundahl concludes her arrangement after verse 4 with an extended section on the word Gloria, further highlighting the celebratory nature of the text.

1. The angel Gabriel from heaven came With wings as drifted snow his eyes as flame “All hail” said he “O lowly maiden Mary,

Most highly favored lady,” Gloria!

2. “For known a blessed mother thou shalt be,

All generations laud and honor thee,

Thy Son shall be Emanuel, by seers foretold Most highly favored lady,” Gloria!

3. Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head “To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said,

“My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name.” Most highly favored lady. Gloria!

4. Of her, Emanuel, the Christ was born In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn.

And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:

“Most highly favored lady,” Gloria! Sing Gloria!

Here is a link to a performance of Gabriel’s Message by Nancy Grundahl: https://www.jwpepper.com/gabriels-message-10514444/p?srsltid=AfmBOooI8l547t4MF M0dferrfMh6mbeo9Gu4xsLY2K2zFgjVb4im6pN_&preview=true

At the 11:30 Mass, the choir will also sing during the Communion Meditation an arrangement of the Medieval Irish carol: “Angelus ad Virginem” as arranged by David Willcocks. Willcocks, (1919-2015) was a boy soprano in London’s Westminster Abbey, and later became Organist of Salisbury and Worcester Cathedrals. He then became most famously known as the Director of the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge (1957–1974), making the choir renowned for and through its annual Christmas Eve world-wide broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a tradition carried on even to today. Willcocks also co-edited the popular Oxford Carols for Choirs series with John Rutter, setting the standard for Christmas choral arrangements. As is typical of Willcock’s arrangements, “Angelus ad Virginem” features clear, elegant harmonies for the choir and organ. Based on a metered and rhythmic version of a Medieval Irish chant melody, the piece is also a direct narrative retelling of the Annunciation. In this setting, the tenors and basses of the choir sing the text relating to the Angel Gabriel in the first verse, followed by the sopranos and altos singing Mary’s response in the second verse. Verse three features a soprano solo, accompanied by the choir and organ, continuing Mary’s response, a paraphrase of the Magnificat text. The fourth verse is sung by the entire choir together, a hymn of praise to Mary, starting with the text: “Hail! Thou Mother of the Lord.”

1. Gabriel to Mary came, And entered at her dwelling,

With his salutation glad, Her maiden fears dispelling

‘All hail, thou queen of virgins bright! God, Lord of earth and heaven’s height,

Thy very Son Shall soon be born in pureness, The Saviour of mankind. Thou art the gate of heaven bright, The sinners’ healer kind.’

2. ‘How could I a mother be, That am to man a stranger?

How should I, my strong resolve, My solemn vows endanger?’ ‘Pow’r from the Holy Ghost on high Shall bring to pass this mystery. Then have no fear: Be of good cheer, Believing That still thy chastity In God’s Almighty keeping Shall all unsullied be.’

3. Then to him the maid replied, With noble mien supernatural, ‘Lo! the humble handmaid Of God the Lord eternal.

With thee, bright messenger of heav’n, By whom this wondrous news is giv’n,

I well agree, And long to see Fulfilled Thy gracious prophecy. As God my Lord doth will it, So be it unto me!”

4. Hail! Thou Mother of the Lord, Who bringst of gifts the rarest, Peace to angels and to men, When Christ the Lord she barest! Do thou, we pray, entreat thy Son, For us our longed redemption, Himself to win, And from our sin, Release us;

His succour for to give, That when we hence are taken, We too in heaven may live.

Here is a link to “Angelus Ad Virginem” as sung by the St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir in London as directed by John Scott: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEXbwFL3zgg

Sunday’s final hymn is: “O Come Divine Messiah” (W-387). This text and hymn tune have French origins, dating from the early 1700’s. The text was written by Abbeé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin (1663-1745) who was a French poet and playwright, a librettist who collaborated with many famous French classical and opera composers, such as

Jean-Phillippe Rameau, among others. Besides stage plays and opera libretti, his works included two collections of carols, published in 1708 and 1711. Marc-Antoine Charpentier, most known for his “Te Deum” composed the music for the hymn. The text strongly represents the Advent season and its anticipation of the coming of Christ as a powerful prayer and petition for the Messiah’s arrival, affirming Christ as “Divine Messiah.” The call to “Hasten, Lord, and do not tarry” reflects the sense of anticipation and expectation of Christ’s coming. The hymn became well known after it was translated into English around 1850 by Sister Mary of Saint Philip, a Sister of Notre Dame. The melody was taken from and Older French Christmas carol, and features a

processional type feeling and forward momentum, underscoring the sense of movement towards Christmas and Christ’s nativity.

1. O come, Divine Messiah,

The world in silence waits the day When hope shall sing its triumph, And sadness flee away.

Dear Savior, haste! Come, come to earth.

Refrain: Dispel the night and show your face, And bid us hail the dawn of grace.

O come, Divine Messiah,

The world in silence waits the day When hope shall sing its triumph, And sadness flee away.

2. O come Desired of nations,

Whom priest and prophet long foretold, Will break the captive fetters,

Redeem the long-lost fold. Refrain:

3. O come in peace and meekness, For lowly will your cradle be:

Though clothed in human weakness We shall your Godhead see. Refrain:

Here is a version of the hymn “O Come Divine Messiah” as sung as the opening hymn at Mass by the Notre Dame Folk Choir in the beautiful Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of Notre Dame University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8FpBF66A5k