Like the Collect, the Epistle is one of several readings and prayers in the Mass that are recited on a very simple formula. It is less a song than a way to make the text audible in a large church or cathedral. The Epistle, intoned by the subdeacon, is a reading from the letters of Paul or other early apostles.
The second edition of NAWM had an example of an Epistle (see NAWM 3d).
The use of melodic formulas to indicate the punctuation of the text is
very clear in this example, including the full stop at the end of a
sentence, the pause in the middle of a sentence, and the rising
inflection to indicate a question.
Last updated: 19 August 2006
URL: http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/courses/m401/Epistle.html
This page was created by Patrick Warfield and is maintained by
J. Peter Burkholder
Copyright © 1997-2006 by J. Peter Burkholder and Patrick Warfield