TERMINATION OF THE PREFACE

All the Prefaces terminate with the “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts,” etc. This is called the triumphal hymn, sometimes the seraphic, and is taken from Isaias, 6:3; St. John also mentions it in the fourth chapter of his Apocalypse. The Mozarabics recite the termination of the Preface—that is, the “Holy, holy, holy,” etc;—in Greek as well as in Latin.

At Solemn High Mass, as the reader knows, the Preface is chanted throughout by the celebrant. The music is of the simplest kind of plain chant, but very soul-stirring. We have shown in our chapter on “Church Music” how deeply affected some of the ancient Fathers used to be when singing this part of the Mass, and what abundance of tears its celestial melody often drew from their hearts. The chant used at Lyons and Milan differs a little from ours, as does also the Mozarabic, but the same divine fascination is inherent in all of them.