The text of this Communion antiphon was taken from Psalm 98 and, as the headnote above indicates, the music is scored in church mode 1, the Dorian mode. The Viderunt omnes fines terrae (All the ends of the earth) is sung at Communion during the Roman Catholic Latin Mass on Christmas day. Listeners should not confuse this antiphon with the gradual of the same title, since the latter features a much longer text and a different melody. The theme to the Viderunt omnes antiphon swoops downward at the outset, then rises and remains mostly in the middle and upper ranges to weave the bulk of its fluid, lovely, and melodic web. The melody imparts a serene sense, like much Gregorian chant, and conveys a feeling of ascending sonorities, even though its path has at least minor peaks and valleys. The text is a mere sentence long, and it praises God for the salvation he offers mankind. There are recorded versions of this antiphon in which tempos vary widely, with the slower ones seeming perhaps the marginally better choice. Chant mavens will find this gem of great appeal.

© Robert Cummings, Rovi