Not "On Eagle's Wings"

On the 1st Sunday of Lent 2023, a few Chorus Breviarii members joined the choir at Holy Martyrs to sing the full 13 verses of the Tract "Qui habitat," which includes much of Psalm 90. Though we could always improve, it is a blessing that we were able to sing it, as in most parishes, this Tract is almost always simplified to Psalm Tone 2D, not merely because of the apparent melismatic threat it poses to chant beginners, but due to the sheer length (at least 12.5 minutes!) possibly eating into other scheduled Mass times, especially at particularly busy parishes. For this reason, the Liber Usualis includes the Psalm-toned version in the first few pages of the Appendix. 

An unsettling but humorous observation made by many who come across this Tract is that they are the verses of the notorious hymn "On Eagle's Wings," a favorite of the current occupant of the Presidential chair. For this reason, during practice, it's usual for a choir member to jokingly recommend singing the hymn in place of the Tract. Of course, as lovers of chant and traditional English hymnody, we would never voluntarily subject the laity to those kinds of hymns! In our next post, we will review the family of Tracts that "Qui habitat" belongs to, in contrast with another well-known Tract family. 

Joe vibing to his favorite hymn