Singing to St Martin of Tours

The feast of St Martin of Tours, on November 11^th, is a pivot-point in the year, the end of the harvest season and a time of preparation for the Advent season. It was an occasion for processions (often, at least in later periods, with lanterns!), for almsgiving, and for renewal of spirit and devotional practice.

It was also tax time; paying your Martins penny or Martinizins (Martin-tithe) was a financial obligation that appears in numerous documents and charters of the time. When I say numerous, I mean that just at the Kloster of Mehrerau, for instance, at least 59 separate charters detail the Martinizins; across Vorarlberg, more than 891 charters require payments of one sort or another on that special day. (Thank you, monasterium.net, for the ability to do multi-term searches!)

In the context of a tertiary house like Thalbach in Bregenz in the 16^th century, Martin’s feast was a time for public devotion and renewal of spiritual commitements. They no doubt liked the story of how he used his sword to divide his cloak in half and share it with a beggar. As a soldier, he had been riding warm and comfortable on his horse through the sleet and snow, when he came upon a fallen man. Concerned, he cut his cloak in two and gave one part to the supine man. That evening, a vision came to him of Christ clothed in the cloak remnant; the beggar he had comforted had been Christ himself.

17th c Stained Glass image of St Martin at Wettingen, cc by Badener

The sisters were not without need of charity themselves, since food supplies were notoriously tight during this period; endowments did not yet fully cover the sisters’ needs. Here, then, was a saintly hero whose generosity might inspire the broader civic community to similarly share provisions. And, of course, the feasting of end-of-harvest season was a special reason for rejoicing. Roast goose was often a special treat on the day, and was associated with the tale the a goose had revealed his location when he was hiding to avoid appointment as bishop. Plus, the fruit of the vineyards, the year’s new wine, was often uncorked on Martinmas. Roast goose (Martinigansl) and new wine (Heuriger) remain Austrian favorites today. Many reasons to rejoice, indeed!

Thus it was when the Sisters of Thalbach took on the task of learning the Roman Breviary in 1595, adopting the Tridentine forms then newly mandated, they chose their first (and therefore forever notable) performance to be the Vespers of St Martin. Here’s a lovely performance of the antiphon, “Dixerunt discipuli,” from the Vespers service for St Martin:

The disciples said to blessed Martin: Why do you abandon us, father? Or to whom do you leave us desolate? For ravenous wolves will invade your flock. (Ps:Dixit dominus)

Martin’s disciples, realizing he is near death, plead with him not to leave them. The “ravenous wolves” are a metaphor for corrupt or heretical leaders who might harm the spiritual community once Martin, their protector and spiritual guide, has passed. Martin here serves as the pastor bonus, the good shepherd who safeguards his flock through his vigilance. His disciples’ lament highlights the saint’s transition from earthly protector to heavenly intercessor. In medieval retellings and liturgical commemorations, this scene reinforces Martin’s enduring care for the faithful even after death. His memoria continues to protect against those “wolves” through prayer and example.

As new singers, then, this office was a good choice of where to begin. The music for Vespers emphasized antiphons and psalmody. “Dixerunt discipuli” is a typical antiphon in the seventh mode, centered melodically on the fifth above G, with a narrow range. This would have been eminently singable for new singers. Moreover, the gentle neumatic layout, with two to five notes per syllable would have helped with their memorization. Invoking Martin as protector in their first celebration in a new-to-them practice of Latin chant devotions was no doubt an auspicious beginning for what was to be a two-year learning journey. But that is a story for another day.

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REFERENCES

• For a general overview of Martin’s cult, see Yossi Maurey, Medieval Music, Legend, and the Cult of St Martin: The Local Foundations of a Universal Saint (Cambridge University Press, 2014)
• For a review of the growth of the St Martin liturgical tradition in Italy, see Alejandro Enrique Planchart, “The Geography of Martinmas,” In Western Plainchant in the First Millennium (Routledge, 2003).
• A short but approachable article on Martinmas customs can be found in Shawn Tribeon, “Customs of Martinmas,” Liturgical Arts Journal, October 26, 2018, https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2018/10/customs-of-martinmas.html