For the Feast of the Cathedra of Peter with a commemoration of Ash Wednesday from the Breviarium Romanum, Vespers in Latin comes straight at ya’ without any bells or whistles.
The meter of the hymn is interesting.
Quodcumque in orbe nexibus revinxeris,
Erit revinctum Petre in arce siderum:
Et quod resolvit hic potestas tradita,
Erit solutum caeli in alto vertice;
In fine mundi iudicabis saeculum.
Patri perenne sit per aevum gloria,
Tibique laudes concinamus inclytas,
Aeterne Nate, sit superne Spiritus,
Honor tibi, decusque: sancta iugiter
Laudetur omne Trinitas per saeculum.
Cretics? A sort of limping iambic trimeter? Choliambic? It is attributed to St. Paulinus of Aquileia, thus Carolingian, accentual rather than quantitative. I am all at sea. I took a quick look at the chant melody. Strange stuff. And that fourth line in the second stanza throws you, like a horse changing gate.
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