The Exsultet or Easter Proclamation, in Latin Praeconium Paschale, is a sung proclamation delivered before the paschal candle during the Easter Vigil. Liz Bologna, of our parish, participated in a project to look at the Exsultet which is a Christological hymn, meaning that it explores the nature and role of Christ, often using language taken from the early ecumenical councils. Much of the text revolves around imagery of light and darkness, specifically through the metaphor of Christ as the light of the world, as at the closing of the piece, which references his title as the Morning Star
In springtime, the senses of the bee prompt it to its work, pollinating the world and producing honey and wax. Similarly, at Eastertime, Christians celebrate liturgies full of sensory experiences that remind them of a new springtime in their faith. The Exsultet, from which this description of the magnificence of bees is drawn, is one of the first liturgical hymns heard in the Easter season. Situated at the beginning of the Easter Vigil, it is the linchpin between the commemoration of Christ’s death on Good Friday and the celebration of his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Like the change of the season for the bee, the Exsultet calls those who hear it to spread the joy of Easter and renew the face of the world.
Heard only once a year, the Exsultet is rich in sensory imagery. In the context of the Vigil, it serves to evoke strong feelings in the faithful that in this moment the “things of heaven are wed to those of earth.” But while the themes of the hymn have remained consistent throughout its history, the ways it engages the senses have changed over time, and the actual performance practice has varied widely—sometimes in ways that remain obscure to scholars.
The article in Contingent Magazine by Nathan Chase may be found HERE!
Click on the Related File link below to hear the Exsultet, sung by Liz Bologna, a cantor for the Blessed Sacrament Parish.