Advent I Gradual & Alleluia

The Advent I Gradual and Alleluia sets propers for the first Sunday of Advent. The text expresses a yearning for God’s guidance and mercy, looking forward to His salvation. The Gradual implores, “All who wait for you, O Lord, will not be put to shame,” asking for divine instruction in God’s ways. This is followed by the Alleluia, which anticipates God’s promised mercy: “Show us, O Lord, your mercy, and grant us your salvation.” The composer Henry Bird Collins has crafted a setting for SATB voices, suitable for liturgical use in Latin.