Sequence (liturgy)
A hymn-like chant of the Latin Mass following the Alleluia, usually built from paired verses, such as the "Dies irae."
What it means
The sequence is a hymn-like liturgical chant of the Latin Mass that follows immediately after the Alleluia, giving it a textually and musically elaborated continuation.
Characteristic of many sequences is their construction from paired verses, in which two stanzas share the same melody before the next melody arrives for the following pair of verses.
Musical use
Historically, the sequence developed in the early Middle Ages out of texted extensions of the Alleluia's jubilus, and over time became an independent liturgical genre with its own text and melody, sung on particular occasions of the church year.
The Council of Trent reduced the numerous medieval sequences in the sixteenth century to a few pieces still used in the Roman rite today, including the Dies irae for the Requiem Mass, the Victimae paschali laudes for Easter, and the Veni Sancte Spiritus for Pentecost.
The sequence should be distinguished from the motet and from the chorale in the broader sense, which serve other liturgical functions, and from the hymn, which is likewise strophic but has no fixed attachment to the place after the Alleluia.
Performance practice
When singing a sequence, bring out the paired melodic repetition, so the structure of the verse pairs remains clearly audible to listeners. Shape the delivery in a solemn, text-related way, matching the serious or festive liturgical occasion of the particular sequence.