- Composer: Gregorian Chant
- Period: Medieval (1-1449)
Review
It is difficult to translate the first line of this piece into English for modern ears. The English word "terrible" has connotations of something extraordinarily bad, a very poor performance, maybe even some situation that scares us by its badness. Yet the Latin original carries connotations of inspiring fear, but without the necessarily poor situation. Fear to the Classical and Medieval mind could be inspired by the verisimilitude of the arts (so Aristotle), or by the power of a sovereign ruler, or by immensity; terrible things can also be called dreadful (causing dread), awful, or awesome (both causing a sense of awe). This is more the sense in which the poets and musicians chose the word terribilis to describe a tabernacle of God Himself. The original Biblical text alludes to Solomon's dedication of the first Temple of Jerusalem, an event at which the spirit of the Lord filled the place with a holy smoke, and to texts such as Psalm 84, which speaks of the beauty of serving in the Lord's courts. The medieval churchmen who fashioned the Gregorian chant repertory chose it to begin the proper celebration of the most solemn dedication of a church.The remainder of "How terrible [or 'how awesome'] is this place" continues to name "this place" the house of God, the gateway to heaven, and the courts of the Lord. In "responsory" form, after this chant is sung as verses from the Psalms, in this case the very praise of God's courts in Psalm 84. The complete form then returns to the opening section and concludes with a Gloria Patri. The musical mode chosen by the anonymous chant composer who set the text is the rather dark-sounding mode 2. This mode resembles the later minor keys, but uses an octave that descends from the tonic pitch instead of just ascending. In fact, Terribilis est locus iste uses more than its share of the lowest notes of its scale, as if to emphasize our genuflection before the awesome mysteries. Terribilis est serves as Introit, the music sung during Mass as the clergy and choir are processing into the sanctuary, during the actual service of sanctifying any Catholic church, as well as on the anniversary of that founding day each year in perpetuity. It shares this "birthday" duty for the church with the better-known Locus iste. ~ Timothy Dickey, All Music Guide
Albums with Complete Performances of the Work
Albums with Excerpt Performances of the Work
| Title | Date |
| Sound of a Cathedral: Gregorian Chant and Saxophone Improvisations | 2001 |
