Beautiful Gregorian chant from the 10th century, "This is the cry of the sinner who calls unto God to receive his mercy. A monument of the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Originally from the Mozarabic liturgy. "
Words in Latin here and in English here. Chant score here (courtesy of St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum).
What, you may ask, is "Mozarabic liturgy"? According to Wiki, it refers to early Catholic worship in Spain, dating back to the 7th century, when Catholics lived under Muslim rule.
"As is generally the case with Islamic rule the Christians were made dhimmis and therefore became subjects of an Islamic ruled state. Islamic rule is normally more systematic than Christianity when it comes to its treatment of non-believers. This system kept Christians in an inferior political and financial position. This was true of the Umayyad emirate which enforced the Qur'anic rules obliging dhimmis to pay the jizya and killing those who defamed Muhammad or reverted to Christianity after converting to Islam."
"This tolerance (ahem) began to erode after the rule of the Umayyad emirate ended and al-Andalus devolved into small local kingdoms. The change started with the conquest of the Almoravides in the 11th century. The Almoravides deemed the previous Muslims to be too willing to work with Christians and persecution increased. Under the even stauncher Almohads the position of Christians declined further and Iberia became a much more violent place for Christians."
"...The needs of the Hispanic Christians, living as oppressed people minimally permitted to exercise their religion, were arguably greater than those of Christians living freely elsewhere. The Mozarabic liturgy is perhaps more communal than others, involving more responsories among priest and congregation. This rite was largely arranged prior to the Muslim invasion, but its character was perhaps of special help during that time. The Mozarabic rite is esteemed to be of great beauty and source of piety, which would have been sustenance to these Christians."
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