Kyrie, is a transliteration of the Greek Κύριε, the vocative case of Κύριος (Kyrios), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the Kyrie eleison (ancient Greek: Κύριε, ἐλέησον, –. ‘Lord, have mercy’). The phrase Kýrie, eléison (Greek: Κύριε, ἐλέησον), or one of its equivalents in other languages, is one of the most oft-repeated phrases in Eastern Christianity, both Orthodox and Catholic. The various litanies, frequent in that rite, generally have Lord, have mercy as their response, either singly or triply. Some petitions in these litanies will have twelve or even forty repetitions of the phrase as a response. The phrase is the origin of the Jesus Prayer, beloved by Christians of that rite and is increasingly popular amongst Western Christians.
The biblical roots of this prayer first appear in 1 Chronicles 16:34: …give thanks to the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever… The prayer is simultaneously a petition and a prayer of thanksgiving; an acknowledgment of what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will continue to do. It is refined in the Parable of The Publican (Luke 18:9-14), “God, have mercy on me, a sinner”, which shows more clearly its connection with the Jesus Prayer. Since the early centuries of Christianity, the Greek phrase, Kýrie, eléison, is also extensively used in the Coptic (Egyptian) Christian liturgy, which uses both the Coptic and the Greek languages.
In Rome, the sacred Liturgy was first celebrated in Greek. At some point the Roman Mass was translated into Latin, but the historical record on this process is sparse. Jungmann explains at length how the Kyrie in the Roman Mass is best seen as a vestige of a litany at the beginning of the Mass, like that of some Eastern churches. As early as the sixth century, Pope Gregory the Great noted that there were differences in the way in which eastern and western churches sang Kyrie. In the eastern churches all sing it at the same time, whereas in the western church the clergy sing it and the people respond. Also the western church sang Christe eléison as many times as Kyrie eléison. In the Roman Rite liturgy, this variant, Christe, eléison, is a transliteration of Greek Χριστέ, ἐλέησον.
“Kyrie, eléison” (“Lord, have mercy”) may also be used as a response of the people to intentions mentioned in the Prayer of the Faithful. Since 1549, Anglicans have normally sung or said the Kyrie in English. In the 1552 Book of Common Prayer, the Kyrie was inserted into a recitation of the Ten Commandments. Modern revisions of the Prayer Book have restored the option of using the Kyrie without the Commandments. Other denominations, such as Lutheranism also use “Kyrie, eléison” in their liturgies.
In the Tridentine Mass form of the Roman Rite, Kýrie, eléison is sung or said three times, followed by a threefold Christe, eléison and by another threefold Kýrie, eléison. In the Paul VI Mass form, each invocation is made only once by the celebrating priest, a deacon if present, or else by a cantor, with a single repetition, each time, by the congregation (though the Roman Missal allows for the Kyrie to be sung with more than six invocations, thus allowing the traditional use). Even if Mass is celebrated in the vernacular, the Kyrie may be in Greek. This prayer occurs directly following the Penitential Rite or is incorporated in that rite as one of the three alternative forms provided in the Roman Missal.
Musical settings exist in styles ranging from Gregorian Chant to folk. Additionally, the musician Judee Sill emulated the Greek Orthodox delivery of the Kyrie in her song “The Donor” on the album Heart Food.
I first came across the phrase when I went to see the movie ‘Easy Rider’ at the cinema. A group by the wonderfully exotic name of the Electric Prunes, perfomed their version from their album Mass in F Minor, as a part of the soundtrack to the movie. Mass in F Minor was released in January 1968 and reached number 135 on the Billboard 200. Photos of the band appeared on the back of the record sleeve, though with the band’s previous guitarist James ‘Weasel’ Spagnola shown, rather than Gannon. The Electric Prunes performed the album’s songs in concert just once, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
