(Lat.: ‘visit to the sepulchre’).
The name given by modern scholars and many medieval scribes to the largest single category of medieval Latin church plays. The Visitatio takes as its nucleus the dialogue known as the Quem queritis (originally an introit trope from the Easter Mass), but is distinguished from it in a number of ways: first, by being placed at the end of Easter Matins, after the third responsory (commonly Dum transisset Sabbatum); second, by numerous accretions of liturgical chants, antiphons in particular, and laments of non-liturgical origin; third, by dramatic amplification as an acted representation of the events of the Resurrection story with impersonation and (sometimes) non-liturgical costuming. Some 400 texts of the Visitatio were described, printed or mentioned by Young, who, following earlier scholars, arranged the texts in three categories (his own word ‘stages’ is better avoided because of its overtones of steady chronological development); over 200 texts are listed by Lipphardt, not all with music.
Young’s categories are as follows: ‘one in which the dialogue is conducted by the Marys and the angel, a second in which are added the apostles, Peter and John, and a third which provides a role for the risen Christ’ (vol.i, p.239). Lipphardt’s categories are similar but, as a music historian, he stressed different aspects. The first category is divided into ‘French type’ (the basic dialogue trope) and ‘Lorraine type’ (‘antiphon-play’, in which the dialogue is transposed to fit musically with antiphons in various tones). An important musical development in this first category is the addition of the sequence Victimae paschali. In the second category the problem again arises of relating the new musical borrowings to the basic material (in an important group of texts from around Passau (south-east Germany) the dialogue and introductory antiphon, Quis revolvet?, are transposed up a 4th to give a tonal unity which accommodates the Victimae paschali and the vernacular Easter hymn Crist ist erstanden). In the third category the scene of the three Marys lamenting as they approach the sepulchre gives an opening for laments varying from the restrained, litany-like setting of Heu, Redemcio Israel (Brunswick, 14th century) to the sweeping and emotive Heu, pius Pastor (Dublin, 14th century). The final heights of this Planctus style are reserved in drama for the Passion plays and for the Ordo Rachelis. The introduction into plays of this third category of a brief scene between the Marys and the merchant from whom they buy their spices gives the opportunity for the use of melodies of a truly secular character (Origny-Ste-Benoîte, 14th century).
The final amplification of the Visitatio sepulchri, which in all the forms discussed retained its central dialogue, the ‘Quem queritis’, transforms it into the Ludus Paschalis.
For further information and bibliography see Medieval drama, §II, 2–3, esp. Young (1933), Rankin (1954), Lipphardt (1960, 1971, 1972 and 1975), Smoldon (1980) and Hiley (1993).
JOHN STEVENS