Friday, May 22, 2009

The Ordinary of Ascensiontide

Now that the great feast of the Ascension is over, we move into 'Ascensiontide' for the next week and a bit. In the pre-1962 calendar this was an 'octave', and remnants of the octave can be found in the Office as it now stands.

You can find the rubrics for this period on page 383* of the Diurnal, and do make sure you know what changes!

The appropriate texts for the minor hours (except for the collects) are set out in the psalter. For the collects, Lauds and Vespers however, you need to keep your ribbon on the page for the Ordinary of Ascensiontide. The key points to note are set out below.

At Lauds

  • the antiphons are as for Eastertide;
  • the chapter is Conresuscitavit..., MD 384*
  • the short responsory is Ascendit Deus, MD 384*
  • the hymn is Iesu, nostra redemptio, MD 384-5* (written out in the Liber Hymnaius, pp 88-9)
  • versicle Dominus in caelo, MD 385*
  • Benedictus antiphon (note that this is used each day except where displaced by a feast, Sunday etc), Ascendo, MD 386*
  • the collect for Friday is on MD 386, for Saturday is of the Little Office of Our Lady, for Sunday, of the Sunday, MD 391* (except in places where Our Lady Help of Christians or another feast is celebrated), for the week after, MD 386*
At Prime
  • the antiphon is as noted in the psalter, Alleluia
  • versicle has alleluia added to it (as for TP)
At Terce, Sext and None
  • the antiphon is alleluia, as noted in the psalter
  • note that the chapters and versicles are in the psalter for Ascensiontide (Tempore Ascensionis).
At Vespers
  • the (single) antiphon is alleluia, as for Eastertide;
  • the chapter is Conrescuscitavit, as for Lauds, MD 384*
  • the responsory is Ascendens, MD 388*
  • the hymn is Iesu, as for Lauds, 384-5*
  • the versicle is Ascendit, MD 388*
  • the antiphon for the Magnificat each day (unless displaced) is O Rex, MD 388*
  • the collects are as for Lauds.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Le Barroux video

Fr Z has a nice spread on the monks of Le Barroux, with photos excerpted from a video on their life - a selection here, plus a teaser video.


Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Learning the Office: Hymns, chapters, versicles, responsories

This post reviews the rubrics for some key parts of the Office that are common to several of the hours.

All of these parts of the Office are properly said while standing.

The hymn


The hymn uses the same text each day at Prime (Iam Lucis), Terce (Nunc Sancte), Sext (Rector Potens), None (Rerum Deus) and Compline (Te Lucis).

At Lauds and Vespers (and Matins), the text (and chant tone) can vary according to the day of the week, season, feast or day.  

The last verse (doxology) is sung while bowing (medium).

The chant for the hymns can be found either in the Antiphonale Monasticum (which can be downloaded from CC Watershed or you can use the more recent versions of the chant provided in the Liber Hymnarius published by Solesmes.  Note however that the versions of the hymns used in the Antiphonale (and most traditional monasteries) differ from those used in the Roman Office in both text and chant tones.

Useful resources for learning the chant versions of the hymns (but check that they are the correct ones in the Antiphonale) include:


The versicle


The versicle is a short statement and response.

In the Diurnal it is usually just marked V: and R:

You can find an example in the psalter section of the Diurnal on page 55, where the versicle for Sundays during the year is Dominus regnavit....Induit Dominus...During Eastertide, an alleluia is added to each line.

The versicle is always the same at Prime and Compline, but can vary depending on the day of the week, season, feast or day at the other hours.

At Lauds and Vespers a more elaborate chant tone is generally used.

Chapter (Capitulum) 


The chapter is really just a short Scriptural readings used at each Hour.

It is always rounded off with a 'Deo Gratias' (Thanks Be to God) - have a look for example at the chapter for Prime  on page 7 (of the Psalter).

The chapter is always the same at Prime and Compline, but can vary depending on the day of the week, season, feast or day at the other hours.

(Brief) responsory 


The responsory occurs at Lauds and Vespers. It is often labelled Short R or brief, because it stands in contrast to the 'Prolix' version that can be sung at first vespers of major feasts. You can find an example of the standard format for this on page 52, for Sunday Lauds, and it is important to spend a little while familiarising yourself with the structure because the Diurnal abbreviates these mostly, and you have to remember how to say it. And I'm afraid its one of those cases where it makes a lot more sense when you are singing it with someone leading and the rest responding!

So take a look at the example. The first line goes:Inclina cor meum, Deus, * In testimonia tua.

The whole line is then repeated. Let's call the first half of the line (Inclina..) x, and the second half after the asterix (In testimonia) y.

So the structure so far is:
x*y
x*y

Then the verse (and let's call this bit z) goes:
Averte oculos meos, ne videant vanitatem: in via tua vivifica me.
Then the second half of the first line is added on. So the structure so far is now:
x*y
x*y
z*y

Then a short doxology is added:
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.
Then the whole of the first line (Inclina cor meum...In testimonia..) is repeated again.

So the structure of the whole responsory is:

x*y
x*y
z*y
Gloria...
x*y

You can check your understanding by looking at the text for Lauds for Christmas in the Diurnal (MD 72*) (Verbum caro) and listening to the recording below.



Monday, April 27, 2009

Diurnal traps and shortcuts to be aware of**



  
TOPIC
KEY POINT

Layout of the Diurnal


Page numbering

Each section of the Diurnal is page numbered separately, so you need to pay attention to  [], *, etc to know which section you are in

Order of Psalter section

In order (broadly) of psalm numbers, not hours

Sunday Prime, S&M Terce-None 

Located after Saturday Lauds

Versions of prayers for use by laypeople/Office  vs with priests

At Compline, use second version of Confiteor (no repetition) unless you are saying it with a priest.

Use Domine exaudi orationem meam, not Dominus vobiscum
(for example in closing prayers of each hour)

Opening’ prayers


Said at all hours, even where book does not note this (but in middle of Compline).
Seasonal variation for Septuagint and Lent (Laus tibi…instead of Alleluia)
(Deus in adjutorium…/Gloria Patri.../Alleluia)
Written out in full at beginning of psalter section (MD 1), but abbreviated thereafter

Antiphon(s)

Said in full before and after a psalm, group of psalms or canticle

Psalms

Gloria Patri…is added to the end of all psalms unless otherwise indicated

Hymns

Always end in amen (with alleluia added during Eastertide)

Chapters

Always end in (response) ‘Deo Gratias’

Responsory (Lauds and Vespers)

Abbreviated form in Diurnal needs to be filled out; note no ‘sicut erat…’

Concluding prayers


Litany (Kyrie eleison) one repetition of each set of words only, not triple as at Mass

Note: do not use Dominus vobiscum, as above

Need to add correct conclusion to collect (see conclusions to the collects in front matter)

Friday, April 24, 2009

Learning the Monastic Office 4: How the Office is performed

It is important to remember that the Office - above all the Monastic Office - is really intended to be sung 'in choir', that is with a group of people. Nonetheless, St Benedict does make provision for those who can't reach the Monastic oratory, instructing them to:

"perform the Work of God in the place where they are working, bending their knees in reverence before God." (RB 50)

As a result, the rubrics of the Office (135) actually recognises three ways of saying the Office:
  • in choir - as part of a properly constituted liturgical choir (ie a group of monks or nuns who are obliged to say the Office);
  • in common - two or more people saying it together; or
  • by oneself.
Most of us are in this last situation! But still, it's helpful to know how it would be done if you were at a monastery, so that you can understand how it really works, and some of the terminology you might come across.

The various roles in choir

The first point to note is that if you were hearing the Office 'in choir', you would see a number of people playing different roles. Exactly who does what and when depends a little bit on the particular monastery, but what I'm setting out here are some fairly common practices. In particular:
  • the superior (abbot, abbess, prior etc), who gives the signals to start and finish (usually a tap on wood with a stick or mallet), the blessings where these are prescribed (for example at Compline, the 'Noctem quietam...' and blessing at the end, Benedicat et custodiat..pp256&264 in the MD) and says the Our Father at Lauds and Vespers (RB 13);
  • the hebdomadary, a role rotated around, and who takes on some of the functions the abbot or abbess is nominally responsible for, essentially leading the Office overall. He or she normally opens and closes the Office, starting the Deus in adjutorium, intoning the canticle, the first Kyrie Eleison at the end of each Office, and leads the prayers and so forth;
  • the cantor(s) who lead the singing, setting the pitch and intoning the antiphons and psalms. Usually there are two (but there can be more for more solemn feasts, and you can get away with one at a pinch!), one for each side of the choir;
  • the lector(s) (usually rotated weekly) who read the short chapter (or longer readings if set);
  • the choir itself, which is divided into two sides, and sing alternate verses of the psalms (and the hymns where possible).
By yourself of course, you have to take on all those roles! A lot of the time you will see that someone says something and everyone else responds - that's not really a problem, just remember to say both parts. In practical terms there are only two parts of the Office when you have to take note of all of this:
  • whenever the text says 'Dominus vobiscum' and the reply is 'Et cum spiritu tuo' - always substitute 'Domine exaudi orationem meam' and ''Et clamor meus ad te veniat' (MD p8);
  • at Compline, for the examination of conscience - skip over the bit where it says the hebdomadary recites the Confiteor (on page 257), and use the version provided for recitation out of choir (on page 258).
'Sing wisely'

The second key point to note is that the core of the Office are the psalms. And each hour contains a hymn. Both are obviously intended to be sung. To do that of course, you need the proper books (the Antiphonale Monasticum for the day hours) and the ability to read the music. But even if you can't do that, it is always an option to sing the relevant hour on one note (called 'recto tono').

Most people by themselves however will end up just saying it. Traditionally, you have to at least move your lips to articulate the words for the Office to be considered to have been said!

Body postures

The other point to note is that the Office is traditionally accompanied by various postures and gestures. The reference to kneeling in the Rule that I quoted above for those saying the Office out of choir has been interpreted by some commentators as an instruction to perform all of the postures as if you were in choir even when you aren't, for example. These days it is accepted that out of choir, you aren't obliged to follow all the body postures and gestures. All the same, kneeling, bowing and making the sign of the cross are all important aids to our worship, so I will come back at some point to give some instructions on this.

As a starting point though, here are some of the more important ones you might consider using:
kneeling before you start, and saying a short preparatory prayer (the traditional one starts Aperi Domine...);
  • standing for the Deus in adjutorium (and making the sign of the cross as you say it);
  • bowing for the Gloria Patri wherever it occurs; and
  • standing for the hymn and Gospel canticles (Benedictus and Magnificat at Lauds and Vespers respectively).
For Part 5A of this series, click here.

The greater litanies (rogation day) and the Benedictine Office

On April 25, we celebrate the Feast of St Mark, but it is also a Rogation day. 

Here in Australia, we hardly ever get to celebrate fully this important and beautiful ceremonial, as ANZAC Day dawn services and requiems tend to overshadow or place the relevant mass and procession. But the useful fisheater's site gives the following description of what a Rogation day is, and you can read more about it over there:

""Rogation" comes from the Latin "rogare," which means "to ask," and "Rogation Days" are days during which we seek to ask God's mercy, appease His anger, avert His chastisements manifest through natural disasters, and ask for His blessings, particularly with regard to farming, gardening, and other agricultural pursuits. They are set aside to remind us how radically dependent we are on Mother Earth, and how prayer can help protect us from nature's often cruel ways..."

The rubrics in the 1963 breviary say that nothing is made of the Rogation Day in the Office, but only in the Mass, where, in accordance with the constitutions of the monastery or local custom, a procession is held at which the Litany of the Saints is sung (although the bishop can substitute other prayers).

Those who are bound to say the Office (such as priests and religious) but who can't participate in a procession, however, say the litany and its particular prayers by themselves (or with other members of the faithful), generally immediately after Lauds. You can find a traditional version of the litany online here or in the Monastic Diurnal at page (200).