Focusing on the Traditional Benedictine Office in accordance with the 1963 Benedictine calendar and rubrics, including the Farnborough edition of the Monastic Diurnal.
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
1953 vs 1963 breviary comparions Pt 2 - the temporal cycle
Saturday, December 30, 2023
1953 vs 1963: Monastic breviary comparisons
There is increasing interest, these days, in the use of older breviaries, at least amongst liturgical nerds and in some parts of traddy world.
Accordingly, this Advent I decided to use a 1953 (Latin only) monastic breviary as my main office book, adapting it to the 1963 calendar and rubrics, but reading the texts that differ outside the Office, so I could get a better feel for features of the older rubrics and calendar.
So herewith some reflections on the differences between the books and their respective merits, in the hope that it might spark some debate!
I plan to divide up my comments into a couple of posts, covering:
- the physical books;
- the calendar differences for the sanctoral and temporal cycles;
- differences the structure and content of the hours themselves (things like preces, hymn doxologies, etc).
The books
So first something about the physical books.
None of the monastic breviaries are currently in print, and they are all fairly scarce and expensive to buy secondhand (although the 1930 breviary is available online).
Four volumes vs two
The 1963 breviary (and the 1930) comes in two volumes, but the 1953 edition follows the Roman by being spread over four volumes, thus increasing the cost.
The need for four volumes is presumably because of the slightly smaller size - 1953 book is two centimeters in length shorter - but I don't personally find that any more convenient than the slightly bigger book.
The type size and fonts seem to be the same.
Psalter placement
Secondly, the 1963 breviary places the psalter at the middle of the book. Personally I prefer that - it helps to prolong the book's life a bit, but also makes it easier to see where the temporale vs sanctorale are. By contrast, the 1953 follows the older structure of putting the psalter at the beginning.
Repeated texts
Perhaps the most annoying feature of the 1953 book is that, like the Diurnale, it doesn't bother repeating key fixed part of the hours such as the Prime hymn and the Benedictus and Magnificat each day - with four volumes to spread it over, it seems to me that more concession to convenience could have been made.
I guess part of the rationale is that monks will tend to know these parts by heart - and yes I do know them too, but I like having them in front of me all the same!
More importantly perhaps, breviaries were presumably mostly only used when a monk was out of the monastery, for the Matins readings (with a psalter or the Antiphonale for the psalms), and as a reference document for rubrics and planning purposes. But it is still annoying.
Sanctoral calendar
When it comes to the sanctoral calendar, the changes are in my view, a bit of a mixed bag. The changes were that:
- the feast of St Peter Chrysologus on December 2 (a fifth century bishop of Ravenna) was reduced to a commemoration in 1963 (previously the equivalent of Class III);
- the feasts of St Ambrose and St Lucy are reduced from being a Class II equivalent, with three Nocturns, to Class III;
- the Octave of the Immaculate Conception was abolished;
- the second and third class equivalent feasts (St Lucy and St Thomas in December) no longer have a first Vespers;
- the commemorations of St Melchiadus (Pope 311-313, December 10) and St Thomas (Beckett, December 20) were abolished; and
- commemorations were generally previously made at both Vespers and Lauds; under the 1960 rubrics they occur at Lauds only.
The Octave of the Immaculate Conception
The biggest change is clearly the abolition of the Octave of the Immaculate Conception, and in my view that was a positive step.
The effect of the Octave (introduced to the Roman office in the eighteenth century) was to displace the ancient texts of Advent, including the antiphons set for the day hours each week, and replace them with the same repeated texts each day in the day hours; and to replace the reading of Isaiah, a tradition dating back to St Benedict's time, with readings from the Papal Bull of Pius IX.
In a year when the feast of the Immaculate Conception falls on a Sunday, the antiphons wouldn't be said at all.
I really can't see a strong case for the suppression of the seasonal texts, particularly as the season already has a strong Marian flavour in its readings and the responsories.
It has been pointed out to me though, that the monks of Norcia have come up with a sensible compromise approach to this problem for those keen on octaves, namely commemorating the Octave at Lauds and Vespers but privileging the Advent days.
Class III vs Class II?
Similarly, I don't mind the reduction of St Ambrose and St Lucy to Class III feasts - Class II feasts in the Benedictine Office are not very different when it comes to the day hours, but festal Matins is very very long indeed compared to both the Class III structure (3 vs 12 readings and responsories, plus extra three canticles, Te Deum and Gospel) and the Roman Office version.
It is not obvious though, why St Peter Chrysologus was demoted, or the two commemorations abolished - they all represent quite important saints on the face of it.
First Vespers
One of the most important rubrical changes between the 1953 Office and the 1963 was the abolition of First Vespers for most feasts.
It was a mistake I think, as it means that Class III feasts regularly don't have any Vespers at all, such as when they fall on a Saturday.
Most monasteries have restored them for class II feasts, but I think there is scope to go further.
If the concern is the displacement of the ferial psalm cursus in favour of the festal, a concern I agree with in principle, the simple solution would surely be to specify the use of the ferial psalms in conjunction with the antiphons of the feast at either First and/or Second Vespers.
But anyway, more anon...
Saturday, December 23, 2023
Advent responsory: Rod of Jesse
Miniature, Jacques de Besançon, Paris, c.1485. |
Today, for the last in this series on the Advent responsories, one of two responsories for the day that draw on the image of the 'Jesse tree' (one of the many versions of which is depicted above), inspired by Isaiah 11:1, named for the father of King David, and depicts the genealogy of Christ.
R. Egrediétur / virga de radíce Iesse, et flos de radíce eius ascendet: * Et erit iustítia cíngulum lumbórum eius, † et fides cinctórium renum eius. V. Et requiéscet super eum spíritus Dómini: † spíritus sapiéntiæ, et intelléctus: spíritus consílii, et fortitúdinis. R. Et erit iustítia cíngulum lumbórum eius, † et fides cinctórium renum eius. | R. There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots. * And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. V. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding. R. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. |
Source: Nocturnale Romanum Project (D Crochu) |
John the Evangelist chanted the first liturgy in Gaul, then later blessed Polycarp, disciple of saint John, then Iraneus, who was third bishop of Lyons of Gaul, sang this liturgy among the Gauls. From there, they composed reciprocal antiphons and responsories or chants [sonus] and Alleluias as a flow in modulations of the writings of the New and Old Testament, not from their own writings, but from the sacred scriptures. And the order of he Church, namely the liturgy of the Gauls, travelled the whole world and was diffused through the entire globe, which Jerome the priest ordained...(Trans Constant Mews, in Lynette Olson (ed), St Samson of dol and the earliest History of Brittany, Cornwall and Wales).
Whether we accept the claim that the responsories were Gallic in origin or not, it is clear that by the eighth century at least, the responsories were certainly not viewed as a Roman creation by those outside its sphere of influence.
Meanwhile, I hope you have found this series of interest (and any comments on it, on or offline will be welcome). I plan to go back and fill in footnotes for these posts, and may try and pull together a distillation of it over at Psallam Domino in due course).
Friday, December 22, 2023
Advent responsory: Send forth the lamb
R. Emítte / Agnum, Dómine, Dominatórem terræ, * De Petra desérti ad montem fíliæ Sion. V. Osténde nobis, Dómine, misericórdiam tuam, et salutáre tuum da nobis. R. De Petra desérti ad montem fíliæ Sion. V. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto R. De Petra desérti ad montem fíliæ Sion. | R. Send forth the Lamb, O Lord, the Ruler of the land; * From the rock in the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. V. Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. R. From the rock in the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. From the rock in the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. |
May no one in this community presume to sing, learn, or say the responses and antiphons, as some are wont to sing on an ornate tone, doing so as they wish, and not taking them from the canonical Scriptures.."
Only sing what you read is to be sung," as blessed Augustine has written; "do not sing what you read is not to be sung." What the Lord desired to reveal to us through his prophets and apostles is not to be rendered in praise so that it differs from what he himself has prescribed.
The comment rather implies that two competing repertoires of responsories, one Scriptural based, one with a more broader set of source texts, were already available in the mid to later sixth century, and indeed one of the earliest preserved Gallic psalm responds, for example, is actually non-Scriptural.
The instruction goes on to insist that what is supposed to be sung should not sound like the recitation of a reading, and vice versa.
Benedictine vs Roman attitudes
It is difficult, with the limited sources we have for the early Office, to know how this really played out in the acceptance into the repertoire and development of responsories, but it does seem likely that the wider debate about the use of non-Scriptural texts, which extended far beyond responsories, did have an impact.
In many of the early Eastern Rites, the use of non-Scriptural texts in the office, in the form of psalm refrains, hymns and other texts, flowered early on. This tradition was apparently imported to the West by St Ambrose and others.
But in Rome and some other places in the West, there was active resistance to this.
And on this, it is worth noting that the Benedictine Rule is, in this respect (and many others), quite different in its attitude to that reflected in the early Roman Office.
We are used, today, to seeing the Roman and Benedictine Offices as very closely linked, sharing a common rubrics and core texts.
But in reality this reflects a long history of mutual influence between the two forms of the Office.
Hymns, for example, though certainly part of the Ambrosian and Arles monastic Offices, seem not to have been used in the Roman secular office (and possibly the Roman monastic office as well, as the rule of the Master likewise did not include them) until very late indeed.
By contrast, St Benedict prescribes at least one hymn (and three for festal/Sunday Matins) for all of the hours of the Office.
Similarly, when it came to readings, where St Benedict famously prescribed Patristic (and possibly saints lives) readings for Matins, these may not have been part of the Roman secular Office until perhaps the eighth century.
These connections may well have played a role in the particular texts selected for responsories, and their allocation over the course of the year, as I hope to show in due course.
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Advent responsory: Rain on a fleece as a symbol of the Incarnation
R. Descéndet / Dóminus sicut plúvia in vellus: * Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis. V. Et adorábunt eum omnes reges, omnes gentes sérvient ei. R. Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis. V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto. R. Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis. | R. The Lord shall come down like rain upon a fleece. * In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace. V. All the kings of the earth shall fall down before Him, all nations shall serve Him. R. In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace. |
St Augustine's commentary on this psalm links it to the story of Gideon and the fleece in Judges 6:
He has called to our minds and admonished us, that what was done by Gedeon the Judge, in Christ has its end. For he asked a sign of the Lord, that a fleece laid on the floor should alone be rained upon, and the floor should be dry; and again, the fleece alone should be dry, and the floor should be rained upon; and so it came to pass.
Which thing signified, that, being as it were on a floor in the midst of the whole round world, the dry fleece was the former people Israel.
The same Christ therefore Himself came down like rain upon a fleece, when yet the floor was dry: whence also He said, I am not sent but to the sheep which were lost of the house of Israel. There He chose out a Mother by whom to receive the form of a servant, wherein He was to appear to men...
The earliest responsories?
Most of the responsories we've looked at so far this Advent have been either non-psalm based, so this is an interesting example of a distinct set of psalm responsories clearly chosen for their appropriateness to the season or feast.
And indeed, one of the oldest possible references to the responsory repertoire relates to exactly this type of responsory. Gennadius of Marseilles wrote about some work commissioned by his predecessor Venerius (428-52), saying:
Musaeus, presbyter of the church at Marseilles, a man learned in Divine Scriptures and most accurate in their interpretation, as well as master of an excellent scholastic style, on the request of Saint Venerius the bishop, selected from Holy Scriptures passages suited to the various feast days of the year, also passages from the Psalms for responses suited to the season, and the passages for reading.
The readers in the church found this work of the greatest value, in that it saved them trouble and anxiety in the selection of passages, and was useful for the instruction of the people as well as for the dignity of the service.
He also addressed to Saint Eustathius the bishop, successor to the above mentioned man of God, an excellent and sizable volume, a Sacramentary, divided into various sections, according to the various offices and seasons, readings and psalms, both for reading and chanting, but also filled throughout with petitions to the Lord, and thanksgiving for his benefits.
By this work we know him to have been a man of strong intelligence and chaste eloquence. He is said to have also delivered homilies, which are, as I know, valued by pious men, but which I have not read. He died in the reign of Leo and Majorianus.
It is unclear in this, of course, whether he is talking about the Office was well as the Mass, particularly as the Gallic equivalent of the Roman Gradual was called a responsory. Still, the comment seems broad enough to encompass both uses of psalms.
Monday, December 18, 2023
Advent responsory: Bethlehem, the city of the most high God
Today's O antiphon is O Adonai.
And for a responsory, I want to take a brief look at Bethlehem civitas Dei, the second responsory for the Third Sunday of Advent as well as Monday in week three of Advent, brings us back firmly to the events of Christmas itself, but also on the implications of the Incarnation:
R. Bethléhem, / cívitas Dei summi, ex te éxiet Dominátor Israël, † et egréssus eius sicut a princípio diérum æternitátis, † et magnificábitur in médio univérsæ terræ: * Et pax erit in terra nostra, dum vénerit. V. Loquétur pacem in géntibus, † et potéstas eius a mari usque ad mare. R. Et pax erit in terra nostra, dum vénerit. | R. From you, Bethlehem, city of the Most High God, shall come forth he that is to be ruler of Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting, and now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. * And there will be the peace in our land when he comes. V. He shall speak peace unto the gentiles, and shall have dominion from sea to sea. R. |
The text of the respond is based on Micah 5:2:
Et tu, Bethlehem Ephrata, parvulus es in millibus Juda; ex te mihi egredietur qui sit dominator in Israël, et egressus ejus ab initio, a diebus æternitatis.
Bethlehem-Ephrata! Least do they reckon thee among all the clans of Juda? Nay, it is from thee I look to find a prince that shall rule over Israel. Whence comes he? From the first beginning, from ages untold. (Knox translation).
The verse is from Zachariah 9:10.
This is another responsory that may have come into the Roman repertoire from Gaul or Spain.
It is worth noting though, that many of the Advent seasonal responsories we have been looking at were almost certainly not those used in the Benedictine Office in St Benedict's time due to the strongly ferial character of the Office at that time, but also because Advent (the Ember days aside) was mostly a rather late arrival to Rome. Although Christmas was introduced into the calendar early on, and the lead up to the feast quickly spread in the West, in Rome the pre-season itself seems to have developed only over the later part of the sixth century.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Advent responsory: The shut gate and Our Lady's perpetual virginity (Responsories Pt 3)
Source: Gregobase |
I want to continue today, my series on the Matins responsories with a look at the second responsory for Tuesday in weeks I&II of Advent, Ante multum tempus, which offers a nice example of the use of responsories as keys to interpretation of the Scriptural texts. I also want to provide the first of a few posts looking at the history of the repertoire.
Here is the text of the responsory, laid out as it is sung.
R. Ante / multum tempus prophetávit Ezéchiel: Vidi portam clausam; † ecce Deus ante sæcula ex ea procedébat pro salúte mundi: * Et erat íterum clausa, demónstrans Vírginem, † quia post partum permánsit virgo. V. Porta quam vidísti, Dóminus solus transíbit per illam. R. Et erat íterum clausa, demónstrans Vírginem, † quia post partum permánsit virgo. | R. A long time ago, said Ezekiel the Prophet, I saw the gate shut: behold, God went forth from it before the ages for the salvation of the world. * And it was shut again, for it is a figure of the Virgin, in that after childbirth she remained a Virgin still. V. The Lord alone shall enter by the gate that thou savest. R. And it was shut again, for it is a figure of the Virgin, in that after childbirth she remained a Virgin still. |
The text of both the respond and the verse is based on Ezekiel 44:1-2, though with some obvious non-Scriptural glossing in the second part of the respond.
Here are the relevant verses from Ezekiel, with some of the verbal allusions to the responsory text highlighted:
Et convertit me ad viam portæ sanctuarii exterioris, quæ respiciebat ad orientem: et erat clausa. 2 Et dixit Dominus ad me: Porta hæc clausa erit: non aperietur, et vir non transibit per eam, quoniam Dominus Deus Israël ingressus est per eam: eritque clausa principi. Princeps ipse sedebit in ea, ut comedat panem coram Domino: per viam portæ vestibuli ingredietur, et per viam ejus egredietur.
And the Vulgate translation:
Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.
The interpretation of the text provided by the responsory is very conventional, reflecting a long line of exegesis on Ezekiel's text as references to Our Lady's perpetual virginity that can be found in St Ambrose, St Augustine and many other Fathers.
The doctrine itself, though, was formally defined at the Lateran Council of 649, and there is at least one other Advent responsory (which I'll come to, Bethlehem civitas) that may have come into the repertoire at this time to reflect that.
The history of responsories: oral transmission
You can find the chant for it at the top of the post, but it is worth keeping in mind that up until the tenth century (or thereabouts), as far as we know, the transmission of the responsory (and other) chants was entirely oral.
There are a few early sources that preserve the texts of responsories in different (mostly non-Roman, at least for the earliest sources) traditions, and rather more that just provide the initial words of the responsory (incipit) for the relevant season or feast, but the melodies associated with them had to be committed to memory and passed down through generations of singers.
The transmission process could be fragile at times and places: if almost the entire body of monks was wiped out by illness (as happened during St Bede the Venerable's childhood at Wearmouth-Jarrow), invasions or other factors, the sources might have to be reimported from outside.
That oral traditions could be preserved faithfully over relatively long periods, though, is attested to by the similarities in many chants from quite diverse regions when they were finally written down.
It represents an extraordinary achievement, particularly given that the responsory repertoire is far larger than that of Mass propers.
It has been estimated that in the seventh century, for example, there were around 200 responsories in use; the late tenth/early eleventh century (monastic) Hartker Manuscript contains around 600 responsories (annotated with neumes); but by the high middle ages the number had expanded to over 2000. By way of comparison, the 1963 breviary contains around 800 responsories.
A Benedictine link...
Today's particular responsory, Ante multum tempus, doesn't appear in all that many manuscripts - the Cantus database lists only sixteen, most of them allocating it to the Third Sunday of Advent.
Nor does it appear in the Old Roman manuscripts (which are thought to represent seventh century Roman practice).
It does, however, appear in one that has many similarities to them, suggesting it may date from the same period, and appears in a manuscript written in Rome in the eleventh century preserved in the Biblioteca Vallicelliana, C.5.
This particular manuscript was used until 1219 by the Benedictine nuns of San Sisto on the Via Appia. It was then taken to the (by then Benedictine) Monastery of Sant' Eutizio in Norcia, near St Benedict's birthplace. That monastery was originally founded in the fifth century by Abbot Spes and St Eutychius, both monks (along with other hermits who settled near Norcia around this time whom St Benedict may well have known) displaced from Syria by heresies there, mentioned in Book III of St Gregory's Dialogues (ch 38).
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Advent reflections: Drop down, ye heavens, from above (Responsories Pt 2)
In particular, many of these texts preserve key theological concepts and themes that help us understand the meaning of the season, feast or bible book.
R. Montes / Israël, ramos vestros expándite, † et floréte, et fructus fácite: * Prope est ut véniat dies Dómini. V. Roráte, cæli, désuper, et nubes pluant iustum: † aperiátur terra, et gérminet Salvatórem. R. Prope est ut véniat dies Dómini. | R. O ye mountains of Israel, shoot forth your branches and blossom and bring forth fruit. * The day of the Lord is at hand to come. V. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down the Righteous One let the earth open, and let her bring forth the Saviour. R. The day of the Lord is at hand to come. |
But you, mountains of Israel, must burgeon anew, and grow fruit for my own people to enjoy; their home-coming is not far off now. Watch for me, I am coming back to you; soil of you shall be ploughed and sown anew; and men, too, shall thrive on it, Israel’s full muster-roll, peopling the cities, restoring the ruins. (Knox translation)
The word that Isaias the son of Amos saw, concerning Juda and Jerusalem. And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go, and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall come forth from Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Source: Stanhofe Nocturnale Romanum, via Gregobase |
You can find an alternative version of the chant here.
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Reflecting on Advent through the responsories: Aspiciens a longe (Responsories Pt 1)
R. Aspíciens / a longe, ecce video Dei poténtiam veniéntem, † et nébulam totam terram tegéntem. † Ite obviam ei, et dícite: * Núntia nobis, si tu es ipse, * Qui regnatúrus es in pópulo Israël. V. Quique terrígenæ, et fílii hóminum, † simul in unum dives et pauper. Ite obviam ei, et dícite. R. Ite obviam ei, et dícite. V. Qui regis Israël, inténde, qui dedúcis velut ovem Ioseph. R. Núntia nobis, si tu es ipse. V. Tóllite portas, príncipes, vestras, † et elevámini portæ æternáles, et introíbit Rex glóriæ. R. Qui regnatúrus es in pópulo Israël. V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto. R. Aspíciens a longe, ecce video Dei poténtiam veniéntem, et nébulam totam terram tegéntem. * Ite obviam ei, et dícite: * Núntia nobis, si tu es ipse, * Qui regnatúrus es in pópulo Israël. | R. I look from afar, and behold I see the power of God, coming like as a cloud to cover the land with the hosts of his people: Go ye out to meet him and say: Tell us if thou art he, * That shalt reign over God's people Israel. V. All ye that dwell in the world, all ye children of men, high and low, rich and poor, one with another. R. Go ye out to meet him and say. V. Hear, O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. R. Tell us if thou art he. V. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. R. That shalt reign over God's people Israel. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost. R. I look from afar, and behold I see the power of God, coming like as a cloud to cover the land with the hosts of his people: Go ye out to meet him and say: Tell us if thou art he, * That shalt reign over God's people Israel. |
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Getting ready for Advent pt 2
In my last post I suggested starting to get ready for Advent now, as it is a particularly intensive time in the Office.
In this post, I want to continue on that theme, and highlight some of the key things you need to be aware of or remind yourself of.
The two parts of Advent
First, Advent essentially falls into two parts - the days up to and including December 16, which are Class III days; and the days between December 17 and 23, which are Class II.
First, throughout both parts of Advent, the 'Ordinary of Advent' is used, so make sure you are familiar with what is in it!
Aside from the Ordinary, it is important to keep in mind that unlike Lent and some other special seasons, the default collect throughout Advent is that of the Sunday of the relevant week of Advent, not of the day. The exceptions are for feasts, the Ember Days of Advent, and the Vigil of the Nativity.
Thirdly, unlike Lent, Class III feasts are not reduced to commemorations. Instead, when a feast occurs, the Advent day is 'commemorated' at both Lauds and Vespers, by using the canticle antiphon for the relevant hour and day of Advent, the versicle for Lauds or Vespers which is of the season, and the collect (of the Advent week). You can find more detailed notes on this here: how to make commemorations of the Advent day
Fourthly, there are canticle antiphons for each day of Advent. During the first part of Advent, these are of the day of the Advent week. This pattern continues for Lauds during the second part of Advent, with the exception of two antiphons that are specific to the date (21 and 23 December), but at Vespers, the (O) antiphons are of the date for December 17 to 23.
Finally, when it comes to the antiphons for the psalms, during the first part of Advent, Prime to None use the antiphons of the relevant Advent Sunday. When the days are Class II, there are specific special antiphons for each day of the week. If you want to know more about antiphons, and particularly singing them, try these two posts: Antiphons in Advent Pt 1 and Antiphons Pt 2.
Want to know more?
For those wanting to know more, or needing more help, you can either get a full Ordo from Lulu, use the shorter notes on the Ordo page on this blog, and/or refer to the notes I've previously written on this topic.
For notes on the individual hours in advent, follow these links:
And for quick reference guides with page numbers to the Diurnal try these links:
Thursday, November 23, 2023
Getting ready for Advent - Part I
This is my annual reminder that the most complicated time of the year for the Office, Advent, is rapidly approaching, so its time to start getting ready!
This post is primarily for those relatively new to the Office - I'll say more for those more advanced in the next.
Get your Ordo now
The first key step is to make sure you have an Ordo at hand that you can use.
At a minimum, an Ordo will tell you what liturgical day is celebrated on each date, and how to resolve any conflicts between competing days and feasts (such as between Sundays and feasts, or competing days and dates in Advent).
Each year, the changing dates of 'moveable feasts' and seasons (stemming from the date of the first Sunday of Advent and Easter) interact with the calendar year cycle causing what the Diurnal calls occasions of 'concurrence' or 'occurence'.
For the coming year, I've found over sixty of these, and nine of these occur in December.
You can of course, sit down and work these out for yourself with the aid of the 'two tables' in the Diurnal, and a copy of the rubrics (since there are always some issues that aren't actually covered by the two tables). But you will need to have your wits about you if you choose that path!
A short version of the one I produce can be found at the page links on this blog - click here for December. Alternatively you can purchase a more detailed version which tells you exactly which texts you should use, and providing page numbers for them in the Diurnal and Antiphonale (if you are chanting the Office).
You can purchase it Lulu:
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
The Office in Advent
Advent is the most complex period of the year for the Office, so it is worth carefully reviewing how it works, and making sure you know how to place your ribbons, before Advent starts!
The Office
during Advent, up to December 16
Tomus Prior of the Monastic Breviary (MB) 1963 is used from I Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent.
The season of Advent falls into two parts, the first of which extends from the First Sunday of Advent up to December 16.
The ordinary days of Advent in this period are of the third class (Class III). The default collects (for hours other than Prime and Compline) are from the previous Sunday, except for the Ember Days in week three of Advent).
On Sundays:
· There
are ‘proper’ texts for all hours, set out in the Proper of the Season (temporale) section of the Farnborough edition of
the Monastic Diurnal (MD) or Breviary (MB) for the relevant Sunday; and
·
At
Matins, the antiphons and Nocturn III canticles are of Advent, set out in the
psalter section of the MB.
On weekdays:
·
At
Matins the Invitatory antiphon, hymn, versicles and chapter are of the Ordinary
of Advent, MB 14 ff;
·
At
Matins the (three) readings are of the Advent day (ie Monday in the first week
of Advent, etc);
·
At
Lauds and Vespers the chapter, hymn, responsory and versicle are of the
Ordinary of Advent (MB 15 ff/MD 9* ff), which can be found in the temporale section of your Office book
(note: ignore the ‘throughout the year’ texts in the psalter section of your
Office book);
·
Lauds
and Vespers have Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons for each day
of the relevant week of Advent;
·
At
Prime to None the antiphons are taken from the relevant Sunday of Advent (MB 16
ff/ MD 13*ff); and
·
At
Terce to None, the chapter and versicle are of Advent (set out in the psalter
section of your Office book).
On feast days, a commemoration of Advent, consisting of (in order) the canticle antiphon (of the Advent day) and versicle (of the season) for the relevant hour, as well as the collect of the Advent week or Ember Day, is made at both Lauds and Vespers.
The Office in Advent between
December 17 and 23
The days between December 17 and 23 are Class II days, and reflecting this, the liturgy intensifies.
At Matins there is a proper Invitatory antiphon for the season (Prope est, MB 14).
At Lauds to Vespers a set of antiphons for the psalms for each day of the week are used, set out at MD 37*/AM 212 ff.
At Lauds the Benedictus antiphons are normally of the relevant Advent day, but there are specific antiphons said on December 21 and 23.
At Vespers, the 'O Antiphons' (MD 35-6*/AM 208ff) are sung with the Magnificat, displacing the Magnificat antiphon of the Advent day.