Long shot: need help with a bit of Latin in the OCO2015
  • DCM
    Posts: 70
    I need help understanding an instruction in the OCO2015 pdf (p.372)

    Antiphonae sequentes, ad lectionem Sacrae Scripturae referuntur, quae, sive ipsae dominicae vel diebus infra hebdomadam in Officio Lectionis Liturgiae Horarum pro cyclo unius anni [or duorum annorum] assignantur.

    Loco tamen earum cani possunt antiphonae de Evangelio quae pro cantico Benedictus iisdem dominicis assignantur.

    This refers to a one- and two-year cycle of Magnificat antiphons for 1st Vespers of Sundays of ordinary time (which I hadn't heard of before; I thought these were supposed to be keyed to the three-year lectionary for mass?)

    Google translate seems to have a harder time with Latin than some other languages so I can't make much sense of this. The first sentence appears to be a reference to the one- and two-year cycles of first readings at the Office of Readings but I can't tell if the mention of Sunday refers to that as well or to the Sunday gospel at mass. I cannot figure out the second sentence at all.

  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    The first set of antiphons (pro cyclo unius) is for the first year of the two year cycle. The second set of antiphons (pro cyclo duorum) is for the second year of the two year cycle.

    I'll have a go at the second sentences, and others can refine it:

    "In the place [Loco], however [tamen] , of them [earum] may be sung [cani possunt] the antiphons of the Gospel [antiphonae de Evangelio] which [quae] are assigned [assignantur] for the canticle [pro cantico] Benedictus of each of these Sundays[ iisdem dominiciis]."

    The "Benedictus" here isn't the canticle which precedes the consecration, but that of Zachariah, the father of St. John the Baptist. In the old form, this canticle is always sung at Lauds.
    Thanked by 1DCM
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,372
    It may mean that IF there is an antiphon taken from the Gospel of the day, that can be used instead of the ones assigned. But I am not confident in that interpretation.
  • joerg
    Posts: 137
    In the OCO2015 the antiphons for first vespers are taken from the biblical book that will be read during the following week at matins. In the Antiphonale Romanum II (which only contains vespers), however, the antiphons for first vespers are taken from the Sunday gospel, and they coincide with the Benedictus antiphons of OCO2015. So this clause was apparently added in order that ARII stays valid under OCO2015.
    Thanked by 3a_f_hawkins DCM igneus
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    [T]his clause was apparently added in order that ARII [2009] stays valid under OCO2015.

    And here continueth the incompetency of the post-conciliar liturgical reform, wherein the Right hand knoweth not what the Left hand is doing. How biblical of them! We've waited 40 years for these books, and they're basically out of date by the time they're published. Give me a royal break!
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • DCM
    Posts: 70
    Thanks for the help, folks. That is a bit confusing. If you're moving the Benedictus antiphon to 1st vespers... what do you use at the Benedictus?
  • dad29
    Posts: 2,217
    Alia aptus, of course.
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 354
    You repeat the antiphon also for Benedictus, of course.
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,372
    See here for the history of this mess.
    parishes and religious houses which received the new Breviary in 1971 were faced with the impossible task of chanting an office which was not compiled with musical forms in mind.
    But what you should do is consult OCO.
    http://www.antiphonale.net/oco_v3.pdf
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 354
    (To the article)

    Volume one completes a trio of texts which began with the publication of the Liber Hymnarius in 1983 and Antiphonale Romanum II in 2009. These three books provide the Gregorian notation for the antiphons, hymns, and responsories which are necessary to chant Lauds and Vespers from the modern Liturgy of the Hours on Sundays, feasts, and solemnities.


    Not true. LH is not part of any trio with the ARs (which reproduce all LH contents for the hours they cover). Instead, LH is still waiting for its mythical tomus prior, the big one-volume antiphonal.

    Unexpectedly, the Congregation for Divine Worship published a second edition of the Ordo Cantius Officii in 2015, which revised several of the antiphon selections of its predecessor. The need for this text arose in 2002 after Pope John Paul II introduced the three-year cycle of antiphons at the Gospel canticle.


    The three-year cycle was almost 20 years old in 2002, introduced in the 1985 Liturgia horarum, editio typica altera.
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