Fantastic news!

Has anyone heard anything more about this? Still nothing in the Editions Solesmes online catalogue.

Solesmes now has it on their website!

Antiphonale Romanum II

Two things pique my interest:

1. "At the end of the book, a chapter explains in detail the rules of song from each of these genres."

and

2. "These melodies are presented in their pastoral edition is tailored to the needs of amateur choirs:"

It seems that at long last some of the fruits of "late Solesmes" chant scholarship and the (true) intentions of Vatican II regarding the importance of chant in the life of the Church are finally are coming forth! So exciting to see this happen!

The quality of the Antiphonale Monasticum, published by Solesmes in the passed years, is quite bad: a large number of new antiphons and with little respect for the manuscripts, as everyone who has knowledge of Gregorian chant can notice. I am afraid that the same is true for the new Vesperal, so be careful before spending money!

When someone gets one I should like to know if the Ordo Cantus Officii is followed without deviation in what the distribution of antiphons is concerned. I ask this because in another discussion in this forum Steven van Roode mentioned (much to my surprise) that the bilingual (Latin-French) Les Heures Grégoriennes (three volumes with all the Hours bar the Office of Readings for the whole year) does not, even though published as Editio iuxta Typicam. So I wonder what the case is with this Vesperal.

There are several reasons I could think that someone would want to chant Vespers in Latin in the new rite rather than the traditional one.

1. You are unable to use the Traditional Rite because those in charge, such as a pastor, is not open to it.

2. Most people who pray the office use the newer form, so they're more familiar with it.

3. Maybe? Isn't the newer Vespers a little bit shorter? Maybe people are more open to going if it takes 20 minutes as opposed to 30?

4. It's in line with the newer Calendar, so if one goes to Sunday Mass in the newer Form, then they won't be confused.

5. The hymn texts have been restored to their original forms.

I second number 2. and number 4 from Gilbert. While I am aware of criticisms of Liturgia Horarum by those more knowledgeable than I, it is the Office prayed by most clergy, religious and many laity the world over. For people who attend Sunday mass in the OF (the vast majority), attending a Sunday evening Vespers offers further opportunity for prayer and reflection on that day in the liturgical year. And for those who might bring along their own volume of the Liturgy of the Hours it will match the familiar format.

Ah, many thanks for these observations. The restored hymns are valuable. I exist entirely in an EF world, so the rest is moot for me.

My copy was delivered about an hour ago. It's a beautiful edition.

> When someone gets one I should like to know if the Ordo Cantus Officii is followed without deviation in what the distribution of antiphons is
> concerned.

I quickly browsed through the Sundays of Lent, and it's very clear that the new Antiphonale Romanum deviates quite often from the Ordo cantus Officii. On almost every Sunday of Lent, there is at least one antiphon that isn't according to the Ordo.

Perhaps the Decretum in front of the Antiphonale might throw some light on this, but my Latin isn't good enough to understand it completely (emphasis is mine):

CONGREGATIO DE CULTU DIVINO
ET DISCIPLINA SACREMENTORUM
Prot. N. 743/08/L

DECRETUM
de variationibus quibusdam
in editionem typicam Ordinis cantus Officii inducendis

Iam vigesimum quintum celebratur iubilæum editionis typicæ Ordinis cantus Officii, die 25 mensis martii anno 1983 de Summi Pontificis Ioannis Pauli PP. II mandato prælo datæ, quæ nova sua ratione in cantibus disponendis necessitatibus eorum respondit, qui celebrationem Liturgiæ Horarum lingua latina peragunt.
Post editionem illam amplum opus melodicæ instaurationis antiphonarum peractum est, quod antiquos oblitos fontes manuscriptos sicut et congruum Mediæ Ætatis numerum restituit antiphonarum, quæ etiamdum repertorium cantuum in Officio Divino Liturgiæ Romanæ adhibitum ditari valent, iuxta mandata Patrum Concilii Œcumenici Vaticani II: «Thesaurus musicæ sacræ summa cura servetur et foveatur» (Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 114).
Proinde, hæc Congregatio, vigore facultatum a Summo Pontifice BENEDICTO XVI tributarum, attento opere a Solesmensibus Monachis parato, necnon consulto Pontificio Instituto de Musica Sacra, introductionem variationum quarundam quoad antiphonas et responsoria in editionem vigentem Ordinis cantus Officii approbavit. Curæ erit huic Dicasterio, ut supradictæ variationes et additiones publici iuris fiant.

Contrariis quibuslibet minime obstantibus.

Ex ædibus Congreationis de Culto Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum, die 2 mensis octobris 2008, in memoria Ss. Angelorum Custodum.

+ Franciscus Card. Arinze
Præfectus

+ Albertus Malcolmus Ranjith
Archiepiscopus a Secretis

Well, not quite superseded, just amended: the Congregation "approved the introduction of some variations of some antiphons and responsories in the current edition of the Ordo cantus Officii. This Dicastery will see to it that the aforementioned variations and additions are made public law."

So, if I'm reading this aright, there are to be new options (variationes) in the Ordo cantus Officii; and the CDWDS will take steps, presumably by issuing a document, to make the additions to the OCO public law, so that anyone can use them, not just Solesmes.

I received mine yesterday. It is a very handsome volume, bound in red and printed cleanly in black and red ink. The sections are as follows:

Proprium de tempore:
- Advent, Nativity to Epiphany with feast days etc, Lent, Passion week, Triduum, Easter season.
Tempus per Annum:
-Magnificat antiphons listed separately for years A, B, and C, Concluding prayers for Ordinary Sundays, Solemnities of the Lord.
Ordinary
- 4-week psalter with hymns, antiphons, pointed psalms, canticles, readings, short responsories, and intercessions.
Propers of the Saints
Commons
Office of the dead
Common tones
-Deus in adiutorium, Psalm tones, Solemn intonations, tone for sung reading, responsories, intercessions, prayers, concluding rituales (blessings, dismissals, Benedicamos Domino)
Appendix
-Pointed Magnificat in all tones, alternative hymn tunes for Pange lingua and Vexilla regis
Alphabetical index
-Antiphons, Hymns, Responsories, Various

Overall I like the book very much. It provides everything you need to sing I or II Vespers for all Sundays and major feasts throughout the year. It provides all the antiphons (yay!) and hymns. It also provides tones for the New Testament Canticles and General Intercessions which are completely new to the Liturgy of the Hours and did not exist traditionally.

Some possible down sides:
As you might have been able to tell above, everything is spread out around the book so that to use this book by itself to sing Vespers requires a LOT of page flipping. All the psalms are pointed for their appropriate psalm tones, but the tones are only listed near the back. So if you don't have them memorized (alternative endings and all) you have to look them up each time. This is definitely an Antiphonale and not a streamlined one-volume Liturgy of the Hours like the Mundelein Psalter.

Questions:
For the Gospel Canticle at II Vespers on Sundays in Ordinary Time, there is no antiphon given. Instead, it is all written out with all of the sung Alleluias inserted, one tone for weeks I and II, another for weeks II and IV. Could someone translate this short direction?

Tempore per annum, canticum Novi Testamenti canitur modo responsoriali, cum Alleluia.

Aliis temporibus, canticum Novi Testamenti canitur modo troparii, cum Alleluia et antiphona.

As I've heard described elsewhere, this volume lacks any of the Solesmes rhythmic markings (ictus, episema, virtually no dotted punctums). There are also the "new" neumes and notehead shapes as I believe was used in the Liber Hymnarius. Does anybody know of a concise guide to interpreting this new notation?

Overall, I recommend this volume as a necessary resource for anybody interesting in singing a traditional Sunday Vespers according to the Liturgy of the Hours.

Thank you, Father Ruff!

Is this a change from Liturgia Horarum? All the other books I have include an antiphon for ordinary time as well.

> Is this a change from Liturgia Horarum?

Yes: in Liturgia Horarum there is always an antiphon. But:

In the 1983 Ordo Cantus Officii the Salus et gloria canticle (Apoc. 19, 1-2.5-7) never had an antiphon: «In all seasons except Lent, the Salus et Gloria canticle is sung in responsorial manner with Alleluia.» (p. [54]410) (And during Lent, the 1 Peter canticle is sung instead of the Salus et Gloria.)

A question: does the book include Vespers for Maundy (Holy) Thursday and Good (Holy) Friday? Or are these ommitted because of being prayed only by those who do not attend the Evening celebrations, and thus seldom celebrated in chant? (This was what the Ordo Cantus Officii did.)

> Is it the case that one can no longer use the OCO?

I believe the answer is in the Decree at the beginning of the book, transcribed and translated some posts above: the book embodies some changes and additions recently introduced in the Ordo Cantus Officii.

Several times in the Antiphonale, such as on the Third Sunday of Lent, II Vespers, the Antiphons for the Magnificat are printed as such in this order: "ANNO A", "Vel, ad libitum", "ANNO B", ANNO C".

My question is this: Is the "Vel, ad libitum" antiphon intended to be an option in Year A? Or is it meant to be an Ad Libitum for any of the years in the 3-year cycle? I had first thought it was only an option in year A, because of the way it follows in the book, but then I started to notice that every time an "Ad Libitum" appears with the Magnificat Antiphons, it's located right after Year A, and only after Year A, which makes me think maybe they are intending the Ad Libitum to be for any of the 3 years? Does anyone know for sure?

Gilbert

Dan, Gilbert,

you will find the answer if you look at the Gospel for each year:
Year A: The Gospel is John 4, 5-42, Jesus and the Samaritan Women near Jacob's well.
Year B: The Gospel is John 2, 13-25, the Purification of the Temple
Year C: The Gospel is Luke 13, 1-9, "If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did".

The Lectionary says that the readings for Year A may be used as alternative readings.

Now if you look at the Antiphons proposed, you find:
A: Mulier, venient dies quando veri adoratores adorabunt Patrem in Spiritu et veritate. John 4, 23
vel, ad libitum: Domine, ut video, propheta est tu; patres nostri in monte hoc adoraverunt.
B: Scriptum est enim quia domus mea domus orationis est cunctis gentibus; vos autem fecistis illam speluncam latronum. Et era cotidie docens in templo. John 4, 19-20
C: Peccata mea, Domine, sicut sagittae infixa sunt in me; sed antequam vulnera generent in me, sana me, Domine, medicamento paenitentiae, Deus.

As you can see, the antiphons are taken from the Gospel of each year, or have a strong link to it.

So, the ad libitum antiphon refers only to the Gospel of Year A. Both antiphons "Mulier, venient" and "Domine, ut video", are taken from that same Gospel.

For Year C: the antiphon is not taken from the Gospel, but it is a prayer for healing from sin, and has a strong link to the Gospel of year C.

Please, excuse my bad english... it is not my first language.

Have a Blessed Lent.

Fr. Pierre

The norms for chant in the Ordo Cantus Missae say (para. 19) that if a reading is transferred, antiphons related to it ought to be brought with them. I have no info on whether the same rule applies to the Office.

If Mass readings from year A are used in year B or C, the corresponding Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons from year A are used as well. Otherwise the Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons of year B or C are used.

May I reengage the question of why one would pray the LotH in Latin?

Gilbert says:

1. You are unable to use the Traditional Rite because those in charge, such as a pastor, is not open to it.
Reply: I suspect in this situation, the pastor would also not be open to Latin at all.

2. Most people who pray the office use the newer form, so they're more familiar with it.
Reply: I wonder how many pray it in Latin

3. Maybe? Isn't the newer Vespers a little bit shorter? Maybe people are more open to going if it takes 20 minutes as opposed to 30?
Reply: Perhaps, but the arbitrary changes to the liturgy weaken it (see Dobzay on this) and what's 10 minutes if you took the time to go to the service. BTW our EF Solemn Vespers take about 40.

4. It's in line with the newer Calendar, so if one goes to Sunday Mass in the newer Form, then they won't be confused.
Reply: I'll accept this point, but somewhere in the future it will be moot, I suspect

5. The hymn texts have been restored to their original forms.
Reply: Easy enough to borrow them for the EF ; -) then. Keep in mind that the 1962 restriction on the Mass does not apply to the Office for the laity.

Of course everyone here knows that I just can't abide the Vat2 Office. It is the greatest rupture in the entire liturgy and I won't be a willing participant in that. I completely understand the reasons for the translated hours, but not in Latin.

But you sort of make my point (and Dobzay's) that new office (as stated in SC 91) was built for clerics to read in their busy days. It is a resurrection of the spirit of the Quiñones breviary that was rejected strongly by Trent.

My sensus ecclesiae is just fine, thank you. For those things that bind me as a layman, I am observant. The Vat2 office does not bind me and no legislation has abrogated the Tridentine office (in any form prior to 1962 as I read things).

I know that many are tired of hearing my rantings against the LotH, so I'll cool it, but I am surprised that so many here would so gladly work with this liturgical rupture. This a completely new office and has very little to do with the centuries-old Roman Rite. I hope and pray that the Spirit intercedes here, but I'll leave it alone for now. I'm late for Terce.

Thank you, Dr Marht. I didn't realize that clergy could now use the pre-conciliar form to satisfy their obligations. That is encouraging.

@Dan F. - They appear in the Graduale Simplex (I believe that this was their first appearance) and in the new Antiphonale Monasticum.