OF Compline available
  • Yesterday I completed a booklet for OF Compline. It has all the Gregorian chants and Latin texts for Compline for the entire liturgical year. I appreciate any feedback, especially the report of errors and/or suggestions for improvement.

    Steven
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    From a cursory reading my comments and questions are:
    1) Thank you very much for this further booklet. It is far better than my own attempt made up of patches taken from older publications.
    2) You did not include the «Ave Maria» as final antiphon. I guess this is because it is not listed in the 1983 Ordo Cantus Officii. Since it is found in the Liturgia Horarum, I believe it would be all right to include it.
    3) What about the tones for the short readings, the prayers and (above all) the (full) psalm tones? I noticed none of your booklets include them. Are you planning to prepare a separate booklet with them?
    4) Did you take the antiphons and the Marian antiphons from the Antiphonale Monasticum (the 1934 one or the recent one)?
    5) If I may venture a suggestion, and if you are willing to make a slight departure from your Sunday Lauds+Vespers plan, why don't you prepare a booklet with the Office for the Dead? I believe this is a useful service and the result would certainly be better than my own patched up version.
  • Thanks! I may be able to use this in the next couple weeks.
  • @dvalerio:

    2) That's new to me. For the texts of Compline, I'm working with an online edition. The antiphon Ave Maria isn't mentioned here. Also, it isn't in my Dutch translation of Liturgia Horarum.

    3) This is a good suggestion. I think it should be possible to include the full psalm tones (and point the text of the psalms), as well as the tones for the readings and the prayers. I'll work on that!

    4) The sources I used for the antiphons are:

    Miserere mihi: HG2 1884 (= PM 352)
    Alleluia: HG2 1886 (= AM2 127; AM 59)
    In noctibus: HG2 1886 (= PM 355)
    Salva nos: HG2 1890 (= PM 358; AM2 233)

    Qui habitat: HG2 1900 (= PM 353)

    Suavis et mitis: AJ2 405
    Alleluia: AM 113

    Ad te Domine: AM 217 (cf. AM1 45)
    Alleluia: HG2 1920 (= AM2 97; AM 138)

    Esto mihi: HG2 1926 (= PM 158)
    Alleluia: AM2 163 (= PM 243)

    De profundis: HG2 1928 (= PM 318; AM2 97; AM 138)

    Caro mea: HG2 1934 (= GR 702 (?); HS 315 and LU 753 are different)

    Intret oratio mea: AM2 127 (= PM 195)

    Alma Redemptoris: tono sollemni: AM 173; tono simplici: AM 178
    Ave Regina: tono sollemni: AM 175; tono simplici: AM 179
    Regina cæli: tono sollemni: AM 176; tono simplici: AM 179
    Salve Regina: tono sollemni: AM 176; tono simplici: AM 180
    Sub tuum: AM 1258

    AJ: Antiphonarium juxta Ritum Sacri Ordinis Prædicatorum. Vincentii Jandel jussu editum. Mechliniæ, 1867-70
    HS: Ordo Hebdomadæ Sanctæ. Tournai, 1957
    HG: Les Heures Grégoriennes. Candé-sur-Beuvron, 2008

    For the Alleluias for which no music was available (according to the Ordo Cantus Officii) I followed the choice of Les Heures Grégoriennes. On close inspection, it turned out that these Alleluias did already appear in older chant books.

    5) I'll think about that.
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    I look forward to reviewing this when I have a minute. On the subject of the Marian antiphons and the revised Liturgy of the Hours, it appears that you can use any or none. It's easy enough to put together a couple of pages with the simple tone versions of the Alma redemptoris, Ave regina caelorum, Regina caeli, and Salve regina. You can use them according to the seasonal traditions. However, (and don't anyone throw anything at me), most people only know the last two and love to sing the Salve.

    I appreciate all the work being done by musicians all over the world on these projects. What a fantastic group of individuals! Thank you.
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    > The antiphon Ave Maria isn't mentioned here.

    Well, I'm sorry if it was my mistake. The online version you linked to is the one I also use, and I had never noticed it lacks the Ave Maria as one of the Marian Antiphons. I had always thought it was part of the LH because it is found in the Portuguese translation of the LH (that gives hymns and Marian antiphons in both Latin and Portuguese, and all the rest in Portuguese only). But perhaps that's one of the adaptations allowed to individual countries by the General Instruction (and the Ave Maria was added in Latin also).

    > Caro mea: HG2 1934 (= GR 702 (?); HS 315 and LU 753 are different)

    I had found this antiphon odd in your booklet: the 1983 Ordo sends us to GR 702 and GR is the 1974 Graduale Romanum edited by Solesmes where the LU melody is reproduced without change (though the appendix for Benedictine Use has a tranposed version with one note different); hence the antiphon you give was a surprise. Now I know where it comes from.
  • Absolutely stunning work, as usual, Steven!

    The only errata that I'm seeing so far are on pages 7 and 26--The 'Christe, qui, splendor et dies' hymn seems to have a vertical spacing issue with the clivis on splendor. The same error happens in both places where this is used (and possibly in other cases that I'm not yet seen).
  • I'll change the antiphon Caro mea into the one from the Graduale Romanum -- that's the one the 1983 Ordo prescribes. I don't now how the other melody ended up in Les Heures Grégoriennes, nor do I know where it comes from.
  • To take a stab at praising this in the Ostrowski form:

    THIS IS STUNNING! AMAZING JOB!!!!!!

    THANK YOU!
  • This is great. Thanks!
  • Thank you all for the suggestions and corrections. I have just uploaded an improved version of the Compline booklet. Right now I'm considering preparing a printed book using Lulu.com. Never done that before, so I'll see how that goes.
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    Steven van Roode - Sorry to come up with the question of sources again, but if you have patience could you please say what the source of the tones for responsories, the Deus in adiutorium and the readings in your excellent book is? Is it the AM? Are those the tones given in the recent Solesmes Vesperale? I'm just asking this because of the significant departure from the 1912 Antiphonale and the LU. Hence I wondered: is there any indication that the tones given in those two books are unauthentic, or should not be used?

    Pointing the text of the psalms (as you mention above) might be great, but since the Alleluias during Easter Time do not always correspond to the tones of the antiphons during the rest of the year you would have to duplicate a few psalms...
  • Man what fonts are you using for the texts? SO NICE!
  • @dvalerio: No problem. The Deus in adiutorium is taken from the new Antiphonale Romanum (AR2 737), which is also in the 1934 Antiphonale Monasticum (AM 1205). The new Antiphonale Monasticum (AM1 506) prescribes this for all hours. It's indeed different from the one used in the Liber Usualis (LU 263) and the 1912 Antiphonale Romanum (AV 2*).

    The tone for the short lesson is taken from the new Antiphonale Romanum (AR2 756). There, only one tone is given, and it's identical to the tonus ferialis given in the new Antiphonale Monasticum (AM1 529). You are right that this tone isn't found in the older chant books, although it looks similar to for instance LU 262-12, except for the final formula.

    The tones for the responsories are taken from the new Antiphonale Monasticum (AM2 231-232). They are also used in Les Heures Grégoriennes.

    >Pointing the text of the psalms (as you mention above) might be great, but since the Alleluias
    >during Easter Time do not always correspond to the tones of the antiphons during the rest of
    >the year you would have to duplicate a few psalms

    That's exactly the problem I encountered, and the reason for not pointing the psalms in the end.

    @bgeorge77: I'm using Garamond Premier Pro.
  • rey
    Posts: 9
    This is great. My only suggestion is to include an English translation of the chants for reference. Preferably a literal translation. Unless this isn't meant for parish use which would be a pity!
  • >My only suggestion is to include an English translation of the chants for reference.

    You are right that for parish use, an English translation would be beneficial. In the end, the booklets are intended to be used. However, as English isn't my mother tongue, I welcome translations from others which I could include. Maybe it's a good idea to compile booklets for other languages as well. I have approved Dutch and French translations at hand. Perhaps Duarte Valério can provide a Portuguese translation?
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    > Perhaps Duarte Valério can provide a Portuguese translation?

    Gladly. Actually our Bishops' conference has the actual PDF Breviary files online (condensed, one-volume version without the Office of Readings and without the Latin hymns, which are only given in the full, four-volume version). Concerning Compline:
    - most of the stuff is here (the file includes alternative hymns appointed for each day of the week, as an adaptation for our country);
    - the five last pages of the Ordinary have the Deus in adiutorium and the Marian antiphons (and in the very last page you can see the Ave Maria in Latin...);
    - the penitential act is here;
    - hymn Iesu redemptor saeculi is in page 3 of this file;
    - hymns Te lucis and Christe qui splendor are in pages 12-13 of this file.
    If I can be of assistance (e.g. editing some files) please let me know.

    Concerning English, and since it seems that liturgical texts in English are buried in a nightmare of copyright, why don't you try using some traditional version, e.g. the old but reliable Douay-Rheims? (What do native English speakers think about this?)
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    There's something I do not understand about your choice of what parts are repeated and what parts are not. You only give the Marian antiphons at the end, avoiding repeating them seven times (which would be useless); you only give the dominical and festal tones of the hymns once, avoding repeating them for Sundays; you only give the ferial tones of the hymns once (for Mondays, and avoid repeating them four other times); you do something similar with the responsories. All this makes perfect sense. And yet you give the Deus in adiutorium seven times, and, what is more, the Salva nos Domine seven times. I'm sorry if this suggestion is for something you already considered, and decided not to do: but would it not be better to have an Ordinary? The organisation might be something like:
    Ordinary: Deus in adiutorium (two tones); Miserere nostri; Hymns (all tones); Responsories (all tones); Salva nos Domine and Nunc dimittis; Noctem quietam; Marian antiphons (all of them)
    For each day of the week: Psalmody; Short reading; Prayer
    Common tones
    Then there are the options you ommit: the Confiteor and the troped Kyrie instead of the Miserere nostri; and the Christe qui splendor ad libitum during Common Time. Are you sure you want to preclude these legitimate options?
  • Thank you for the links to the Portuguese translations. I wish my Bishop's conference decided to put the Breviary online...

    >I'm sorry if this suggestion is for something you already considered, and decided not to do: but would it not be
    >better to have an Ordinary?

    I thought about your suggestion. When I started to put together this booklet for Compline, I had the idea to organize it as I did with the other booklets: in such a way browsing was reduced to a minimum for the congregation. Then I noticed that there were some space consuming parts, like the hymns, responsories and Marian antiphons, and I decided to put these together in one place as much as possible. I agree with you that in this way the booklet ended up poorly organized. I'm glad you pointed this out, and your suggestion for the organisation sounds very good.

    You are also right that I left out some other legitimate options, like the Confiteor and troped Kyrie, for no good reason. I will add these as well. I do have a nice version of the troped Kyrie and the Confiteor will be sung recto tono.

    Thank you for these suggestions, Duarte!
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    I had faced the same problems, and thought the question over and over, when I put up together my patched up version for my own use in prayer...
  • I'm rearranging the chants in order to get a better organized booklet. Looking at the Ordinarium for Compline on this website, I noticed that solely at the Deus in adiutorium of Compline, the alleluia at the end of the Gloria Patri is exclusively sung during Easter Time, while usually the alleluia is always sung, except during Lent:

    Ad Completorium
    V/. Deus, in adiutórium meum inténde.
    R/. Dómine, ad adiuvándum me festína.
    Glória Patri. Sicut erat.(T. P. allelúia).

    For Compline, my Dutch translation of Liturgia Horarum also says to omit the alleluia only during Lent. Does someone know what's to be done?
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    My bet is that that is a typo.

    1) The General Instruction says (§85): «Night prayer [Compline] begins like the other hours, with the verse, God, come to my assistance, the Glory to the Father, As it was in the beginning, and the Alleluia (omitted in Lent).»

    2) The Portuguese one-volume edition explicitly says in the Ordinary for Compline that the Alleluia is ommitted from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. (The same indication is given for all other hours.)

    3) The Portuguese four-volume edition does not ommit the Alleluia in the volumes for Advent, Christmas Time and Ordinary Time. In the volume for Lent and Easter Time the Alleluia is marked T.P., but that will actually be the only time the volume is used with the Alleluia being said. (The same indication is given for all other hours.)

    I suppose that in this point the Latin four-volume edition must be similar. Perhaps whoever compiled the almudi.org site copied the text from the volume for Lent and Easter?...
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    And I forgot to say that even in the almudi.org site, when you look for the psalmody of Compline, you have to choose the liturgical time: the Deus in adiutorium (abbreviated at the beginning) always has the Alleluia, save for Lent. So even they there agree with the rule that the Alleluia is ommitted only during Lent.
  • I rearranged the chants in the booklet for Compline. They are now in sections entitled Ordinarium, Psalterium and Toni Communes. I hope the booklet is now easier to use.

    I'm also working on an edition with an English translation. Are there any suggestions for the translation I could use for this?
  • Pes
    Posts: 623
    Outstanding. Yeoman's work, smvanroode!
  • "I'm also working on an edition with an English translation. Are there any suggestions for the translation I could use for this?"

    It would be wonderful to mirror the official translation currently used in "The Liturgy of the Hours". I know that the antiphons do not always match though. I would be interested in possibly working with you on this, Steven. Send me an email if you might want to discuss this more.