I hope and pray that this wonderful Hymnal will be made available online.

@ awilliams
That is a wonderful and much-needed resource... I'm praying and looking forward to its completion...

There has been much written about the success, or lack thereof, of the postconciliar revision of the Liturgy of the Hours, about the differences between "cathedral" and "monastic" hours, etc. I do not wish to enter those debates.

However, I do not understand how some individuals can say, in effect, "I am not pleased with the approved liturgical books (either the pre-conciliar ones [with that lousy neo-Vulgate psalter] or post-conciliar ones), and so I am going to put together my own, and I hope you'all will use them."

There are many different arguments as to how to properly adapt these chants so there will be different results from different people. I am aware of Rev. Plater's work (and have printed copies at my disposal for reference).

In my own work, I have set two goals. The first is to create an approachable adaptation of the Antiphonale Romanum using the official English texts of the Liturgy of the Hours so that it can be readily used by clerics and particularly parishes who wish to respond to the Second Vatican Council's call to offer the principle hours for the public on Sundays and Feast days.

The second goal deals more so with the actual method of adaption. While I make serious attempts to preserve the original melodies of the chants, this is not my ultimate goal. When the latin texts were set to chant, much time was given to allow the music and the text to exist in a sort of bond which produces one spiritual thought. Thus, at least in my mind, to attempt to preserve the Latin melodies for the sake of the melodies fails to meet the true purpose of the chant which is to assist in the prayer of the text. Instead, in my own adaptations, I attempt to find some sense of the intent of the composer and preserve that. This sometimes requires me to restructure an antiphon. Admittedly, this is not an approach many people prefer (I have recently had a conversation with some of the monks of Clear Creek Abbey who certainly disagreed with my approach) but there is just something about favoring the melody over the text which doesn't agree with me.

Thus, while I do agree that Anglicans are hard to beat when it comes to English music, I think the Church's tradition of sung prayer is adaptable to our vernacular. It will not sound quite the same, but it will serve its purpose. After all, if I wanted to reproduce the Latin I could just sing the Latin.

If only the liturgists of the 1960's and 1970's had been so circumspect and so faithful to the approved editions! Such consideration would have restrained them from imposing their own inventions on the faithful.

If they'd kept fidelity to the approved editions foremost in mind, the bad old ICEL never would have foisted their invented "alternative opening prayers" on us; nor would they have dared to invent any new structures such as the "psalm-prayer", non-existent in the approved Latin LOTH.

The old ICEL was in a position like that of some newer groups now, making adaptations and perhaps inventions, with the wish of getting them approved some day.

Good grief.

Fr. Krisman,

In a 250 page book you are letting a very tiny addition bother you.
All texts are there that match the official texts the ICET Benedictus that should be there is there, but afterwards the same canticle, for that canticle alone, and no other, is included in the RSV 2nd CE text from Ignatius Press.

It has long been known that Religious can make use of different texts approved for Liturgical Use with the approval of their ordinary. The inclusive language psalter produced by Carmelites of Indianapolis "COMPANION TO THE BREVIARY" also does not match official texts, yet it is approved for their lay/third order carmelites to use, despite it's numerous inaccurate translations.

Both the NAB and RSV 2nd CE are accurate translations of the Latin words. The 1973 ICEL text misses several key words of importance. The words of the RSV text sing much more smoothly. The RSV 2nd Catholic edition text is an approved lectionary text for the Personal Ordinariates of the Anglican use in the Roman Catholic Church as well as most english speaking Catholics of the carribbean islands. What is the harm in including this as an option below the ICEL text ?

http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html

It is, moreover, fitting that the office, both in choir and in common, be sung when possible.

100. Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.

101. 1. In accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office. But in individual cases the ordinary has the power of granting the use of a vernacular translation to those clerics for whom the use of Latin constitutes a grave obstacle to their praying the office properly. The vernacular version, however, must be one that is drawn up according to the provision of Art. 36.

2. The competent superior has the power to grant the use of the vernacular in the celebration of the divine office, even in choir, to nuns and to members of institutes dedicated to acquiring perfection, both men who are not clerics and women. The version, however, must be one that is approved.

3. Any cleric bound to the divine office fulfills his obligation if he prays the office in the vernacular together with a group of the faithful or with those mentioned in 52 above provided that the text of the translation is approved.

With knowledge of these rules, I am not understanding how the including of a single instance of RSV translation in addition to and below the ICET translation is violating any rule.


THE CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH (1973 ICET translation)

St. Luke i. 68-79 Benedictus Dominus, Deus Israel

+ BLESS-ED be the Lord God of Is-ra-el; *
he has come to his peo-ple and set them free.
2. He has rais-ed up for us a mighty saviour, *
born of the house of his servant Da- vid;
3. Through his ho- ly prophets *
he promis-ed of old
4. That he would save us from our en- e- mies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
5. He promis-ed to show mer-cy to our fa-thers, *
and to remember his ho- ly cov-e-nant;
6/7. This was the oath he swore to our father A-braham: *
to set us free from the hands of our en- e-mies,
7/8. Free to worship him without fear, *
ho-ly and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
9. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
10. To give his people knowledge of sal-va-tion *
by the forgive-ness of their sins.
11. In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
12. To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the sha-dow of death, *
and to guide our feet in- to the way of peace.

Glory to the Fa- ther, and to the Son, *
and to the Ho- ly Spi - rit.
As it was in the be- gin-ning, *
is now, and will be for- ev- er. A- men.

(RSV 2nd CE translation)

St. Luke i. 68-79 Benedictus Dominus, Deus Israel

+ BLESS-ED be the Lord God of Is- ra- el; *
for He has vis-i-ted and redeem-ed His peo-ple;
2. And has raised up a horn of sal- va-tion for us, *
in the house of His ser-vant Da- vid;
3. As He spoke by the mouth of His ho- ly Pro- phets, *
from of old,
4. That we should be sav-ed from our en- e- mies, *
and from the hand of all who hate us.
5. To per-form the mercy promised to our fa- thers,
* and to remember His ho- ly cov- e- nant;
6. The oath which He swore to our fa-ther A- braham, *
(and) to grant us;
7. That we, being delivered from the hand of our en- e- mies *
might serve Him without fear;
8. In ho- li-ness and righteousness be-fore him, *
all the days of our life.
9. And you, child, will be called the Pro- phet of the Most High: *
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways ;
10. To give knowledge of salvation to His peo-ple *
in the for- giveness of their sins,
11. Through the tender mer- cy of our God; *
when the day shall dawn up-on us from on high ;
12. To give light to those who sit in darkness,
and in the sha-dow of death, *
to guide our feet in-to the way of peace.

Glory to the Fa- ther, and to the Son, *
and to the Ho- ly Spi - rit.
As it was in the be- gin-ning, *
is now, and will be for- ev- er. A- men.

I suppose if James Quinn's metrical Benedictus and Magnificat, or Carl Daw's, or David Haas', can be included in a hymnal, then it might be just fine to include a different translation.

Honestly.

Granted that the ICET/ICEL is the standard, since the RSV is approved/preferred for certain jurisdictions, I don't see why it shouldn't be included, at least with a caveat like "Benedictus : Text for use in the Anglican Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter".

And if a group of Roman Use laymen - who are not legally bound to the office - wish to sing that rather than the ICET, so be it.

Chris, I think you should be careful not to present yourself as an approved liturgical book.

With the variety of sources on which Fr. Plater draws, he'll have to observe the copyright policies of several organizations.

Would the Church actually want to apply the canons on publishing to a non-Catholic? I'm not sure about it. If they don't apply, then perhaps copyright permission agreements would be the only means of regulating what is done with approved texts by a non-Catholic. (I'm sure Fr. K can answer this; he doesn't mention his JCL often, but it can be handy at times.)

On a related topic, I'm looking for available hymn resources for the office.

Is anyone familiar with this collection? http://www.giamusic.com/search_details.cfm?title_id=3049

The Panel of Monastic Musicians (http://www.monasticmusicians.org/) produced
Hymns for Prayer and Praise (ed. John Harper, Canterbury Press, Norwich 1996). For each hymn two tunes are provided, one chant, and one "organ".

An accompaniment edition for the chant tunes is in preparation.

Is there an online version of the ICEL translation of the LOTH that is not just yesterday today and tomorrow?

Universalis doesn't have the proper translation.

Personally, I think the biggest error regarding the psalm prayers is their placement. If you are singing the psalms it makes no sense to complete the psalm and Gloria Patri... and then have a pause and a spoken psalm prayer followed only then by the singing of the antiphon. It seems it should have been ordered such that:
antiphon
psalm
Gloria Patri
antiphon
(psalm prayer, optionally)

I hope, if the psalm prayers are maintained, that at least this small edit makes its way into the new arrangement. If you read the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours it is clear that the psalm prayer optionally is said after the psalm, but it seems to me the intent was that the antiphon be included at the conclusion of the psalm, such that the psalm with antiphon forms an integral unit, with the psalm prayer then following. This is not especially clear, because the section of the instructions on the Psalms is followed by the section of the instructions on Antiphons, which I think is perhaps the source of the misunderstanding. Some overly literal editor thought that since the instruction said after the psalm it had to follow immediately, before the antiphon, lucky we are that in their enthusiasm they didn't insert it between the psalm and the Gloria Patri.

I would be very happy if the liturgical powers that be would issue a clarification of the instructions on this point as an interim measure.

Thank you, OraLabora, for clarifying the origin of the psalm prayers. I wonder whether they were ever written in Latin.