English adaptations of Divine Office antiphons?
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Hi all,

    I know there have been a number of threads on here concerning music for the Divine Office, but thus far I don’t recall seeing references to good adaptations of the antiphons to English texts.

    Is there any body of work out there that has such a thing, in part or in full?
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Felipe -
    What you are looking for is: The Monastic Diurnal Noted, the Gregorian repertory adapted into English by the Rev Canon Winfred Douglas. It may be had (reprint) from the Lancelot Andrewes Press. Two volumes in one. Volume I is music of vespers, the little hours, and lauds of great feasts. Volume II is music of Sunday and ferial lauds, matins of the triduum and the dead. One might suggest that this is to the office what the Palmer-Burgess propers are to the mass.
    Thanked by 2Salieri CHGiffen
  • awilliamsawilliams
    Posts: 101
    There is also my book.
    NDS Vesperal.pdf
    1M
    Thanked by 10JonathanKK Felipe Gasper janetgorbitz CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn kevinf Heath bonniebede Kathy Adoremus
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    @awilliams - This looks perfect! It uses the ICEL translation and closely follows the melodies from the AR2.
  • awilliamsawilliams
    Posts: 101
    I hope to expand it for the whole Liturgical year, but I am also a full-time seminarian. I have, however, made preparations so that when the new translation is released it will be a simple matter of updating a few pages (since the overwhelming majority of antiphons are not being retranslated).
  • janetgorbitzjanetgorbitz
    Posts: 968
    fantastic! I have not seen this before. Thank you very much for sharing!
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Fine work, Aaron!
    Now you can do the mass propers in intelligent modern English!
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,799
    Very impressive! Something's a bit funny about Adoramus in aeternum p.350.
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,191
    Wow, what a resource. Impressive.
  • awilliamsawilliams
    Posts: 101
    I have to finish the text (and the accompaniment) before I even think about the Mass. Plus, there are a good number of people performing that task right now but not very many who are concerned about the Office.

    The "Adoremus in Aeternum" used is a pre-existing setting in use at the seminary. The book is designed for use at Notre Dame Seminary so it takes into account house practices such as chanting the community's anthem, the "Tota Pulchra Es" after Solemn Vespers on Sunday.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    ...a good number of people performing that task...

    Who are they?
    I know of no one who is adapting the Graduale Romanum to fine modern English.
    So far as I know, our choices are Bruce Ford's American Gradual (which is not in square notes) and the Palmer-Burgess Plainchant Gradual.
    Who are this 'number of people'?

    We need the Roman Gradual in fine modern English, supplemented with really good chant compositions for three year's worth of the resp. ps.

    You have demonstrated an outstanding gift for such a work.
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,483
    I don't see a link to the book here.

  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    If you are using a mobile device to read the Forum, you won't see PDF file attachments.
  • Adoremus
    Posts: 35
    @awilliams - wonderful project! a help indeed! i hope you will also include the weekday offices and the office of lauds...
  • VioletThreadsVioletThreads
    Posts: 21
    I usually use the Monastic Diurnal, and I'm always looking for (musical) English antiphon resources. Your work looks amazing @awilliams !

    I'm going to try and integrate it with the diurnal.
  • drforjc
    Posts: 38
    "(since the overwhelming majority of antiphons are not being retranslated)"

    Curious where you obtained this information given what has been conveyed publicly, such as

    "Since many of the psalm antiphons are drawn from the texts of the psalms themselves, and since the U.S. will be using a new translation of the psalms, it was determined to revise these antiphons in light of the Revised Grail Psalms. ICEL will include translations of these psalm antiphons in a future segment of texts." (USCCB site)
  • VioletThreadsVioletThreads
    Posts: 21
    Does anyone know a source for antiphons that would work specifically with the Monastic Diurnal? A pdf or online copy of the Monastic Diurnal Noted would be ideal, but I don't think that's available... or is it?
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,471
    Is this "it", or part of "it"?
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1va9RRqgD55EylR97UIRCFW2KYeEPUAecMhAV29t-lKk/edit

    Other Monastic Diurnals are online, for example Farnborough.
    [Caution: I don't think any legitimate business posts advertising in Google Docs.--admin]
  • awilliamsawilliams
    Posts: 101
    @drforjc

    In 2015 when I wrote that comment, I had dinner with Msgr. Wadsworth at the Liturgical Institute in Mundelein where I shared my work with him. At the time, it was not the case that the antiphons were being retranslated. However, that is no longer the situation.

    I have some preparations made to create the second edition of this text for the seminary, but it will take some time, obviously.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen drforjc
  • VioletThreadsVioletThreads
    Posts: 21
    @a_f_hawkins That's it... but the site looks a little sketchy to me...
Add a Comment