Spanish Chanted Compline
  • Carlosro1699
    Posts: 4
    Hello all,

    I was wondering if I might have some advice. I've embarked on a project to compile a bilingual Latin-Spanish booklet for chanting Compline (given the almost complete lack of any resources for plainchant in Spanish and its overall neglect in the Spanish church). This means having to tweak some original Gregorian melodies to fit the Spanish, re-translate the hymns etc. (I'm one of those people that believes in adapting chant.) However, things are all getting somewhat complicated when it comes to the antiphons. Some antiphons are completely different in the 1983 OCO, 2015 OCO and the Spanish Liturgia de las Horas. For example:

    Sunday 2V:
    OCO 1983 & 2015: (Ps. 91:1) Qui hábitat in adiutorium Altissimi, in protection Dei caeli commorábitur
    LDLH: (Ps. 91:4-5) Al amparo del Altísimo no temo el espanto nocturno

    Monday:
    OCO 1983: Suávis et mitis es, Dómine, et multae misericórdiae ómnibus invocántibus te.
    OCO 2015: (Ps. 86:6) Intende vocis orationis meae
    LDLH: (Ps. 86:15) Tú, Señor, eres clemente y rico en misericordia

    Tuesday:
    OCO 1983: Ad te, Dómine, levávi ánimam meam. Veni, et éripe me; Dómine, ad te confúgi
    OCO 2015: (Ps. 143:2) Ne intres in iudicium cum servo tuo, Dómine
    LDLH: (Ps. 143:7-8) No escondas tu rostro, ya que confío en ti

    Wednesday, Antiphon 1:
    OCO 1983 & 2015: (Ps. 70:3) Esto mihi, Dómine, in Deum protectorem
    LDLH: (Ps. 70:3) Se tú, Señor, la roca de mi refugio, un baluarte donde me salve

    As far as I can see, I am faced with two options: either I use different texts for the Latin and the Spanish with the same melody (i.e.: 2015 OCO in Latin, LDLH in Spanish but with the OCO 2015 melody), or I translate the OCO texts into Spanish and then adapt the melody.

    What do you think?

    It would also be interesting to know why there is such a difference between the Spanish breviary and the OCO...

    Thank you!
    Carlos
    Thanked by 1janetgorbitz
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    Liturgia de las Horas = LDLH

    Which country?
    Which year?
    Which translation indicated in the copyright notice?

    Those bits of info might help others who can assist you.
    Thanked by 1Carlosro1699
  • Carlosro1699
    Posts: 4

    Which country?
    Which year?
    Which translation indicated in the copyright notice?

    Those bits of info might help others who can assist you.


    Ah yes, thank you. The breviary I'm using is the version authorised by the Spanish Comission of Bishops for the Liturgy, first published 1979 (4th edition, 1992). It says that it is based on Liturgia Horarum, iuxta ritum romanum, editio typica altera, I (1985). I know that the psalms are Fr Alonso Schökel's translation.
    Thanked by 1eft94530
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 354
    OCO applies only for Divine Office in Latin. I would advice to stick to the official Spanish texts and compose tunes fitting them, possibly adapting common Gregorian antiphon models fitting structure of the Spanish texts in question.
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