Alleluia at the Opening of Vespers/Evening Prayer
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    In the Liber Usualis, the Alleluia following the Gloria Patri is replaced from Septuagesima to Wednesday of Holy Week with Laus tibi Domine Rex aeternae gloriae. HOWEVER, in the Ordinary for Evening Prayer in the volume "Christian Prayer," no such provision is given and it would appear that the Alleluia is neither replaced nor surpressed. When I consulted Evening Prayer in the online "Universalis," the Alleluia is omitted.

    I wish to avoid outburst from liturgy police. My thought (since my Vespers are a hybrid of LU and LoH) is to omit the Alleluia.

    Any thoughts? (Don't tell me how much easier life would be with the LU. I already know that.)
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,206
    I'm not familiar with the one-volume "Christian Prayer", but I have seen the thinner "Shorter Christian Prayer", and I seem to recall that they don't put the "alleluia" in at all.

    In the full four-volume LoTH, the "alleluias" appear in red parentheses, which I find really annoying, because as I'm reading along my eyes still land on the word, since I can't program my brain to block out everything it sees enclosed with red parentheses. As a result, I find myself putting my finger over the word so as not to be inclined to recite it by accident. It really makes praying the offices during Lent stressful!

    I would eliminate the "alleluia" in any case.
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    Showing once again the inherent dangers of relying on condensed or abbreviated versions of anything having to do with liturgy, Christian Prayer rather unhelpfully includes an "abridged" version of the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours (ca. 1971), which fails to include Chapters II and following, and thus the pertinent instruction:

    "Morning prayer and evening prayer begin with the introductory verse, 'God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.' There follows the 'Glory to the Father,' with 'As it was in the beginning' and 'Alleluia' (omitted in Lent). This introduction is omitted at morning prayer when the invitatory immediately precedes it." (41) [GILH, Lit Doc 5, USCC 1983]
  • ossian1898ossian1898
    Posts: 142
    The traditional breviaries will have, from Suptuagesima through Lent "Laus tibi, Domine. Rex aeternae gloriae." This was, rightly or wrongly, removed in the modern Liturgy of the Hours.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,220
    The Latin Liturgia Horarum has the Alleluia year-round, except in Lent, and does not add "Laus tibi, Domine...."
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    I'm going to surpress it.

    I find Christian Prayer more of a hindrance than a help and only drag it out when I'm forced. I won't even get into the lame collection of hymns in the back.
  • darth_linux
    Posts: 120
    My little group been singing Vespers I for the last 3 Saturdays of Lent, and for the final hymn (after the dismissal) we sing a version of Regina Coeli which includes an "alleluia." I know a formal alleluia is prohibited during Lent (at Mass, etc.) but should I change to another hymn for the remaining 3 Saturday's of Lent? No one has said a word about it, and since it isn't the Mass I wasn't too worried about it. Thoughts?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,220
    I'd hold off the alleluia and any hymns including it until Easter. Ave regina coelorum is the Marian antiphon for Lent, and it's fairly short. Would your group like singing the Latin plainchant?
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    Here you have the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours in English (a most recommended reading). Search for the word «Alleluia» using your browser, and you'll see that in ALL cases that the word shows up either it is said immediatly that «Alleluia» is ommited during Lent or the paragraph concerns something for Easter Time only! (And as many have said, there is no provision to replace the Alleluia with «Laus tibi».)
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    Alleluia is neither sung nor said during Lent. Not at any time, not as part of anything.

    The last time you can use Alleluia is Shrove Tuesday during Compline (Night Prayer).
    The next time you can use Alleluia is Easter Vigil during the Gospel Acclamation.

    Once a member of a religious community (Dominican),
    this always presented problems starting Ash Wednesday morning.

    As a helpful reminder to anyone of the community who might forget,
    there was the instruction at a rehearsal for all to prolong the Invitatory Amen (Amehhhhhhhhnnnn).
    Despite this effort, there was always at least one guy who would afterward
    press on with a solo Ahhhh.

    In the "old days" it would have been venia time.
    http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2008/07/dominican-venia-and-kissing-scapular.html
  • darth_linux
    Posts: 120
    ok thanks, I'll look for a setting of Ave Regina Coelorum. @ chonak - I'd love a latin planchant version!
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,220
    Easy enough: it's in "Chants of the Church" (downloadable from CMAA) and "Jubilate Deo", too.
  • darth_linux
    Posts: 120
    thank you!
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    eft: "Alleluia is neither sung nor said during Lent. Not at any time, not as part of anything."

    Except ...
    if you are an EWTN radio station needing some random minute-long piece of music
    to fill the gap between broadcast programs, like I heard a few hours ago.
    Sigh.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,220
    Um, they did that for our Eastern Catholic brethren, who retain the Alleluia during Lent. Yeah, that's it.

    :-)
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    Bearing in mind eft's caution, I gave my singers a new sheet for the opening of Vespers in Lent with the Alleluia deleted. It's just too tempting. And I would probably be the one to do it.
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