I've agreed to host an "Organ Vespers" with our local AGO chapter on the evening of the Second Sunday of Easter (April 19). I'm in the midst of planning the music, and I'd like to hear any advice you'd like to give. A few things:
1) I'll have a small, excellent choir singing for the service.
2) The group has asked for a mix of Latin and English.
3) Though acappella music isn't discouraged, this is an "Organ" vespers. And the organist is wonderful!
So, questions:
a) Has anyone done anything like this before? Any thoughts?
b) Where can I find the actual chant for the Vespers? Antiphonale Monasticum? Anyone have a copy and can give me some insight into its contents? Where can I get the pointed psalms?
I'd suggest using the Mundelein Psalter for the Psalms, Canticle, Responsory and Intercessions - they are in English and already pointed. You'd have to do some of the typing, but the Psalms themselves are here - http://www.athanasius.com/psalms/psalms1.html
Then you could use the organ for the Hymn, Magnificat, closing Marian Hymn and perhaps a processional before Vesper begins properly. You could make those same selections in Latin, pleasing both crowds . . .
I've been doing Vespers every Saturday since Lent began and i've used the MP, "Christian Prayer" and the CDPL and I haven't had any troubles. let me know if I can be of further assistance.
The Ordo Cantus Officii gives the chants for the psalm antiphons and where they can be found. Luckily, the Liber Usualis has many of the antiphons (although the OCO doesn’t refer to that particular book).
Obviously, the LH has the hymns and a selection of chant responsories.
For the psalms themselves, I believe you just use the modal tone corresponding with the antiphon.
So, for 2nd Easter (which the LotH itself says copies from the office of Easter Sunday):
Hymn: Ad cenam Agni providi
Antiphons: 1. Venerunt ad monumentum (online “Antiphonale” p392) 2. Venite (w/ double Alleluia) (??) M. Quia vidisti me (LU 1326)
You can find the Liturgia Horarum, in Latin, for the II Sunday of Easter, on-line here (without any translation) and here (with a French translation).
The Gregorian chant for the second antiphon (Venite et videte locum ubi positus erat dominus alleluia alleluia) shows up in lots of medieval manuscripts (including the inevitable Hartker code) but I can't seem to find it anywhere in the Web (neither have I anytime seen it). I guess you can make use of the provision in §274 of the GILH: «At a sung office, if a melody is not available for the given antiphon, another antiphon should be taken from those in the repertoire, provided it is suitable in terms of nos. 113 and 121-125.»
Notice that canticle Salus et gloria is to be sung (if Gregorian chant is used) more antiphonale (as seen in file «Cantique de l'Apocalypse» that you can download here).
> Do you happen to know the site admin for that site for the Revelation canticle?
Sorry, no... But I think I can spare you the trouble of writing them about your login problems by posting the pdf file here. I don't think this breaks any copyright rules.
Of course you may still want to write them so as to have access and dowload the other files, some of which are taken from this very website, others however being available at their site only.
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