One of the best books for studying the Office Hymns is Connelly, mainly as he had the privilege to build on the work of others. Which brings me to Britt's masterpiece, the second best book on Hymns.

Of course all serious researchers of the Hymns should be familiar with this, The Analecta Hymnica The link takes you to a list of the 55 volumes of this work. N.B. The DiVu links are now broken but you can search for the vol. in the https://archive.org/index.php

These two blogs are of interest,
https://tosingistopraytwice.wordpress.com
http://kpshaw.blogspot.com

@Liam perhaps it is best to draw a veil over the history of the metre before Fortunatus...

Aquinas Covers Fortunatus

Aquinas Samples Fortunatus

I love the Office hymns and your observations are lovely. Thanks for sharing.

I managed to gather a few mentions of Fr Joseph Connelly from Google: -

Fr. Joseph Connelly, Dean of Music and Professor of Plainchant at St. Mary’s Seminary, New Oscott, Birmingham from 1934- 1956.

‘Fr. Connelly was an ardent reformer, advocating the “Solesme”. That accounts for the nickname that was given him soon after his arrival, “Spot”, on account of the many spots over the notes in that edition. He retained the nickname all during his time at Oscott.’ Obituary for Rev. Connelly, The 1979 Archdiocese of Birmingham Directory.+

Sr. Scholastica, of Stanbrook Abbey, and Dr. Judith Champ, of St. Mary’s College, Oscott, furnished me with details on the life Rev. Fr. Joseph Connelly and [Dorothy] Howell’s association with both aforementioned institutions. (from the paper referenced below)

Dorothy Howell was the sister of Fr Clifford Howell, the picture is from a biographical note about her and her quite numerous liturgical works. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiC1_C0l6TxAhXxlFwKHUnKD0MQFnoECBwQAA&url=https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/6296/1/Byrne15MA.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1Kw9Hx7AumsXm4TipknVXP

St. Peter Damian is one of my favorites among the saint-hymnwriters. This morning's first reading got me thinking about this the 3rd verse of this one of his, for the Conversion of St. Paul.

Let all the Church acclaim St. Paul,
And sing the glories of his call.
The Lord made an apostle be
From one who was his enemy.

The name of Christ set Paul afire,
Enkindling him with great desire;
And higher these same blazes reached
When of the love of Christ he preached.

His merits are forever praised,
For to the heavens he was raised,
And there, the all-mysterious word,
That none dare speak, by Paul was heard.

The Word, like seed sown in a field,
Producing an abundant yield,
Fills heav’nly barns whose stores of grain
Are tilled and grown on earthly plains.

The shining of the lamplight gleams,
And drenches earth with heaven’s beams.
The dark of error’s night is past;
The reign of truth has come at last.

To Christ all glory, and all praise
To Father and the Spirit raise,
Who for the nations’ saving call
Gave us the splendor of Saint Paul.

Translation © 2008 Kathleen Pluth. 



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J-pHUiE5PdA

I am proofreading Kathy’s translations and I have a few thoughts about Office Hymns.

0. Kathy is an incredible translator. When this project is finished it will be one of the most important contributions to the English speaking church in recent memory.

1. The hymns spend way too much time talking about Mary’s corporal virginity. That said, the language and imagery used here is evocative, almost shockingly explicit; and I wonder what effect general familiarity with these texts would have on modern sexual ethics. It’s easy to say that the focus on virginity and purity is regressive and anti feminist, and I think there is something to that claim. But also I wonder if people (both men and women) would have more respect and awe for women’s bodies if they had grown up hearing/singing texts that talk about it the way these hymns do.

2. The theology of the hymns is a bit all over the place. There is nothing I would call “contradictory”, but still They are not a catechism of careful and explicit doctrinal statements, but inspired poetry written by many people with different perspectives over many centuries. Again, I wonder how people would think about Catholic theology if this rich body of poetic texts were more familiar.

3. The Office sanctifies time. Typically, we think about this more or less relating to its schedule more than its content. But the hymnody makes explicit and poetically beautiful the way that God’s Grace is with us through all the “changes of the light”.

4. As I read them, I keep thinking, over and over: how would we be, as a people, if we were formed by these hymns from childhood? Spiritually, yes. But also morally. And also aesthetically. Linguistically. What if we had access to this rich treasure trove of images, puns, turns of phrase, poetic meters?

Kathy is doing a great service to the Church and to the English language with this project. I’m thrilled to be able to help in a tiny way. I’m really looking forward to the completion of this.

Are your translations available somewhere?

I want to thank Adam in particular, but also others such as Charles Giffen and Alan Hommerding, for taking notice of these translations over the past years when I've been working on them.

It has been an interesting problem, finding the right home for them. The theology of the office hymns, as Adam notes above, is not at all mainstream. They can be very strong medicine. It might be hard for folks committed to the post-Vatican II changes in the Liturgy to embrace them because of the flavor of their theology.

At the same time they don't exactly fit into reform of the reform efforts, simply because they are hymns. Since the Council, such an emphasis has been placed on hymnody in the Mass that the reform of the reform tends to work against hymns. In a sense championing the propers sometimes has meant discounting the hymns.

In my view, the office hymns are an important piece of the overall puzzle, and so far I'm very pleased with the way they're turning out. They've been a huge gift to me.

Adam, in reply to your first point I would say 2 things.

That impression might be based on the ordering of the liturgical year. The subject of the Blessed Mother's perpetual virginity, while hugely important in the early Christian centuries, is treated in the hymns primarily in Advent and Christmas, the first seasons of the year. So in a read-through as you're doing, they're encountered in a bundle.

Secondly, a lot of times apparent focus on the Blessed Virgin is actually Christological. I think that's true in this case.