Alleluia in Maundy Thursday Vespers according to the 2010 Antiphonale Romanum
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    I received my Antiphonale Romanum (vol. II) today and was quite surprised to see that the first antiphon for Maundy Thursday's Vespers is

    «Fecit nos Deo et Patri suo regnum, primogenitus mortuorum et princeps regum terrae, alleluia.»

    This is the very same antiphon found in the Breviary, but there it has, of course, no «Alleluia» at the end.

    I guess the Antiphonale includes it out of the obsession to be always faithful to manuscripts, and never to mutilate an antiphon. But in this way the ancient rule that no «Alleluia» is to be said till Easter Vigil is broken!

    Does anyone has any information or insight on this? Do you think it would be wise to write to the Congregation for Divine Worship on the subject? Or will it be better just to make use of some common sense and skip the Alleluia?
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 991
    It is indeed quite strange to have an antiphon with an alleluia on Maundy Thursday! In the 1934 Antiphonale Monasticum, the 1983 Ordo cantus officii and the 2005 Antiphonale Monasticum the antiphon Fecit nos Deo is only used as Benedictus antiphon at Lauds on Christ the King.

    This is obviously an error. I remember, when typesetting the Lauds and Vespers for Lent, the OCO more than once referred to antiphons with an alleluia at the end. I just skipped those alleluias and I assume you can do the same here. Writing to the CDW is a good thing, but you won't get an answer before Maundy Thursday...
  • incantuincantu
    Posts: 989
    The alleluia is not marked TP (Easter season)?
  • dvalerio
    Posts: 341
    > The alleluia is not marked TP (Easter season)?

    No...

    > you won't get an answer before Maundy Thursday

    Yes, I suppose so. Actually all this is for a service that will hardly ever be used: whoever bothers to sing Vespers in gregorian chant hardly will have no opportunity to attend evening Mass that day, and if so Vespers are not sung. My question was merely in the plane of principles.

    > when typesetting the Lauds and Vespers for Lent, the OCO more than once referred to antiphons with an alleluia at the end

    I'll check your booklets against the sources mentioned by the OCO (when I have them...) and the 2010 Antiphonale to see what the latter did in such cases. Thanks!
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