Sunday/Holyday Liturgy of the Hours?
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    Questions for those at churches that publicly celebrate Vespers I, Lauds, or Vespers II on Sundays (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium ¶100):

    — Does your church celebrate one or more of these hours regularly, that is, weekly?
    — It is clergy- or lay-led?
    — To what extent is the liturgy sung?
    — Is the four-week psalter utilized or psalms and canticles chosen from different sources, e.g., the psalter at the front of GIA hymnals? If the latter, what are the overarching criteria governing those selections?

    For those at churches that do not publicly celebrate the above hours: is the celebration of any of these hours under any form of consideration?
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  • Simon
    Posts: 153
    At the St. Nicholas Basilica (Basilica status since December 2012) in Amsterdam we (the Schola Cantorum Amsterdam) sing the vespers every Sunday from September to June. Two chant choirs now share the responsibility. First and third Sundays are sung by a female voice choir, the second, fourth and evt. fifth Sundays are sung by the male voice choir. The whole service is Gregorian chant and sung in Latin.

    We sing the monastic rite (as outlined in the Antiphonale Monasticum, 1934); psalms are Latin Vulgate; the Magnificat antiphon chosen is related to the gospel reading of the day and taken from the AM above, new editions of the Antiphonale or evt. other sources as we see best fitting to the gospel reading. Psalms are from the one week psalter, thus the psalms sung are those usually appointed for the Sunday (i.e. psalms 110-113).

    For more information, an English language introduction and description to our vesper service is attached. Also a copy of the program for vespers in ordinary time. These are available for our visitors. Probably over half of the attendees to our vesper services are tourists. No clergy are involved in the vesper services (they're not needed). We also sing matins on some major feast days - usually Easter, Pentecost, All Souls and, on occasion, Epiphany.
    vespers english groentijd.doc
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    SCA-vespers english def.doc
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    Thanked by 2Aristotle Esguerra CHGiffen
  • mahrt
    Posts: 517
    A small group from my choir(6-10 singers) sings Vespers every Sunday of the year. It is the old Vespers, essentially from the Liber usualis. An often-overlooked rubric in the old rite is that if Compline does not follow immediately, the Marian antiphon is sung at the conclusion of Vespers. The text for the Marian antiphons include the antiphon itself plus a versicle and response and a collect. This is the form of a procession, and speaks of the origin of the singing of these Marian antiphons in processions, a practice often still followed by Dominicans. We make a procession to the Marian shrine, singing the seasonall Marian antiphon, and then return to the sanctuary singing an antiphon of St. Ann (the dedication of the chapel where we sing). We often sing some of the psalms alternating the psalm tones with falsobordone, the hymn in an alternatim polyphonic setting, the Magnificat in a faburden, and upon the conclusion of the Vespers, we sing a motet. One person always offers dinner for everyone who sings; she had done so single-handedly since we began singing in 1974.
    Thanked by 3Aristotle Esguerra Daniel Bennett Page CHGiffen
  • Daniel Bennett PageDaniel Bennett Page
    Posts: 833
    We sing Evensong every Sunday at my Anglican Use parish (Mount Calvary, Baltimore). On most Sundays, everything is plainsong, with the congregation singing just about everything (except the readings, which are spoken). We always end with the proper Marian antiphon in Latin. On one Sunday each month, we have the "solemn" form of Evensong (like Solemn Vespers) followed by Benediction. A new volunteer Evensong choir sings the psalms to Anglican chant and the canticles to fauxbourdon or simple through-composed settings on these weeks.
    Thanked by 2Aristotle Esguerra CHGiffen
  • Dan F.Dan F.
    Posts: 205
    We began singing Vespers II on Sundays three years ago, but have since switched to Vespers I of Sunday (Saturday night) during Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. It is led by our pastor, with a lay cantor intoning the antiphons and psalms. We usually have schola of 3-5 in addition to our priest. It is entirely sung, with introduction, hymn, antiphons, responsory and Magnificat sung in Latin from the Antiphonale Romanum II. Psalms, intercessions and final prayer are sung in English according the Liturgy of the Hours text using the English Psalm tones of Fr. Weber. I have produced booklets for the schola and congregation.

    Advent 1 Vespers I
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Aristotle Esguerra Daniel Bennett Page
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