Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Advent Vespers and Recital

Yours truly has been asked to provide a 30 minute recital this coming weekend at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Camp Hill, PA. Their tradition is to celebrate Vespers on the four Sundays of Advent, with a recital preceding the Office. My program will be as follows:

Prelude on Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah -- Wayne Wold
(from "Prelude, Fugue and Variation....", Wold's homage to Franck)

Rorate Caeli -- Jeanne Demessieux

Pastorale on "Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying" -- Wayne Wold

Reprise -- Paul Manz
(organ reflections on "E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come")

Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland -- J. S. Bach (Great Eighteen)


I will conclude the program by improvising on "Creator of the Stars of Night"

I have also been asked to serve as the cantor for the Office, and will chant the psalms in alternatim with the congregation. They use the St. Meinrad psalm tones.

~nb

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I went to a Catholic school for 7 years and I do not know what Vespers are. I googled it and my understanding is that it's a bunch of songs and stuff. I have never participated in Vespers before though and would like to someday.

Brian Michael Page said...

Andrew,
Vespers is Evening Prayer, from the Liturgy of the Hours.

Other terms:
Lauds=Morning Prayer
None=Midday (pronounced "known", not "nun")
Compline=Night Prayer (late hours)
Sext=in between Lauds and None (I believe)
Terce=in between None and Vespers (I believe)

If I'm wrong on these last two, please correct me.

Peace,
BMP

PhiMuAlpha2681 said...

Bri...

Midmorning Prayer is what was formerly Terce. Midday Prayer is what was formerly Sext. Midafternoon Prayer is what is formerly None. The names are the Latin numbers 3, 6, 9 (or derivation thereof). If you count sunrise as 6am, then midmorning at 9am is Third Hour (Terce), 12 noon is Sixth Hour (Sext), 3pm is Ninth Hour (None).

Currently, those who celebrate the complete Office are only obliged to celebrate one of the three "little hours" between Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. But there is certainly nothing wrong with celebrating all three -- you use the complementary psalter for 2 of the hours, and the psalms of the day for the third.

Also, the Office of Readings may be celebrated at any time -- on its own or prior to another hour. The Invitatory is used before the first hour prayed each day, whether it be the Office of Readings or Morning Prayer.

~nb

PhiMuAlpha2681 said...

Oh and Night Prayer (compline) doesn't have a fixed time, it's recommended to simply celebrate the hour immediately prior to going to sleep.

Brian Michael Page said...

Nick,
thanks much for clearing that up, partner. I used to know these, but I never got around to replace my Liber Usualis that I lost in the fire two years ago. I do have a Liber Gradualis, which has all the Mass Propers and Ordinaries (a la 1962), but not the Office of the Hours.

The Liber Gradualis I have, believe it or not, is in modern notation.

BMP

Brian Michael Page said...

Oh - and that reminds me of one I forgot - Prime, which is, the "first hour".

BMP