MHST 752 LECS 1011 MONASTICISM AND THE CHANTS OF

16 AN OVERVIEW OF EARLY ARMENIAN MONASTICISM ABRAHAM TERIAN
BENEDICTINE MONASTICISM AND ABINGDON ABBEY MONASTIC COMMUNITIES WERE FOUNDED
MHST 752 LECS 1011 MONASTICISM AND THE CHANTS OF

MONASTICISM OBJECTIVE TO GET ACQUAINTED WITH THE SUBLIMITY
NEW MONASTICISM & THE LOCAL CHURCH WHERE DO WE
THE ECONOMICS OF MONASTICISM NATHAN SMITH GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

MU 41 Lecture 6: The Office

MHST 752 Lecs. 10-11: Monasticism and the chants of the Office

I. Monastic life - applies to both monks and nuns

A. Origins

1. Religious ascetics common to all known religions

2. Christian monasticism seems to have begun, in formal sense, with St.

Anthony (251-356)

a. Orphan of wealthy Egyptian parents

b. At age 20, got rid of all possessions

c. Went out into desert to live life of contemplation

d. Many sought his spiritual guidance, led solitary lives in the

neighborhood of his cave

e. Sort of collective hermetism

f. Slowly develops into cenobitic, or communal life of asceticism,

prayer, and contemplation

3. Much of medieval form of monasticism codified by St. Benedict

a. Circa 530 AD

b. Though some parts, including affiliation with an order, or

monastic “group” that transcends individual monastery,

doesn’t occur until the 11^th century

B. The Basics

1. Monastic officials

a. Abbot – “father” of the monastery; in charge of everything

b. precentor/capiscol/chantre – governs the choir

i. begins responses, hymns, and other songs (unless

delegated to sochantre)

ii. Selects who reads or sings in processions, extra-

monastic events

iii. Chooses which chants will be sung each day

iv. Has choirbooks in his possession

aa. Amends/corrects chants if needed

bb. cares for

c. sochantre – normally begins the intonation and continues the

psalms, and antiphons and hymns,

i. Basically, responsible for leading chants

ii. Also for marking pages in choirbooks

d. maestro de capilla – in charge of polyphonic singing

i. Later phenomenon

ii. very few monasteries had in Middle Ages

iii. In many orders polyphonic singing not (officially)

allowed until sixteenth century

2. Depending on order affiliated with, certain tasks that you devote

yourself to (at least, after 12^th century

a. Have to tend crops to feed yourself and brothers/sisters

b. Making candles, books, dishes, cooking, and other “around the

monastery” chores

c. After 12^th century, many orders devoted to certain vocations

outside of monastery

i. Ex: Mother Teresa’s order - Sisters of Charity - care of

the poor

ii. Others specialized in teaching, health care, preaching,

etc.

3. But most important job the chanting of Divine Office - “Opus Dei”

a. Est. by Saint Benedict for Monastery at Monte Cassino (Italy)

b. Adopted throughout Europe in short order

c. Recitation of the psalms – entire Psalter (all 150 psalms) sung

in a week

B. Structure of the Office

1. Eight services - each at particular time of day or night

a. Matins - 2 or 3 AM (when you got up)

b. Lauds - Sunrise

c. Prime - 6 AM

d. Terce - 9 AM

e. Sext - noon

f. None - 3 PM

g. Vespers - sunset

h. Compline - before bed (around 8 or 9 PM)

2. Major and minor hours

a. Major: Matins, Lauds, Vespers, Compline

i. Longest and most important - Compline

ii. Then Vespers and Lauds

b. Minor: “Little” hours - Prime, Terce, Sext, None

i. Usually only about 20-30 minutes

ii. Mostly just a few prayers and psalm singing

c. These are the monastic hours

d. Be aware – are OTHER sets of Hours

i. Hours of the Virgin

ii. Hours of the Cross, etc.

iii. Quasi-liturgical hours for lay people

iv. Don’t catch on until end of medieval period

v. Though be aware that they’re out there

vi. If have heard of Books of Hours, the Hours contained

therein are usually these “secular” varieties

3. Basic structure of 2 the major hours - Lauds and Vespers –

nearly identical

a. Short opening chants

b. Singing of 5 psalms

c. Reading from the Bible

d. Responsory – chant in responsorial style

e. Hymn

f. Canticle

i. Musical style like that of a psalm, but other Bibliotecal

text from New Testament

ii. At Lauds – Benedictus

iii. At Vespers – Magnificat

4. Compline

a. As above, but only sing three psalms

b. Short responsory and canticle

C. Matins and Vespers the two largest, and most significant, Hours

1. On duplex feast days, celebrated twice

2. Structure essentially same for both

II. Office of Matins for the Nativity

A. Begin with short opening chants – same for all Hours

1. Domine Labia Mea

2. Verse Deus in adjutorium: just 1^st verse of Psalm 69

a. What does R mean?

b. Respond

c. Chant in responsorial style

d. Note – most is the Lesser Doxology

B. Followed by Psalm 94 with antiphon – common to all Matins services

1. Book calls the Invitatory psalm

2. Good chance to see how would sing whole psalm

3. How do we sing psalm verses when part of Mass, like Introit?

4. Basically same thing, but don’t sing all of antiphon between every verse

a. Start by singing whole antiphon (p. 150)

i. Soloist first

ii. Then whole choir

b. Then 1^st verse of psalm (p. 151)

i. By soloist

ii. For this introductory psalm only

iii. Other psalms are sung by choir

c. Sing entire antiphon

d. Next verse, by soloist

e. After 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th verses of psalm, only sing the second half

of the antiphon

f. Sing all of antiphon after odd numbered verses

5. After singing, note:

a. Relatively short antiphon

b. 2 clearly defined sections

c. both start with ascent from D to A

i. Mode?

ii. Note – ends on E

iii. Mode 4 --- A is the reciting tone

iv. D-A is like a secondary tonal area in tonal music –

important, but serves to define the reciting tone

rather than the actual mode

C. After Invitatory psalm, sing a hymn

1. Credit for idea of hymn singing given to St. Ambrose of Milan

2. Non-liturgical, but sacred, texts

a. Poems that reflected on the scripture, church year

b. Sung together as a group

c. Simple, catchy melodies

d. Strophic – normally all verses sung to same music

3. Hymn for Matins of the Nativity – Christe, Redemptor Omnium (p. 158)

a. Octosyllabic – eight syllables per line

b. Similar, but not identical, metrical structure

c. Phrase of music for each phrase of text

i. Note: 1^st and 4^th lines nearly identical

ii. Common to nearly all hymns

d. Mode? Dorian

e. Syllabic or neumatic?

i. Judgement call

ii. Point is – setting not too complicated

f. Sing 1^st verse

D. Nocturnes

1. 1^st part is…?

2. Singing of 3 psalms, each framed by antiphon

a. Works like introductory psalm, with one exception

b. Half of the group sings 1^st half of each psalm verse

c. Other half sings second half

d. Called antiphonal singing

e. Church of monastery laid out for antiphonal singing

i. choir stalls laid out in two parallel rows

ii. See picture on page 160

iii. sometimes laid out in square, with no stalls on one side

aa. sochantre, abbot, other officials sat there

bb. Show example?

f. Everyone sings the antiphons

g. Antiphon and psalm verse have to be in same mode, so they link

h. See exs. Pages 162-173

3. Three psalms followed by versicle

a. short little reflection

b. recitation formula

4. Three lessons

a. recitation formula

b. Begun by sochantre

5. Each lesson followed by a responsory

a. Another chant involving alternations between soloist and choir

b. Formally, like Gradual and Alleluia

i. Respond Verse Respond Dox. Resp.

Soloist-choir Soloist choir soloist choir

ii. But, since got kind of long, on responds after the first

only sing the second half of the item

iii. Second responsory (after 2^nd lesson) only one verse (no

dox.)

c. In other Offices, quite short and simple

i. For matins, pretty elaborate

ii. Note -- the psalm verse just a little fancier than

standard psalm tones (see p. 182)

iii. Characteristically, highly neumatic (two-ish per syllable)

or melismatic

iv. Also involves repetition of motives - what’s that called?

v. Outlines of 4^ths, both ascending and descending, abound

vi. Pretty clear modal definition, but uses both B natural

and Bb

6. Conclusion of Matins – singing of Te Deum

a. Occasionally sung in place of final responsory

b. Book says that “sometimes” used on other liturgical and para-

liturgical occasions

c. In my experience (ie: medieval and Renaissance Spain) every

noteworthy occasion involved singing of a Te Deum

i. Birth of member of royal family, or noble family

ii. Winning important battle

iii. Dedication of significant buildings

iv. Columbus, men sang Te Deum after finding new world

v. THE song of celebration

d. Only one basic melody, though variations in different mss.,

regions

i. Syllabic

ii. Highly formulaic – mainly composed of series of

repeated motives

iii. Almost like a hymn , but musically more akin to a psalm

iv. Sing

E. Before leave the Office behind, want to mention canticles (songs of praise)

1. Part of two of the greater offices – Lauds and Vespers

2. musical style - essentially a psalm, but different text from New

Testament

3. Like a psalm verse, preceded and followed by antiphon

4. For Lauds, the canticle is the Benedictus - praise of Virgin Mary;

Vespers = Magnificat

F. Alterations for semiduplex and duplex feasts

1. Semiduplex feasts: Two vespers services, nine lessons in Matins

2. Duplex feasts: As above, plus sing antiphons in entirety before and

after psalms

WEA COLCHESTER 20089 CLASS 7 NOV 21 MONASTICISM DEFINITION

Tags: chants of, opening chants, chants, monasticism