Communion Prayer Recited?

[Fogwalker]

RC here who occasionally attends Byzantine liturgies…

In the Byzantine Rite (i.e. in The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), it seems like the people chant most of their part of the Liturgy…except the prayer before Communion. Is that the norm? If so, is there a special reason why the Communion Prayer is spoken instead of chanted?

 

[RyanBlack]

RC here who occasionally attends Byzantine liturgies…

In the Byzantine Rite (i.e. in The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), it seems like the people chant most of their part of the Liturgy…except the prayer before Communion. Is that the norm? If so, is there a special reason why the Communion Prayer is spoken instead of chanted?

It is the norm. As to the specific reason, I do not know.

 

[MorEphrem]

It is the norm. As to the specific reason, I do not know.

Apparently (from I have been told by a Ukranian priest) is that it is a private devotion gone widespread and public. Perhaps that’s why (speculative, I’m not quite sure I buy the explanation)? One wouldn’t chant a prayer silently so when it became a public practice it was just never adapted to chant because of its being a relatively late?

 

[Alveus_Lacuna]

Also in the Greek and Syro-Arab Byzantine traditions, the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed are spoken. This is the older way, I believe. They are chanted in the Slavic traditions.

 

[SVP]

My understanding, which may or may not be incorrect, is that the Lord’s prayer, the Creed and the Communion prayer are to be said by ALL (congregation and clergy) at the same time. There are no ‘secret’ priest prayers during those three prayers in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. In the Slavic usage the Lord’s Prayer and Creed are chanted by all, including the clergy. I would gather that the Communion prayer was never chanted and has remained unchanted as tradition.

 

[ByzCathCantor]

My understanding, which may or may not be incorrect, is that the Lord’s prayer, the Creed and the Communion prayer are to be said by ALL (congregation and clergy) at the same time. There are no ‘secret’ priest prayers during those three prayers in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. In the Slavic usage the Lord’s Prayer and Creed are chanted by all, including the clergy. I would gather that the Communion prayer was never chanted and has remained unchanted as tradition.

That is my understanding as well, SVP.

 

[chimo]

RC here who occasionally attends Byzantine liturgies…

In the Byzantine Rite (i.e. in The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), it seems like the people chant most of their part of the Liturgy…except the prayer before Communion. Is that the norm? If so, is there a special reason why the Communion Prayer is spoken instead of chanted?

Normally the parts of the Divine Liturgy which are not chanted includes the prayer which you had asked about but it also includes the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed and those parts when the priest includes the congregation into the prayer of Consecration. It is better to say some prayers than to chant it for it does have in my opinion an ordered simplified structure to it when it is said. The Communion prayer for instance is better said and you just have to attend to many Liturgies to see why. Sometime the Epistle is read sometimes it is chanted. In the Coptic Church there are three readings before the Gospel and it seems to read rather than chanted at least in a mission Church that has used the Orthodox Church I go to. Someone can correct me on this if other Coptic Churches do sing their New Testament readings. I prefer when a reading is done in the Church (like the Epistle) to be read rather than chanted because for some reason I do receive better the message.