Does any church still practice the chanting of Scripture?

[twf]

I

It should also be said that chanting of the scriptures used to be the norm in the Western church as well, during its Orthodox period and some time afterward (at what are now considered “Traditional Catholic Churches”, you can still find it).

It is more widespread than you seem to suggest in the Latin Church…as far as Rome is concerned, it is still the “norm” (read: ideal). Certainly all of the masses I attended in Rome were chanted. In my experience, you are bound to find chanted masses at the typical local cathedral…and an increasing number of younger priests are more likely to chant masses, particularly on Sundays and holy days.

 

[martininthefiel]

The Epistles and Gospel lessons are often sung in high Anglican Masses, as are the intercessions.

 

[OraLabora]

The Benedictine monastery to which I’m affiliated chants everything at Mass and the Divine Office, and that includes all scripture readings. On a daily basis. So it’s nothing unusual. I pray the Divine Office daily myself and chant Vigils/Office of Readings, Lauds, Vespers and sometimes Compline, as well as the minor hours when I’m working from home and on weekends. I chant the Offices in Latin with the readings chanted in French (my mother tongue), except for Vigils which I chant entirely in French.

 

[Kouyate42]

Oh, I just realized the bit about “night services”. The night services are their own, properly called “Tasbeha” in the Coptic Church, and really different than anything I posted before.
Tasbeha for the Coptic month of Kiahk with cantor Gad Lewis (aka my favorite video in the history of the internet)

(There is also morning tasbeha, as here,)

I spent most of last night watching that video of the Midnight Tasheba. Beautiful!

 

[dzheremi]

I’m glad you found it edifying, Kouyate.

 

[roveau]

This is a question which I’m interested in as a historian. I’ve been reading about Islam and Arab Christianity, and one of the things mentioned was the night gatherings of Christian believers to chant passages of Scripture and Psalms to particular rhythm patterns.

This quite facinated me as it reminds me very much of Islamic Qur’an recitation with its tajwid rules of pronounciation.

But I’m wondering: is this still a practice in any modern church to practice Scriptural chanting?

During the Mass, after the First Reading, the Responsorial Psalm should be sung (chanted) ‘if possible’.

 

[HaroldA]

The Gospel is chanted at most, if not all, “High Masses” on Sundays and feasts at my parish. At the Easter Vigil all readings are chanted.

 

[cajunhillbilly]

I have been to Episcopal and continuing Anglican congregations where the Scriptures are chanted. Very beautiful.

 

[Kouyate42]

I’m glad you found it edifying, Kouyate.

I worked out the Coptic alphabet too! Easy-peasy.

 

[dzheremi]

Wow! Bravo!

 

[Jessup]

With out reading all the post here, to see if someone else had said this first.

The Indian Orthodox church does from what I understand.
My friend was Indian Orthodox before he became LDS, and this was a big reason why (Arabic chanting).
Being that he was born American to immigrant parents, and had little to no idea what was going on.

hope that sheds some light somewhere

 

[dzheremi]

Unless it is at a church based in the Gulf (where there are many Indian Christians, in places like UAE and Qatar), the Indian Orthodox Church does not chant in Arabic. Depending on where the church is based, its liturgy will be in Malayalam (most members are ethnic Malayali people from Kerala in south India, as this is the historic heart of the Orthodox Church in India), Hindi, English, etc. Its liturgical language is Syriac, which still remains in certain hymns and set phrases (like how in RC masses, you still keep the “Kyrie” in Greek, even if the rest of the Mass is in English or Spanish or whatever language).

A snippet of the Indian Orthodox liturgy in English (the only non-English used here is “barekhmor”, meaning “Lord bless”, and “Showe wu zodek”, meaning “Meet and Right”, both in Syriac)

 

[Kouyate42]

Wow! Bravo!

I’ll admit to cheating slightly in that I already know Greek so it’s not like I had to learn too many more letters.

 

[dzheremi]

Well then, I’ll admit to cheating too, since I already knew Russian before ever coming to the Coptic Church, so it somewhat lessens the impressiveness factor in the eyes of those people at church who at first thought I was some kind of superman. Haha. “You gave the responses in Coptic AND Arabic AND English! How are you doing that? Who did you marry?!” Hahaha. Copts.

 

[gordonh]

Some Australian Anglican Parishes plus the Cathedrals celebrate a Sung Mass, Evensong (Vespers), and sometimes a Sung Matins and most of the service is either sung or chanted including the collects, and intercession prayers.

 

[dskysmine]

I live in Germany and here it is not uncommon in the Ordinary Form to hear the Scripture reading sung. Actually it is pretty common in Berlin where Catholics are far and few.
I don’t think it is exclusive to the Extraordinary form, I think it depends more on the minister.

God bless,
D.