Hi all! I’m a first time poster so please bear with me. I need help with Liturgia Horarum.
I’ve been praying LOH in English and thoroughly enjoyed it so much that, having obtained Liturgia Horarum (LH) for cheap I am *switching to the LH. I thoroughly enjoy it as well! Now here’s where my question comes in:
I would like to begin to chant the LH and especially the antiphons. In my search for chant settings of antiphons for LAUDS (there are plenty of vesperales for sale and online) I came across an antiphonale which accompanies LH that has Latin chant settings for Lauds (as well as Office of Readings, Vespers, and Compline even). This antiphonale has antiphons which correspond to the Ordo Cantus Officii (from the CDW in 1983) and does NOT correspond with my 1971 LH antiphons.
So two questions arise:
- Does that mean that my 1971 LH is kind of out of commission if I want to chant the antiphons (and psalms of course) in Latin? As I cannot seem to find an antiphonary for the 1971 antiphons, any ideas? Obviously I can pray the 1971 antiphons but I’d like to chant them.
- Is the 1985/2000 Edition of LH updated with the new antiphons as listed in the Ordo Cantus Officii? If so, I guess that’s the Typical Edition and…again, my 1971 is kind of out of commission.
For private recitation it does not do too much harm (these antiphons are printed in the book and technically, the Approved English Versions rely on the 1971 Translation from Latin) I just want to chant the antiphons I see in my LH! Help!
I use Les Heures Grégoriennes which was put out by the Communauté Saint-Martin in France in 2008. It is essentially a diurnal antiphonary for the current Liturgia Horarum. It includes the Latin on one side and French on the other. The hymns, antiphons and reponsories are all in Gregorian notation. Sadly the first printing has run out. It is in three volumes that are very usefully laid out as proper chant books designed for use in choir, so they have minimized back-and-forth. Nihil obstat, imprimatur and concordat cum originali. It is also essentially what the new Roman Antiphonary will look at. It has finally been approved, and the first volume, the Vesperale, has been released by Solesmes. Expect the rest to come out soon.
The antiphons all are the revised versions that were “pioneered” by the Monastic antiphonary that came out in several volumes in 2005. The last volume is anticipated this year (Vigils).
To date these are the only “official” sources for Liturgia Horarum. Until now there was no official Roman Antiphonary for the 1971+ office. Adaptations were made from older chant books but the were several discrepancies with the antiphons. Some individual communities may have put out their own but nothing official.
The big issue was the new psalm splits, and the new antiphons that were created for those. Solesmes had to compose entirely new antiphons in a few cases because of that.
Since Les Heures Grégoriennes isn’t currently available, I’d go with Solesmes new Vesperale to start. It will be limited to Vespers of Sundays, feasts and solemnities but that will get you going at least two days a week. Then integrate the other volumes as they come out (at a no doubt monastic pace, which is to say, slow).
For the other days you can use Liber Hymnarius for the hymns, and chant the office in directum with the antiphon recto-tono. You can get volumes I, II and III of the Monastic Antiphonary and from there you’ll have approved antiphons for the Benedictus, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis canticles, and the OT canticles for Lauds and the NT canticles for Vespers (the one used as the third psalmody). So you will still be able to chant good portions of each day’s office. Not a perfect solution, and the books aren’t cheap.
Of course if you want to chant the Benedictine Monastic office, with the three new volumes of the monastic antiphonary you’ll have all you need for the diurnal office; with a lectionary.
Certainly the 1983 antiphonale you have isn’t an “official” one for the LH as none has existed until now. It is likely some community’s adaptation.
