Thank you brother! Yes, I am beginning the novitiate year on 12Sept2010.
I chant the LotH, too!
(I do it to myself, though–so as not to wake the family).
I would use post Vatican II.
Does a guide exist, do you know?
I don’t know of a guide. The General Instructions for the LOH is a pretty good guide except for the monastic elements that are unique to the monastic office. Best bet is to try to get a copy of the ordo of your monastery. It will differ from congregation to congregation, and from monastery to monastery (mine is in the Solesmes congregation).
If you’re good with Latin you could try to procure the new monastic antiphonary from Solesmes, all the day hours are available now (Vigils is supposed to come out this year I think).
It works pretty much like the Roman office other than as mentioned, the order of the psalmody and some unique elements and placement of the hymn.
The St. Joseph guide might actually be pretty good for the monastic diurnal in fact. You would have to add feasts/memorials proper to the order (e.g. St Maurus and St. Placidus, to name one).
The degree of solemnity is the same as for the Roman office, in short:
Memorials (optional or mandatory): antiphons and psalmody of the day unless there are proper antiphons; hymn, reading, responsory, Benedictus and Magnificat canticles from the commons, unless there are propers; intercessions from the commons, final collect from the proper of the saint. Little hours, entirely, are from the regular weekday
Feasts: festive psalms, the antiphons from the propers (if there are any), or from the commons if not, the rest from the commons unless there are propers. Little hours (Tierce, Sexte, None) antiphon + psalmody from the regular weekday unless a proper antiphon is specified, reading is proper and collect is from the saint.
Solemnities are like feasts except: there are first Vespers the evening prior (feasts of the Lord have this on Sundays only), little hours always use the gradual psalms.
Compline has specific collects for the evening before and of solemnities that fall in the week.
If you chant, for solemnities there are solemn tones for the opening, the responsories, and the Benedictus and Magnificat are chanted with the mediatio ornata (ornate median verse).
The ordo of your monastery will give you which memorial/feast comes up on which day, as the calendar is different than the Roman one. Some specific monastic saints are included, and some on the Roman calendar (e.g. St. Maximilian Kolbe) are not.