Today I want to provide you with some notes on possible books to acquire. As I noted in the last post in this series, there are basically three categories of books you can use for the psalms of Matins:
It doesn't number the psalms of Matins (ie 1 to 6) though, so it is easy to lose track of where in the Nocturn you are up to. It also omits the commons and texts for saints and that's kind of annoying.
- breviaries, which contain all of the texts for the Office (but not the chants);
- Matins only books; and
- psalters which include the psalms and some of the other key texts.
Why consider buying a psalter?
Today I want to look at two books in the last category.
Both the books discussed below are current officially approved books, complete with imprimateur, so a useful reference point if you want to pray to Office liturgically,
The big reason for choosing a psalter over a breviary, the other 'officially' approved bok, though, really comes down to price. A 1963 breviary in particular is hard to find and pretty expensive. The various psalters by contrast are readily available at a reasonable price, and can be used for all of the hours, not just Matins.
But they have a few other advantages too.
The options
(1) Psalterium cum canticis novi et veteris testamenti iuxta regulam S P N Benedicti & alia schemata liturgiae horarum monastiae cum cantu gregoriano cura et studio monachorum solesmensium, Solesmes, 2012 (reprint of 1980).
This is one I'm including largely for the sake of completeness, as it uses the neo-Vulgate psalms of 1979 which, as I noted yesterday, I don't recommend.
That said, this psalter is used in most monasteries who use the Novus Ordo Mass and if you are an oblate of such a monastery, you should probably consider using it, alongside the new Antiphonales put out by Solesmes aligned to the new calendar.
What it contains
This is a Latin only book.
It includes the psalms laid out for each hour, including Matins, with standard daily prayers, and the antiphons with chant tones. The type face is reasonably sized (though not as large as the Psautier Monastique which I will discuss below).
It also contains pretty much all the texts for the seasons and feasts of saints (ie invitatory, hymns, antiphons and listings of where to find the psalms, and collects).
Another nice feature are the short Scriptural or Patristic quotes that point to the meaning of the psalms.
Pros and cons
This is actually a very nicely laid out book, containing pretty much everything you need for Matins except the readings and responsories.
It is not really usable for the 1963 Office though - the antiphons have been updated to conform with the neo-Vulgate so are not always the same as in the older books, and it contains a number of other quirks, such as an antiphon for Psalm 3 at Matins!
(2) Psautier Latin-Francais du Breviare Monastique En Supplement: L'Ordinaire de l'office au temps de l'Advent du Careme, de la Passio et de Paques...Desclee &Cie, 1938, 2012 reprint Editions Sainte-Madeleine (at time of writing, 35 Euros + shipping from Abbaye Le Barroux)
This is a book I recommend seriously considering acquiring, particularly if you are a french-speaker.
It is the book used on a day to day basis in most of the traditional monasteries for Matins as far as I can work out.
What it contains
As for the Psalterium, it contains the psalms and prayers for all of he hours including Matins, together with a french translation.
It also contains a short commentary in french on the psalms.
Most of the texts necessary for the seasons (including Office of Our Lady on Saturday) are also included, but not those for the feasts of saints (presumably because these are largely included in the Liber Responsorialis).
Pros and cons
Like the Psalterium, this book contains most of the texts you will need on a daily basis for Matins except for the readings and responsories. Though heavy, the book is not too large to hold and the type size is nice and large, a big bonus as far as I am concerned.
It doesn't number the psalms of Matins (ie 1 to 6) though, so it is easy to lose track of where in the Nocturn you are up to. It also omits the commons and texts for saints and that's kind of annoying.
The really major disadvantage of it though, from my point of view, is that it does not contain any of the chants at all.
And while it is nice to have a commentary on the psalms in theory, it very much reflects its early twentieth century date of composition - though perfectly orthodox, it focuses unduly, in my opinion, on the literal rather than spiritual meanings of the psalms so for me at any rate, is not actually that helpful.
Psalter vs Matins only books
The big downside of these two books is that neither is Latin-English, so if you are an English speaker and your Latin isn't great, or you are planning to pray Matins in English, you probably need to look at one of the Matins only resources, which I will cover in the next post.
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