Learn the Office 2.5 - How the psalms are said in the Office Pt 1 - Including psalms without antiphons

King David composing the psalms

Let Compline be limited to the saying of three psalms, said straightforward and without an antiphon.  Rule of St Benedict, ch 17

At Compline let the same psalms be repeated every day: that is, the fourth, the ninetieth, and the hundred and thirty-third.  Rule of St Benedict, ch 18

The Psalms in the Benedictine Office

This post covers some general rubrics around the psalms in the Office, as well as taking a look at psalms said without antiphons at Compline, Lauds and Matins.

The psalms are the core of the Benedictine Office, so it is worth taking a little time to look at how they are properly said. 

OVERVIEW

The layout of the psalms in the psalter differs from that in most Bibles in several ways, including the division of the verses.

In the Office, the doxology (Gloria Patri…) is added to all psalms and canticles unless otherwise noted.

The psalms of Compline, as for Psalm 66 at Lauds, are said without antiphon.

A tone for the psalms without antiphon can be found in the Antiphonale Monasticum on page 1219, however alternate tones are often used at some times of the year.

Reading the psalms in the psalter section of your book(s)

If you look at the psalter section of the Diurnal (or Antiphonale) you will see that the psalms are laid out slightly differently to the way they appear in most Bibles.

Layout of the psalms for liturgical use

The psalter section of the Diurnal is organised so that the psalms appear more or less in their numerical order (a few psalms needed for particular hours excepted).  In the case of Compline though, the psalms span the psalter, so are placed last.

The psalm titles are omitted, as these are not sung.  

In addition, no verse numbers are normally provided.  

It is also worth noting that the division of the verses sometimes differs from the standard divisions in modern Bibles (which date from the seventeenth century).

The asterix marks in the psalter

If you look at the psalms as laid out in the psalter section of the Diurnal or other books you will also see an asterix * in the middle of each verse.

The norm for the Benedictine Office is for it to be sung in choir.  When the Office is sung in choir or in common, the normal practice is to alternate verses between the two sides of the choir or church. 

Rather than pausing between verses, though, it is usual to pause in the middle of the verse, but not have much of a gap between verses.  The asterix marks the place for the pause.  The asterix also helps you know when to change notes if using a chant tone.  

The doxology at the end of the psalms

If you look underneath Psalm 1 at the beginning of the psalter section of the Diurnal, you will see it writes out the Gloria Patri in full at the end of the psalm, and says this is always said at the end of each psalm, part of a psalm (for example the individual stanzas of Psalm 118 said on Sunday and Monday, and psalms that are divided, the second half of which are usually marked with the word 'divisio' ), or canticle unless otherwise indicated.

The key exceptions to the use of the doxology are:

• after Psalms 148 and 149 at Lauds (the three Laudate psalms are said under one Gloria);
• after Psalm 115 at Monday Vespers (Psalm 115 is joined to Psalm 116); 
• the Benedicite Canticle on Sundays; and
• at certain times of the year, most notably during the Triduum. 

In choir, everyone stands and bows for the words 'Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto'.

The psalms without an antiphon - Lauds and Compline.

There are three different ways of saying the psalms in the Office: 

• without an antiphon ('in directum'); 
• responsorially (Psalm 94 at Matins); and 
• antiphonally (most of the hours). 

I will look at the psalms said antiphonally in the next post, but for now the psalms said without antiphon.

There are three sets of psalms said without antiphon in the Office: Psalm 3 at Matins; Psalm 66 at Lauds; and the psalms of Compline.

Originally psalms said 'in directum' were probably said in full by everyone present.  In most monasteries, though, the verses are alternated between the two sides of the choir and/or church as for the rest of the psalmody.

When sung, the key difference is in the first verse of the psalm, as there is no initial 'intonation' - the singing starts on the note it continues on.

The Antiphonale Monasticum provides only one chant tone for psalms sung without antiphon, on page 1219.  You can hear it used for Psalm 66 at Lauds by following the link here (Lauds, around 3.45).

Many monasteries do use alternate chant tones at Compline for some feasts and times of the year however, and the one on the video of Compline I've previously posted can be found in the Liber Usualis (tone for the Nunc Dimittis on Easter Day in the Roman Office), or in the 2005 Antiphonale Monasticum on page 517 (where the rubrics state that it is used for Christmas and Easter).

Pronouncing the Latin

If you are using the Diurnal, you have the English in front of you to help understand the Latin.  It is the Latin, however, that is approved for liturgical use in the 1962 Office.

If you aren't familiar with Latin pronunciation, the best approach is probably to start by listening to recordings such as the Compline video I've previously posted, and the podcasts of Le Barroux for example.

There are a number of great resources available online to help you thou, including:

• pronunciation guides for Ecclesiastical Latin; 
• notes on the psalms in the context of the Office (including breadking down the Latin, and including recordings of them being sung, said or chanted) over at my Psallam Domino Blog; and
• numerous youtube videos of the psalms being read in Latin.

And you can find the next part in this series, on psalms with antiphons, here.