Matins resources - Invitatory book

 Just to note that in terms of resources for the Matins chants, an excellent source for the Invitatory antiphons (to go with Psalm 94) of the Office can be found on CC Watershed.

The link is to a collection of invitatories published by Solesmes in 1928, and contains a good number not available in either the Liber Responsorialis, Nocturnale Romanum or Peter Standhofe Monastic Psalter.

Solesmes interim Nocturnale

A reader recently alerted me to the existence of the Solesmes Nocturnale (aka Liber Antiphonarius pro vigiliis cura scriptorii Paeographici solesmensis praeparatus Nocturnale ad interim, Solesmes, 2017), and asked if it was worth buying in terms of putting together Matins.

The short answer, particularly from a 1962 Office point of view, is no.

The slightly longer answer follow by way of an addition to my collection on Resources for Matins.

Why not to buy...

Despite the title, the book is not actually a full Nocturnale.

It does not provide the ferial texts or chants for Matins and provides only a limited selection of chants for thirteen feasts, all of which are readily available in other sources.

And the few 'new' responsories (for Tenebrae) are not used in the 1962 (and earlier) version of the Office.

It does include the texts of the psalms, but in the Neo-Vulgate.

And the selection of responsories and other texts often does not reflect the 1962 breviary, instead it rearranges them and in some cases replaces them with alternatives.

The changes

The book provides the texts for Tenebrae of Good Friday and Holy Saturday for example.  But it rearranges the order of some from that of the older breviaries, and adds alternative responsories in.

It is not really obvious to me why they have made these changes: while some of the 'new' responsories do seem to have been reasonably common in the manuscripts, a quick look at the Cantus Database suggests no more so than those that have been used in the Roman and Benedictine Breviaries since Trent.

Similarly, why has the last responsory of All Saints (Vidi angelum ascendentem) been dumped in favour of a responsory ascribed in the manuscripts to the Feast of the Holy Innocents?

Updated chants?

As far as I can see the book largely brings together updated versions of the chants that have already been published in other places, such as the Liber Hymnarius and assorted other Solesmes publications, rather than providing anything new.

Whether you like the updated versions will depend on your attitude to Solesmes methodology of building composite chants from the manuscripts, rather than simply selecting the best version from one.

We do need a true Benedictine Nocturnale - the best source for the ferial Office remains, as far as I know, an informal draft by Peter Sandhofe, and there remain at least fifty responsories included in the breviary for which I have been unable to find published versions of the chants for example.

Unfortunately, this is not it!

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.

Learn the Office 2.3: Versicles - Compline step-by-step 3

Coronation of the Virgin, The Met
ca. 1455–60

Continuing this step-by-step progress through Compline (Pt 3), today a little about versicles.  This post also covers their use in the other hours.

OVERVIEW

Versicles are short verses with a response.

At Compline a sign of the cross is made at the ‘Adjutorium nostrum’ verse, and over the heart with the thumb at the ‘Converte nos Deus’.

Alleluias are added to the versicles (where marked) in Eastertide.

More elaborate chant tones are used for Lauds and Vespers, and for feasts at those hours.

What is a versicle?

The versicle is a short statement and response.

In the Diurnal they are usually just marked V: and R:

All of the hours contain versicles, and in the main they are very straightforward to say.

Still, there are a few rubrics that go with them in particular hours, such as Compline, and variants in the chants used them on feasts that are worth noting.

Where the versicles are placed

At Prime to None and Compline, there are versicles after the short reading and/or chapter verse, acting as the equivalent of a responsory to it. Versicles also have other positions and functions in the hours though.

Compline

The first versicle of Compline is said immediately after the short reading:

V. Adjutórium nostrum in nómine Dómini. + R. Qui fecit cælum et terram.

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord, + R. Who made heaven and earth.

A second closes off the first section of the hour, 'responding' perhaps to our act of contrition:

V. Convérte nos Deus,+ salutáris noster. R. Et avérte iram tuam a nobis.

V. Turn us then, O God,+ our saviour:  R. And let thy anger cease from us.

And there is another one after the chapter verse that comes in the middle section of Compline:

V. Custódi nos, Dómine, ut pupíllam óculi. R. Sub umbra alárum tuárum prótege nos.

V. Keep us, Lord, as the apple of thine eye. R. Protect us under the shadow of thy wings.

Prime to None

At both Prime and Compline (aside from those linked to the Marian antiphon), the versicles are the same each day.

At Terce, Sext and None, however, they vary with seasons and feasts, in order to match the chapter verses they follow.

Matins, Lauds and Vespers

At Matins the versicles come immediately after the psalms are said in each Nocturn, while at Lauds and Vespers they come after the hymn and before the New Testament Canticles, and can vary with the day of the week as well as the season or feast.

Versicles are also used at various other points through the Office.

Rubrics for the versicles

When the Office is said in common or in choir, the person leading the Office chants the verse (labelled V.), everyone then joins the response (R.).

In private recitation, just say both the verse and response.

Normally there are no particular gestures or postures associated with versicles.  

The key exception is at Compline, where a sign of the cross is made at the 'Adjutorium nostrum', and with the thumb over the heart at the 'Converte nos Deus'.

Eastertide

The other point worth being aware of is that during Eastertide, alleluias are added to the versicles in the main part of the hour.

If you look at page 263 in the Diurnal (AM 172), for example, you will see  it says (T.P. Alleluia or, in the English version, P. T...).  This means add an Alleluia to the verse (and response) during Paschaltide (Tempus Paschali, ie Easter).

Chant tones for versicles

The Antiphonale Monasticum provides four alternate tones for the versicles (AM 1232-3):

• a 'simplex tone' (Tonus simplex) for use at Prime to None and Compline, as well as when making a commemoration at Lauds;
• a common tone (tonus communis) for Lauds and Vespers on normal days;
• a solemn tone (tonus solemnis), for use on major feasts and Lauds and Vespers; and 
• a tone for use in the Office of the Dead and during the Triduum (AM 1233).

SUMMARY: Rubrics for the first section of Compline

The versicle 'Converte nos' marks the end of the first section of Compline, and the table below summarises the rubrics for Compline up to this point.

Opening section of Compline

Office component	Page number	Key words	Key points to note	Rubrics
Reading - Short lesson with blessing	MD 256-7 AM 167 [video 1.07]	Jube Domne.. Noctem quietam…	Alternative readings can be used	Stand; in monastery, reader kneels for the blessing
Versicle	MD 257 [video 1.56]	Adjutorium nostrum…		Make sign of cross
Examination of Conscience or Pater Noster Confession, absolution	MD 257 MD 258-9 (Unless in a monastery or with a priest leading) [video 2.17]	Confiteor Deo omnipotenti… Misereatur nostri… Indulgentiam…	The Diurnal provides two versions of this section – use the second in private recitation. Note addition of St Benedict to the Confiteor.	Bow (profound) Strike breast x3 at mea culpa. At absolution (Indulgentium), make sign of the cross
Versicle	MD 259 [video 3.49]	Converte nos Deus…		Sign of cross with thumb over heart

Yu can find the next part in this series, on the opening prayers of the Office (and opening of the middle section of Compline), here.

Psalms of Matins - quick guide

Just a quick summary sheet listing out the psalms and canticles of matins for reference purposes.


(1) Ferial psalms

Daily invitatory	3, 94
Sunday	20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25; 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 +three canticles of the season
Monday	32, 33, 34, 36, 36, 37;  38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44
Tuesday	45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51;  52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58
Wednesday	59, 60, 61, 65, 67, 67;  68, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72
Thursday	73, 74, 76, 77, 77, 78;  79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84
Friday	85, 86, 88, 88, 92, 93;  95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100
Saturday	101, 102, 103, 103, 104, 104;  105, 105, 106, 106, 107, 108

You can find a listing of the Sunday canticles by season here.

(2) The psalms and canticles of the Commons

COMMON OF…	NOCTURN I	NOCTURN II	NOCTURN III
Apostles and evangelists	18, 33, 44, 46, 60, 63	74, 95, 96, 97, 98, 100	Isaiah 61:6-9 Wisdom 3:7-9 Wisdom 10: 17-21
Popes	As for a  martyr or several martyrs or bishop
One Martyr	1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10	14, 20, 23, 63, 64, 91,	Ecclesiasticus 14:22, 15:3-4, 6 Jeremiah 17:7-8 Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11
Several martyrs	1,2, 10, 14, 15, 23	32, 33, 45, 60, 63, 78,	Wisdom 3:1-6 Wisdom 3:7-9 Wisdom 10: 17-21
Confessor Bishop, Confessor	1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10	14, 20,  23, 95, 96, 97	Ecclesiasticus 14:22, 15:3-4, 6 Jeremiah 17:7-8 Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11
Virgins, Holy Women	8, 18, 23, 44, 45, 47	84, 86, 95, 96, 97, 98	Ecclesiasticus 39:17-21 Isaiah 61:10-11, 62: 1-3 Isaiah 61:4-7

Using a breviary to say Matins: a quick guide

Some of those saying Matins are using breviaries of various vintages, so in response to a request for more information on how to do that, a quick guide.  

A note of caution!

I should note though, that my view is that you shouldn't be attempting to use a breviary unless you have reasonably good Latin (or are in the process of learning the language) and are reasonably familiar with how the Office works.  

First, I see no point in saying an Office you can't understand even the gist of, and secondly, the Office is complex enough to learn without adding a language you don't know into the equation.  Accordingly, if you want to learn Matins, start with the bilingual Clear Creek Matins booklet to learn the fixed texts for that hour and become familiar with the structure of the hour.

Secondly, you really need to be familiar with how the Office works.  Accordingly, if your Latin is not good, I strongly recommend starting by learning the day hours using one of the bilingual editions of the Monastic Diurnal (it comes in Latin-English, Latin-French and Latin-Italian).   

Only once you have all that under your belt should you try and tackle the Office using a breviary in my view (unless of course you are able to visit a traditional monastery and learn by trying to follow what they are doing).

That said, here is a brief users guide.

(1) Which volume

The first point to note is that breviaries are generally multi-volume products.

The 1962-3 version has two parts labelled 'Tomus Prior' (covering Advent to Pentecost) and 'Tomus Alter' (Trinity Sunday onwards) on the cover page.  

Pre-twentieth century versions though typically have four parts, labelled for the seasons - so at the time I'm writing now (June), you need to be looking for Pars Aestiva (summer).  One quick cross-check is which months the texts for the feasts of saints cover.

(2) Finding key sections of text you need

Breviaries are typically divided into several sections. 

 Not all breviaries include all of the parts in each volume though, so you may need to hunt around a bit depending on the edition.  They also differ in which order they provide it - many older breviaries put the psalter section first in the book for example, though the 1962 version has it after the Propers of time (ie middle).

I would suggest taking a look at this post on the ordering of the Monastic Diurnal and making sure you can find the equivalent sections in your breviary volume(s).

In general, for Matins on ferial weekdays:

• after Pentecost in summer you only need to find the right day of the week in the psalter section, plus the collect from the previous Sunday from the Proprium de Tempore section; and
• in 'winter' and during the major liturgical seasons (Advent, Lent etc) you will need to find the readings and some other texts (such as canticle antiphons) from the propers of time section.

On feasts of saints, you will need some texts from the Proprium Sanctorum and/or Commune Sanctorum sections as well or instead.  On higher level feasts you may also need to refer to the Sunday psalter section for some of the texts (such as blessings for the readings, Te Deum etc), though some breviaries (such as the 1962) helpfully provide these separately upfront, and standard chanted parts of the Office such as the Te Deum can also be found in the Liber Responsorialis.

On Sundays you will need readings and responsories for the Sunday - and after Pentecost the readings for Nocturns I&II and those for Nocturn III generally come from separate parts of the Propers of Time section.

(3) Navigating the psalter section

The core of the Office is to be found in the psalter (Psalterium) section of the breviary.  

Most breviaries are organised roughly in order of the number of the psalms.  

That means they typically start with Prime (as it covers Psalms 1-19 less a few), then Matins followed by Lauds of each day of the week, starting with Sunday (Psalm 20).

The days are labelled mostly by numbers (of the days of creation) - so feria secunda = Monday; feria sexta= Friday.

(4) Breviary shortucts

Even though they are large, they could be larger still, so all breviaries take shortcuts.

In particular:

• they generally don't bother repeating texts common to a particular hour, such as the opening versicle for Matins, Psalms 3&94, they just assume you know to say them;
• they don't write out the Gloria at the end of each psalms, responses to chapters and readings, etc etc.  I've summarised some of the key shortcuts  here, but take a look at the other posts on this topic on my Learn the Office page as well if you haven't already.

(5) Adapting older calendars

Another issue particular to pre-1962 breviaries is differences in level of days and octaves which affect the readings and responsories used.  

If you want to use the 1962-3 calendar and rubrics, just keep a close eye on the Ordo on the Saints Will Arise blog, and where differences on the names of feasts/Sunday etc arise, double-check against the readings on Lectio Divina Notes. 

In most cases the changes are not hard to manage  - Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi, for example, has exactly the same readings as the 1962 equivalent Sunday II after Pentecost, but does change the responsories to be used (mind you, in these days of the 'External Solemnity' of Corpus Christi celebrated in many places, you could make a good case for sticking with the older responsories I think...).  The correct responsories can be found either on Lectio Divina Notes or by using the label function on the Benedictine Responsories Blog (in this case 'pp2').

The structure of Matins - Introduction to Matins Pt 3

Source; Gasquet, English Monastic Life

On Sunday let the brethren rise earlier for the Night Office…

Rule of St Benedict, ch 11

Before you can look at how to adapt Matins to your particular time constraints, or start making sure you are following the rubrics, it helps, I think to have a good idea of how Matins is structured.  Accordingly, in this post I am going to provide a short overview of how the hour fits together.

An overview of the structure of Matins

Matins differs from the other hours of the Office in that its structure differs between Sundays and major feasts, and the other days of the week.  It also has a summer and winter version for weekdays.

I've summarised the basic structure of the hour in the table below; the rest of the post takes you through it in a bit more detail.

Table 1: The structure of Matins

SECTION
OPENING (INVITATORY)	Same elements everyday – opening prayer, Ps 3, Ps 94 (with verse), hymn
NOCTURN I	Six psalms with antiphon(s) Versicle, Our Father, absolution Blessing, reading and responsory (1,3 or 4 sets)
NOCTURN II	Six psalms with antiphon(s)  Sundays and major feasts only: Versicle, Our Father, absolution Blessing, reading and responsory *4
NOCTURN III	Sundays and major feasts only: Three OT canticles under one antiphon Versicle, Our Father, absolution Blessing, reading and responsory *4
CONCLUDING SECTION	Weekdays and minor feasts: Chapter and versicle  Sundays: Te Deum, Gospel, Te Decet Laus
CLOSING PRAYERS	Collect only or concluding prayers

The opening, or invitatory section

The opening section of Benedictine Matins is quite long, particularly if you sing it.  But as we will see when we look at this section in more detail, it is also a very important set of prayers in terms of content, and the chants used for it are very beautiful.

The structure of the opening section of Matins is always the same, no matter the level of the day (the days of the Sacred Triduum excepted, when the Benedictine Office gives way to the Roman).

Matins starts each day with a prayer taken from Psalm 50,  'Domine labia mea aperies...', or 'O Lord open my lips, that my mouth may proclaim your praise'.  In some versions, including many older breviaries, the prayer 'O Lord come to my aid' is added in before or after this, but it isn't in the 1963 breviary.





This is then followed by Psalm 3, said without antiphon), and Psalm 94, said with a verse particular to the day, season or feast.

The opening section concludes with a hymn, which varies with the day of the week, feast or season.

The Nocturns 

The main section of Matins consists or either two or three Nocturns made up mainly of a mix of psalms or canticles, and readings and responsories.

Weekdays

On normal weekdays, Matins has two Nocturns, each consisting of six psalms with one more antiphons.

At the end of the first Nocturn, there is a versicle (verse and response), Pater Noster (Our Father) and an absolution.  This followed by either one or three readings and responsories, each proceeded by a blessing of the reader, with the number depending on the time of the year.

The variation in the number of readings is a leftover from the time when the start time of Matins varied with the seasons - the nights were short in summer, so St Benedict shortened the length of Matins to match the shorter length of the hours.

The second Nocturn has essentially the same structure on weekdays as the first, but with two differences.  First, for most of the year the six psalms are said under one antiphon, viz Alleluia.  In Septuagesimatide and Lent though, three antiphons are used as in the First Nocturn.   The other difference is that the Second Nocturn ends with the last antiphon.

Sundays and Major Feasts

On Sundays and major feasts, Matins has three Nocturns, each of which follow the basic structure of the First Nocturn on weekdays, but with four sets of blessings, readings and responsories in each.

The key difference is that the third Nocturn, instead of consisting of psalms, is made up of three Old Testament canticles.

Concluding section and concluding prayers

On weekdays the Second Nocturn is followed by a short chapter verse and versicle.  On Sundays and major feasts, instead of the chapter, two hymns (the Te Deum and Te Decet Laus) are added, along with the reading of the Gospel.

The form of the concluding prayers depends on whether or not the hour is joined to Lauds.

The festal Office

The form of the Office used basically depends on the level of 'day' or feast in the Office.  For the benefit of those already familiar with the 1962-3 calendar and attempting to adapt an older breviary to the 1963 rubrics, I've included the table below which summarises the basic principles.  If you aren't familiar with the various levels of days and feasts however (either because you are familiar with the Novus Ordo Mass or one of the older divisions of feasts), don't worry, I will come back to this down the track.

Table 2: Days and feasts

LEVEL OF DAY OR FEAST*	STRUCTURE OF MATINS
Class I &II Sundays	Sunday psalms with three Nocturns
Class I&II feasts	Three Nocturns with psalms for the feast
Class III feasts	Two Nocturns with hymn, a reading(s) and responsory of the feast
Class I, II and III days (Ash Wednesday, Ember Days, Advent and Lent days etc)	Two Nocturns, three readings and responsories
Class IV days	Two Nocturns with one or three readings and responsories depending on time of year

One key point everyone should note though is that (though some argue otherwise, the evidence strongly suggests that) in St Benedict's original conception of this hour, the psalmody was always 'of the day of the week', with the psalms used each day those set out in the Rule  On major feasts, his monks simply added more readings and an extra Nocturn with some appropriate Old Testament canticles.  In the modern Office, though, special sets of psalms selected for their appropriateness to the feast being celebrated, or type of saint/occasion (the Commons) are used.

Quiz

Think you've got it down?  Have a go at the quiz:  Structure of Matins!

Why prayer at night? - Introduction to Matins Pt 2

Vigil at the London Oratory
Source: Modern medievalism blogspot

In winter, that is from the first of November until Easter, the brethren shall rise at what is calculated to be the eighth hour of the night, so that they may sleep somewhat beyond midnight and rise with their rest completed. If any time remain after Matins, let the brethren, who are lacking in knowledge of the psalter and lessons, employ it in study. From Easter to the aforesaid first of November let the hour of rising be so arranged that there be a very short interval after Matins, in which the brethren may go out for the necessities of nature, to be followed at once by Lauds, which should be said at dawn.

Rule of St Benedict, Chapter 8

I noted in my previous post that Matins is traditionally said in the very early morning hours, while the world is still shrouded in darkness.

I thought it might be helpful to expand in this theme a little, by way of encouragement to try and say it (or whatever part of it you end up saying) before first light if you possibly can.

When Matins is properly said

In the traditional Roman Office, Vigils was literally said at midnight; St Benedict made it rather later, but on the basis that the monks would not go back to bed after saying it.

If you visit some of the traditional monasteries, such as Le Barroux, you can have the privilege of joining the monks in the very early hours of the morning in darkness, and enjoy the full symbolism associated with the hour.   Getting up once or twice while on retreat of course, is one thing; doing it every day is quite another!   Few laypeople can really make a timetable like theirs (starting Matins at 3.30am each day) work.

Still, there is a lot of symbolism embedded in the hour and the traditions around it that are, I think, worth being aware of.

Scriptural exemplars

Prayer at night seems to have been part of the earliest Christian tradition: Tertullian (c155-240), for example, talks about the ideal of being able to share the nightly prayers with one's wife if she is a Christian, rather than having to go to another room for this purpose.

And a number of early treatises on prayer and monastic rules point to Scriptural examples of the practice of praying in the middle of the night as rationales for the hour:

• it was in continuity with Old Testament practice attested to by Psalm 118 ('At midnight I rose to praise you'), a rationale also quoted by St Benedict in Chapter 16 of the Rule;
• the widow-prophetess Anna's presence in the Temple praying day and night (Luke 2); and
• Paul and Silas, praising God at midnight (Acts 16:25).

St Bede the Venerable also argued for continuity with the Temple tradition, pointing to Nehemiah 9's references to four 'hours' at the Night (viz Vespers, Compline, Vigils and Lauds) and four day hours.

Rising each day with Christ

The most important reason for the hour, though, was probably the association with watching for the Resurrection and the Second Coming.

St Benedict starts his discussion of the Benedictine Office in Chapter 8 of his Rule.  He then starts to discuss the Night Office, which he elsewhere treats as the eighth and last of the hours, rather than the first.  And he opens by instructing his monks to rise at the eighth hour of the night to say it.

There is clearly something important that St Benedict is trying to signal here, around the symbolism of the number eight.  The most important of those associations is perhaps with the Resurrection, the 'eighth day'.  If you have been saying the opening section of Matins each day, as I've suggested, you might have noticed the Resurrection theme in the first psalm of the day, Psalm 3:

6  Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.

I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me

There is a bit of a play in this verse, I think, both on the idea that sleep each night is a little death, and waking a little resurrection each day, as well as an allusion to Christ's Resurrection.  And the verse is a direct response, I think, to Psalm 4 at Compline:

9 In pace in idípsum * dórmiam et requiéscam;

In peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest

So the hour early sets up a reference to the time it is properly said, and points us towards the hour of the Office, Lauds, where the Resurrection is made clear to the world.

Watching for the Second Coming

There is also an association, though, in early Christian thought, between the 'eighth day', and the Second Coming: in St Paul, both the day of the Resurrection and the Parousia are described as 'the day of the Lord'.  Christians pray at night because:

...the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It is just when men are saying, All quiet, all safe, that doom will fall upon them suddenly, like the pangs that come to a woman in travail, and there will be no escape from it.  Whereas you, brethren, are not living in the darkness, for the day to take you by surprise, like a thief; no, you are all born to the light, born to the day; we do not belong to the night and its darkness.  We must not sleep on, then, like the rest of the world, we must watch and keep sober;  night is the sleeper’s time for sleeping, the drunkard’s time for drinking; we must keep sober, like men of the daylight.  1 Thess 5

St Benedict's contemporary Caesarius of Arles (470-542), opens his rule for nuns by comparing them to the wise virgins waiting with lamps trimmed and a good supply of oil (to be interpreted as good works of good works) for the bridegroom who arrives at midnight in the Gospel parable in St Matthew 25.

Clement of Alexandria (150-215) also used this image, but applied it to men as well, in imagery echoed in St Benedict's Rule in relation to sleeping arrangements and readiness for the Night Office (chapter 22):

 We must therefore sleep so as to be easily awaked. For it is said, Let your loins be girt about, and your lamps burning; and you yourselves like to men that watch for their lord, that when he returns from the marriage, and comes and knocks, they may straightway open to him. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when He comes, shall find watching. For there is no use of a sleeping man, as there is not of a dead man. Wherefore we ought often to rise by night and bless God. For blessed are they who watch for Him, and so make themselves like the angels, whom we call watchers. But a man asleep is worth nothing, any more than if he were not alive. (The Instructor)

By St Benedict's time, the idea that all Christians ought to rise for midnight prayers had given way to practicality, and instead we have several examples of the hour taking on a particularly monastic character, reflecting the idea that religious watch on behalf of us all, and particularly on behalf of those who support their particular monastery.  That idea is, I think, implicit in St Benedict's Rule, but spelt out much more clearly in several other contemporary sources. Caesarius' Rule for his nuns, for example, which St Benedict quotes from in a couple of places, effectively suggests that because Caesarius had established the monastery for them, the nun's prayers will make up for his own deficits, and he will be led  into heaven by the wise virgins who will light his way:

Because the Lord in His mercy has had deigned to inspire and aid us to found a monastery for you, we have set down spiritual and holy counsels for you as to how you shall live in the monastery according to the prescriptions of the ancient Fathers.  That, with the help of God, you may be able to keep them, as you abide unceasingly in your monastery cell, implore by assiduous prayer the visitation of the Son of God, so that afterwards you can say with confidence: “We have found him who our soul sought” (Cant 3:1, 4).  Hence I ask you, consecrated virgins and souls dedicated to God, who, with your lamps burning, await with secure consciences the coming of the Lord, that, as you know I have labored in the constructing of a monastery for you, you beg by your holy prayers to have me made a companion of your journey; so that when you happily enter the kingdom with the holy and wise virgins, you may, by your suffrages, obtain for me that I may not remain outside with the foolish.  As you in your holiness pray for me and shine forth among the most precious gems of the Church...(ch 1)

The Rubrics

All of this leads us to the practical problem of, if you are going to say Matins in the Benedictine form (or some version thereof), and not just leave it to the monks and nuns to say on your behalf, when to do it!

The rubrics for the 1963 Office basically say (and I'm paraphrasing a bit here, not giving you a word by word translation) that the Canonical hours of the Office are meant for the sanctification of the various hours of the natural day...Accordingly they should be said as close to the time as possible to the time which the hour represents General Rubrics, Book II, 137).

It then goes on to say that those who have an obligation to say the Office (ie priests, religious etc) need to say all of the hours within a twenty-four hour period (138).

Matins, it says, for a just cause, can be anticipated and said the day before, but not before fourteen hundred hours (139).

Options

There are a number of different practices which I've seen used in monasteries in relation to Matins which you could consider:

• say it the night before.  This used to be fairly common, but I'm not sure that any monasteries still do this;
• say it at midnight then go back to bed - this at least preserves the night character of the hour;
• say it at a fixed early hour of the morning such as 3.30am; 
• adjust the start time with the seasons as St Benedict suggests, but with only a short break before Lauds winter and summer to allow more time for sleep; or
• say it first thing in the morning immediately before Lauds, not necessarily entirely in the dark.