I thought to might be useful to bring together a list of useful resources on the traditional version of the Benedictine Office. I'm not trying to be comprehensive, just point to the most useful currently (more or less) available resources.
Please do let me know about anything I've missed, and I'll add it in.
Please do let me know about anything I've missed, and I'll add it in.
1. Rubrics and how to say the Office
a) General Rubrics for the 1963 monastic office in Latin: Divinum Officium
b) Companion to the Monastic Breviary (includes 1960 rubrics in English)
c) Comprehensive notes on How to Say the Benedictine Office: Learn the Benedictine Office blog
2. Singing the Office
a) Resources, including podcasts, for Vespers and Compline by Dr Jennifer Donelson.
c) Comprehensive notes on How to Say the Benedictine Office: Learn the Benedictine Office blog
2. Singing the Office
a) Resources, including podcasts, for Vespers and Compline by Dr Jennifer Donelson.
b) Psalm tone generator - Will point psalms for you to match the antiphons of the day.
c) Psalterium Monasticum: horae diurnae - Psalms for the day hours with universal pointing (ie for all modes)
d) Le Barroux Offices live - Broadcasts selected offices.
Le Barroux chant archive - Captures Le Barroux's live broadcasts.
3. Pronouncing the Latin
a) Latin pronunciation guide (written)
d) Le Barroux Offices live - Broadcasts selected offices.
Le Barroux chant archive - Captures Le Barroux's live broadcasts.
3. Pronouncing the Latin
a) Latin pronunciation guide (written)
b) Youtube introduction by Christopher Brenna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcGcVRWk-x4&ab_channel=ChristopherBrenna
c) Psalms read aloud in Latin: Boston Catholic (nb doesn't always follow standard Ecclesiastical Latin pronunciation).
c) Psalms read aloud in Latin: Boston Catholic (nb doesn't always follow standard Ecclesiastical Latin pronunciation).
4. Office books (for saying or following the Office)
a) The Office as a whole
Breviarium Monasticum summorum pontificum cura recognitum pro omnibus sub regula S. P. Benedicti millitantibus iussi abbatis primatis editum, Marietti, Rome, 1963, 2 vols, Latin only.
This is the current official version of the traditional Office and the only book that provides all of the texts necessary to say Matins. It is out of print but can still occasionally be obtained secondhand (though older editions tend to be much cheaper and can be adapted to the 1963 calendar and rubrics).
There is a downloadable version available here.
The 1930 breviary can be downloaded here.
Psautier Monastique Latin-Francais du Breviare Monastique , 2012 Le Barroux reprint of Desclee and Sons 1938 edition. Latin-French version of the psalter section of the breviary. using the Vulgate, but as far as I know, not a Latin-English one. It does not include any chant tones.
The other book in use in some places is the Psalterium Monasticum, which provides the psalms in various arrangements permitted in the 1977 Thesaurus, using the neo-Vulgate. It includes the chant tones for the antiphons of Matins 9adjusted to conform with the neo-Vulgate).
Divinum Officium website - The monastic option generally follows the 1960 rubrics.
b) The day hours (Lauds to Compline)
Antiphonale Monasticum - chants and texts for the day hours (Latin only), Can be downloaded from CC Watershed (Section 11).
[Note: The 1934 edition is the version to use if you wish to use the 1963 calendar. Solesmes has published a multi-volume set of the Antiphonale Monasticum (2005 - ) necessary to sing the Benedictine Office in accordance with the 1971 calendar, but as far as I know no English translation of it is available.]
Monastic Diurnal (Farnborough edition): Latin-English, Republication of the Collegeville Diurnal (which had an imprimateur), compiled according to the rubrics of the 1963 Monastic Breviary.
The other book in use in some places is the Psalterium Monasticum, which provides the psalms in various arrangements permitted in the 1977 Thesaurus, using the neo-Vulgate. It includes the chant tones for the antiphons of Matins 9adjusted to conform with the neo-Vulgate).
Divinum Officium website - The monastic option generally follows the 1960 rubrics.
b) The day hours (Lauds to Compline)
Antiphonale Monasticum - chants and texts for the day hours (Latin only), Can be downloaded from CC Watershed (Section 11).
[Note: The 1934 edition is the version to use if you wish to use the 1963 calendar. Solesmes has published a multi-volume set of the Antiphonale Monasticum (2005 - ) necessary to sing the Benedictine Office in accordance with the 1971 calendar, but as far as I know no English translation of it is available.]
Monastic Diurnal 1952 edition (downloadable)
Diurnal monastique (Le Barroux edition): Latin-French. Consistent with the 1963 rubrics.
Lancelot Andrewes Press: English only Anglican version, uses older rubrics (Note: not approved for liturgical use).
Monastic Diurnal Noted - Lancelot Andrewes Press - Anglican, English only.
c) Matins
Nocturnale Monasticum: Complete Latin texts for Matins according to the usage of Le Barroux and Le Garde. Available in Latin only and latin-French editions.
Diurnal monastique (Le Barroux edition): Latin-French. Consistent with the 1963 rubrics.
Lancelot Andrewes Press: English only Anglican version, uses older rubrics (Note: not approved for liturgical use).
Monastic Diurnal Noted - Lancelot Andrewes Press - Anglican, English only.
c) Matins
Nocturnale Monasticum: Complete Latin texts for Matins according to the usage of Le Barroux and Le Garde. Available in Latin only and latin-French editions.
For a comprehensive guide to books and resources to Matins follow the links here.
For the chants for the responsories, you can find listings of the responsories for each Sunday and feast, as well as lists of sources for them on the Benedictine Responsory Blog.
d) Other books for individual hours
Lauds etc English-Latin from Clear Creek Monastery (there is an equivalent French-Latin set as well, available through Le Barroux). These are easy to follow versions intended to help you follow the Office when attending at a monastery (or listening online), but do not necessarily provide all of the necessary and antiphons and texts to say the full Office.
Psalmi Vespertini ad antiphonale monasticum...Vespers and Compline (various editions available secondhand) - Pointing of all psalms used in Vespers plus Compline (including seasonal/festal versions of Te lucis ante terminum). Can be downloaded here:CC Watershed (section 9)
5. Other resources for chants etc
a) Hymns
Liber Hymnarius cum invitatriis & aliquibus responsoriis, Solesmes, 1983. Useful for texts of hymns, but note that texts and chants often don't line up with those in older books.
Liber Hymnarius website - fantastic resource of online sound files, nicely arranged so you can find the appropriate seasonal tone
*Matthew Britt OSB, Hymns of the Office and Missal, 1922. Reprints also available.
Joseph Connelly, Hymns of the Roman Liturgy, Newman Press, 1957, reprinted by FSSP.
b) Novus ordo aligned texts
Solesmes has produced four volumes of the Antiphonale Monasticum (2005-2010) that provides antiphons and other chants for the day hours aligned with the Novus Ordo calendar. It is Latin only, and unfortunately Romanises the Office (moving when the hymns are said and promoting the omission of Prime), but still may be useful for some.
You can find a (strictly unofficial, Anglican sourced) English version of most of the chants produced by Ormonde Plater here.
b). Readings and collects
Liturgical Readings. The Lessons of the Temporale Cycle and Principal Feasts of the Sanctoral Cycle according to the Monastic Breviary, Grail Publicatins, 1941. Reprint available
(English translations, note some divergences with 1963 breviary)
Divinum Officium: Note that the version labelled as monastic often does not align with the Monastic Breviary. Searching through the various versions of the Office available for a particular day will often yield the appropriate text however.
My Lectio Divina blog - Provides Sunday Matins readings and guide to weekly readings in the Office, as well as notes on selected books of the Bible.
Chant sheets for the Gospel (used at Matins) and Collects.
c). Psalms
*Dom Matthew Britt Dictionary of the Psalter - Fantastic resource, providing all the vocab you need to understand the psalms.
My Psallam Domino blog (and resources liked there) - notes on the psalms using Patristic and other traditional sources, and interpreting the psalms in the context of the Benedictine Office.
d). About the Divine Office - selected references
*Vilma G Little - The Sacrifice of Praise. A wonderful book about praying the Divine Office. Worth buying, but you can also download it here.
Rev E J Quigley - The Divine Office: a Study of the Roman Breviary. Very much oriented to the Roman Breviary, but worth a read.
Fr John Hardon - The Divine Office as Liturgy; The Divine Office as the Church's Prayer of Praise and Intercession; The Divine Office as Sacrifice
Michael P Foley - The Great School of Spirituality - Useful quick history with lots of excellent references listed.
Theo Keller - Breviary History focuses primarily on short brevaries of the 20th and 21st centuries, but lots of resources including psalm schemas for other forms of the Office.
Prob Dobszay The Bugnini Liturgy and the Reform of the Reform
For the chants for the responsories, you can find listings of the responsories for each Sunday and feast, as well as lists of sources for them on the Benedictine Responsory Blog.
d) Other books for individual hours
Lauds etc English-Latin from Clear Creek Monastery (there is an equivalent French-Latin set as well, available through Le Barroux). These are easy to follow versions intended to help you follow the Office when attending at a monastery (or listening online), but do not necessarily provide all of the necessary and antiphons and texts to say the full Office.
Psalmi Vespertini ad antiphonale monasticum...Vespers and Compline (various editions available secondhand) - Pointing of all psalms used in Vespers plus Compline (including seasonal/festal versions of Te lucis ante terminum). Can be downloaded here:CC Watershed (section 9)
5. Other resources for chants etc
a) Hymns
Liber Hymnarius cum invitatriis & aliquibus responsoriis, Solesmes, 1983. Useful for texts of hymns, but note that texts and chants often don't line up with those in older books.
Liber Hymnarius website - fantastic resource of online sound files, nicely arranged so you can find the appropriate seasonal tone
*Matthew Britt OSB, Hymns of the Office and Missal, 1922. Reprints also available.
Joseph Connelly, Hymns of the Roman Liturgy, Newman Press, 1957, reprinted by FSSP.
b) Novus ordo aligned texts
Solesmes has produced four volumes of the Antiphonale Monasticum (2005-2010) that provides antiphons and other chants for the day hours aligned with the Novus Ordo calendar. It is Latin only, and unfortunately Romanises the Office (moving when the hymns are said and promoting the omission of Prime), but still may be useful for some.
You can find a (strictly unofficial, Anglican sourced) English version of most of the chants produced by Ormonde Plater here.
b). Readings and collects
Liturgical Readings. The Lessons of the Temporale Cycle and Principal Feasts of the Sanctoral Cycle according to the Monastic Breviary, Grail Publicatins, 1941. Reprint available
(English translations, note some divergences with 1963 breviary)
Divinum Officium: Note that the version labelled as monastic often does not align with the Monastic Breviary. Searching through the various versions of the Office available for a particular day will often yield the appropriate text however.
My Lectio Divina blog - Provides Sunday Matins readings and guide to weekly readings in the Office, as well as notes on selected books of the Bible.
Chant sheets for the Gospel (used at Matins) and Collects.
c). Psalms
*Dom Matthew Britt Dictionary of the Psalter - Fantastic resource, providing all the vocab you need to understand the psalms.
My Psallam Domino blog (and resources liked there) - notes on the psalms using Patristic and other traditional sources, and interpreting the psalms in the context of the Benedictine Office.
d). About the Divine Office - selected references
*Vilma G Little - The Sacrifice of Praise. A wonderful book about praying the Divine Office. Worth buying, but you can also download it here.
Rev E J Quigley - The Divine Office: a Study of the Roman Breviary. Very much oriented to the Roman Breviary, but worth a read.
Fr John Hardon - The Divine Office as Liturgy; The Divine Office as the Church's Prayer of Praise and Intercession; The Divine Office as Sacrifice
Michael P Foley - The Great School of Spirituality - Useful quick history with lots of excellent references listed.
Theo Keller - Breviary History focuses primarily on short brevaries of the 20th and 21st centuries, but lots of resources including psalm schemas for other forms of the Office.
Prob Dobszay The Bugnini Liturgy and the Reform of the Reform
13 comments:
Wondering what you think of using the Mundelein Psalter as a source for chanting/singing the psalms along with the Monastic Diurnal or just as a resource in general? Thanks for sharing your opinion.
I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the Mundelein Psalter so I can't comment - personally Ive never seen any reason to use anything other than the traditional chants as set out in the Antiphonael Monasticum.
I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the Mundelein Psalter so I can't comment - personally Ive never seen any reason to use anything other than the traditional chants as set out in the Antiphonael Monasticum.
Wondering what you think of the electronic Benedictine Monastic Diurnal published by Patrimoniam Publishing
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FT7YSLY/?coliid=I29MTKRVX77M1W&colid=19G55C3CGZ6XH&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
I am currently using the Monastic Diurnal and it appears to be quite similar but would appreciate your comment.
Blessings.
I'm not personally keen on Monastic Breviary Matins - KJV for Scripture makes it unsuitable for catholics in my view, and the translations in many places are fast and loose. I've done of a review of it which you can find here, along with notes on alternative resources: https://learnbenoffice3.blogspot.com/2017/04/book-review-monastic-breviary-matins.html
I'm confused by a comment about the Divinum Officium. You said, "The pre-Tridentine monastic option does not actually follow any known Benedictine calendar..."
Are there different Benedictine calendars? Where are they? Which one do you use?
I use this site these days when I'm at work and I don't want my MD out in public places. I've yet to find a difference, except the hymns seem to be more casually and unintentionally translated.
Dear 'BrMichael'': If you have a look at the Ordo for the pre-Tridentine monastic office on the site you will find there are virtually no sanctoral feasts whatsoever included. If you look at March for example no St Gregory, St Benedict, St Joseph or Annunciation.
The temporale is closer to the 1962 calendar, but does not fully align to the monastic either.
There are also a number of discrepancies in the antiphons and other texts used for various hours.
The biggest problem though relates to Matins, where Sundays (and feasts if there are any) are given the nine roman readings rather than the twelve monastic.
I agree that it is still a useful emergency source for psalms and hymns at various hours, and perfectly fine for devotional puroses.
But if you are bound to say the Office, it is not adequate.
Oh thank you! That helps a lot. I'm gaining proficiency but I'm not knowledgeable enough to figure much of this out. I would be completely lost if it were not for this site!
Is there an approved office for St. Mechtild, currently remembered on November 19?
It is certainly permissible for a Mass and Office of St Mechtild to be said under the provisions of Cum Sanctissima, since she appears in the Martyrology. I assume there is an Office for her (with at least a proper reading and collect) approved for certain places since the nuns of Le Barroux celebrate her feast as Class III, but I'm afraid I don't have a copy of it (you could try contacting them for a copy perhaps). But you could use the common of a virgin for the day hours at least.
The Dutch Abbey Sint Benedictusberg streams the whole office (Without Matins, but including Prim - Mass in Ordanary Form but full Latin): https://www.benedictusberg.nl/vieringen.html
Hello,
In praying the offices of Prime and Compline, I have noticed that during certain times of the year there are some minor changes not addressed in the Monastic Diurnal. For example, the last stanza of the hymn in Compline is different during the Paschal season. I know this because I also follow the recorded offices of the Abbaye du Barroux, which I assume has all this right down to the last verses. Is this perhaps a minor shortcoming of the Monastic Diurnal?
Thank you,
Luis
Luis - There is no problem with the Monastic Diurnal, it is simply following the rubrics of 1962.
Le Barroux however continues to incorporate some rubrics that applied in earlier forms of the office, including doxologies specific to some feasts and seasons, and 1 Vespers for Class II feasts.
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