Antiphons and the Psalter!

[gtsecc]

How are antiphons used with the psalter?

 

[TomUK]

I don't use antiphons with the psalter. To be honest i get a bit bored with antiphons generally. I always include a benedictus or magnificat antiphon and usually have an antiphon before the canticle but that's about it.

 

[chalice_thunder]

Personally, I find antiphons useful for focus -- and I am assuming here that we ALL chant the psalter. (It's the Hebrew hymnal, and as such, we really should not be speaking these wonderful songs)

In the daily offices antiphons can be used before the psalm and after the psalm. Some people also squeeze an antiphon in between the final verse and the gloria.

Now this assumes that the whole community is chanting both antiphon and psalm verses.

If there is a choir or cantor chanting the verses, then the antiphon is rightly sung by all. In this case, if it's a long passage from the psalter, I am in favor of repeating the antiphon within the body of the psalm as well. THe most important thing, IMO, is to divide the verses so that they make sense together before getting back to the antiphon. This sometimes means 3 verses (or more) would need to be sung before the antiphon returns.

For instance:
Psalm 8

1 O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!

2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.

3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.

4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?

6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;

7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:

8 All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,

9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

10 O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is you Name in all the world!


Often people just break after every 2 verse. BUT, Verses 4 and 5 depend on one another. So, in a perfect world, I would make verse 1 the antiphon, and then go 2/3, 4/5 etc. Or if you were using a different antiphon, I would break it this way: 1,2,3 break, 4/5 break etc.

More in the next post

 

[chalice_thunder]

For psalms in the eucharist, first, no gloria patri is used. Again, either the congregation should chant the psalm together - perhaps a Simplified Anglican Chant...those work very well in my congregation. Regular Anglican Chant is nice, but deadly if done poorly. I have NEVER been in a congregation where it has been sung well by the congregation. Often choirs will offer Anglican chant psalms...as long as they are rehearsed, they can be effective and contribute positively to the liturgy.

Responsorial psalms - using antiphons to punctuate verses chanted by cantor/choir can be a very effective way to get the congregation engaged.

Same rules apply as in my earlier post.

One other thing that can work well:
A seasonal antiphon. For Advent, I have set all the psalms with a single antiphon: "Come and save us, O Lord God of Hosts."

And for Easter, we have done an extended congregational "Alleluia" as the antiphon throughout the season.

Can I make one more plea?

When chanting PLAINSONG, it's really effective to use the asterisk* as a place to relax and let the 2nd half of the psalm come back to you like a boomerang. (The only caveat is that you need to be in synch with your building...a dead, carpeted room is not ideal for plainsong, and I would avoid it in such an environment.)

The whole Hebrew "rhyming scheme" of the idea expressed at the beginning of the verse is echoed or amplified when it returns after the asterisk - either in the form of magnification, cause/effect, or opposite. It's really cool to follow the first thought, take a HUGE breath (one big enough for the Holy Spirit to fly through) and then experience what comes next. It's counter-intuitive at first. But any monastic community will tell you, it's well worth it!

End of sermon

 

[gtsecc]

We need to sticky this.

 

[TomUK]

Why?

 

[gtsecc]

For instance:
Psalm 8

1 O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!

2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.

3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.

O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!

4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?

O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!

6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;

7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:

O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!

8 All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,

9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

10 O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is you Name in all the world!

 

[Fairbairn]

-- and I am assuming here that we ALL chant the psalter.

Ummm......no

 

[gtsecc]

Ummm......no

I think he means for the purposes of this explaination, he is assuming we are chanting the Psaltar.

However, he does make a good point, and I am wondering, is it even Biblical to not chant the Psaltar? They are songs, written to be chanted. They loose meaning when taken outside of that context.

 

[chalice_thunder]

I think he means for the purposes of this explaination, he is assuming we are chanting the Psaltar.

However, he does make a good point, and I am wondering, is it even Biblical to not chant the Psaltar? They are songs, written to be chanted. They loose meaning when taken outside of that context.

I'm with you on this.

I think there are only a few occasions where the Psalter has fallen into spoken use - the most evident would be Ps. 23 recited at funerals. Many people learned the KJV of it as children, and it's a comfort to speak it. (However, there are plenty of hymn versions of that psalm, and others. Whenever possible, I try to steer people toward singing it.)

Anyway, for those of you in congregations who do not chant the psalms yet, you are in for a real treat. It can greatly enhance your prayer life, both personal and as community, and it's NOT difficult.

 

[gtsecc]

Anyway, for those of you in congregations who do not chant the psalms yet, you are in for a real treat. It can greatly enhance your prayer life, both personal and as community, and it's NOT difficult.

Absolutely! These were written to be sung, and the chant tones Anglicans typically use, Gregorian, are probably some of the same tones the Jews used for these Psalms. Most of the tones are written with the intent that they be simple enough for a congregation of untrained musicians to pick up and follow. That’s right, these were written so that even illiterate and untrained peasants could sing them!

 

[chalice_thunder]

Absolutely! These were written to be sung, and the chant tones Anglicans typically use, Gregorian, are probably some of the same tones the Jews used for these Psalms. Most of the tones are written with the intent that they be simple enough for a congregation of untrained musicians to pick up and follow. That’s right, these were written so that even illiterate and untrained peasants could sing them!

My favorite Gregorian Tone is Tonus Peregrinus.

Every year, after the Easter Vigil, we have a wonderfully extravagant party in the Great Hall, and there's the ceremonial chanting of Tonus Peregrinus to these words:

Here comes Peter Cottontail, alleluia!
Hopping down the bunny trail, alleluia!

Yikes - I'm getting yearny for the Triduum already.

 

[gtsecc]

Now with music:

http://www.llpb.us/Canticles-Psalms-Ants.htm

 

[chalice_thunder]

Now with music:

http://www.llpb.us/Canticles-Psalms-Ants.htm

Well how about that!

Psalm 114, if you click on it, is Tonus Peregrinus. (Not the first phrase - that's an example of an Antiphon - and then the psalmtone follows.)

Note how he observes the asterisk.

Too bad it's only one guy chanting - it would be an even better effect to have 6 or 7 of them!

 

[karen freeinchristman]

Now with music:

http://www.llpb.us/Canticles-Psalms-Ants.htm

You could add that link to the sticky links thread.

 

[gtsecc]

Well, maybe once we get this into a consolodate thread of information, lets sticky it.

 

[karen freeinchristman]

Well, maybe once we get this into a consolodate thread of information, lets sticky it.

I don't think the rest of it warrants stickying.

 

[gtsecc]

Well, maybe we could re-write it, but Anglicans certainly ought to know about the Psalter. It takes up the majority of the prayer book, and sadly, many today don't know anything about it.

 

[No Swansong]

While I agree wholeheartedly that it is a true blessing to chant the Psalter. Please do not imply tht there is little use in reciting the Psalter. Many have and will continue to do so for some time now and it is a great blessing. Before I learned of Chant I recited the Psalter and found great strength and comfort in doing so.

 

[No Swansong]

What an excellent resource.