Daily Chanting Church Services

Without exception, all services (the "Offices") in the Early Church were sung or chanted, as this enabled people to focus on the meaning of the words, and for them to be seen as prayer.

With Chanting, in particular, it is the words which are important, with music acting to support the words, rather than singing in which music is the focus, with words as an adjuct.

This page focuses on books which are available and in print (as at the time of writing), and can be obtained usually from online retailers or other sources.

Traditionally, chanting was done in the local language, and the chant reflected the host language. In Western Christianity, which had its main period of evolution in the first millennium, this tended to mean Latin, which after the first century was standard. Traditionally it is referred to as "Gregorian Chant" in honour of Pope Gregory 590-604, who did much to popularise it, although actually it was in use before then.

Initially chant was not written, but transmitted aurally (in some churches - such as the Coptic Church this was still so), and was not written down, as one learned by listening, and in any event was not uniform. All cantors though did not have equal skill, and around 800-900 AD, chant music started being indicated by "neumes" (squiggles over the words to indicate whether the pitch went up or down, but initially no absolute level of pitch). about 1000 AD and later, the earliest manuscripts started appearing using a 4-line stave, and this is still in standard use for Gregorian Chant.

The Rule of Benedict, developed as a framework by St Benedict (who lived 480-547), recommended that Christian Communities chant all 150 psalms every week, and that they be divided between 7 services every day - the main services being Lauds (also known as Morning Prayer or Matins) and Vespers (also known as Evening Prayer or Evensong), a long Night Office of psalms and readings before dawn, and shorter services to be chanted from memory in the workplace or in bed at night.

At the time of the Reformation, Chant in English appeared, the feature of Anglican Chant was that it was polyphonic - typically with 4 voices in harmony, and the division of Psalm verses into two parts, with a framework of 4 chords in the first part of the verse, and 6 chords in the second. The Reformed Church split the psalter chanting over 2 daily services only (Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer), with the psalter being chanted over 30 days, rather than every week. This revised arrangement was also advocated for parishes and families, rather than being the aim of religious communities.

The use of the old Gregorian Chants from early days was revised in the 19th century, and these books are still in print, based on the Book of Common Prayer as revised in 1662.

At Vatican 2, the Roman Catholic Church, while retaining weekly psalter coverage ("Monastic"), also introduced splitting the psalter over 4 weeks ("Roman" Use). Both these variants are in print (mainly in Latin, but also in German. English versions are rare, usually very simplified). "Pointing" in many psalters was also introduced (following Anglican experience) showing where repeating notes changed. This makes it easier for people who are not chanting the psalter frequently to sing together, but Gregorian Chant pointing is more complex than Anglican with different syllable allocations for different musical tones.

The Lutheran Church has issued various chant books in German and English, on various bases.

Books (weekly psalter) aimed at a monastic audience, tend to be more complex with different variations, 4-weekly psalter more bulky as there are 4 weeks to be covered, but easier to follow.

Books in Print

1. Roman Catholic - Monastic Use (psalms on weekly cycle). All exclude Night Office

1a. Antiphonale Monasticum - 3 volumes Latin, not pointed, also Liber Hymnarius for the hymns. Published by Solesmes Abbey in France, widely available. Excludes Night Office

1b. Antiphonale Monasticum from Praglia Abbey in Italy. See Section 4 below. Follows Benedictine Schema B (Fuglister). In many places references are provided to the early manuscripts from around 11th century for those who are interested. Includes Night Office (but not readings). Details http://praglia.it/wordpress

2. Roman Catholic - Roman Use (psalms on 4-weekly cycle). All exclude Night Office.

2a. Antiphonale Romanum - several volumes expected in Latin, of which only one - Volume 2 has been published. This covers Vespers only for Sundays and feast days. Pointed.

Published by Solesmes Abbey in France, widely available.

2b. Heures Gregoriennes - 3 volumes in Latin with parallel translation of all pages into French (Latin on each left hand page, French on the right). Not pointed. Heavy and expensive (retail price maintenance in France forbids discounting). https://heures-gregoriennes.com/en/ , No on-line discounts, but available from bookshops in France and Belgium to special order, often with a small discount to personal shoppers. Volumes not sold separately.

2c. Mundelein Psalter. In English. One large volume with Lauds and Vespers only. USA-oriented. Chant very heavily simplified. Hymns provided with chant and metrical settings, with good translations by St Cecilia's Abbey on the Isle of Wight UK.

3. Roman Catholic - German Editions - Published by Munsterschwarzach Abbey in Germany, but often available cheaper in UK due to no tax on books and free delivery.

3a. Benediktinisches Antiphonale - 3 volumes of Monastic Office in German. Psalms on weekly cycle. Unpointed. Volume 1: Lauds; Volume 2: Midday Office; Volume 3 Vespers and Compline. Volumes sold separately or at a small discount as a set. Excludes night office.

3b. Antiphonale zum Stundengebet - One fat volume of Roman Office in German. Psalms on 4-weekly cycle. Pointed. Excludes night office. Easy to use.

4. Roman Catholic - Italian Editions - Published by Abbazia di Praglia

4a. Salterio Corale. Psalter for monastic use, with psalms following Schema B (Fuglister), covering whole psalter once a week, without repetition. Antiphons in Latin, but psalms themselves in Italian.

4b. Antiphonale Monasticum - in two volumes, choice of leatherette or leather binding. First volume (Temporale), and Second volume (Sanctorale). Computer typeset using Gregorio. Psalms according to Schema B.

5. Roman Catholic - Portuguese Editions - Published by Paulus in Sao Paulo in Brazil, and available direct.

5a. Liturgia das Horas. Psalter for Lauds, Vespers and Compline. Music on 5-line staves with guitar chords. Includes both Gregorian Chant and Gelineau chant. Portuguese.

5b. Liturgia das Horas - volume 2. Office of Readings, , Midday Office, Sunday Antiphons and Sanctorale. Portuguese.

6. Anglican Use

6a. St. Stephen's House, Oxford - Office Book. Contains Morning and Evening Prayer in Common Worship format, but traditional language, and Gregorian Chant - all in English. Much page flipping. Full pointed psalter and a good selection of hymns in Gregorian Chant. Sanctorale and Temporale. Requires a Bible for the Bible readings. Contact officebook@ssho.ox.ac.uk Pricing at the last count was strange: £25 for the first copy, and £12 for subsequent copies.

6b. Anglican Chant. Many books. Often Chant books are sold separately from the psalter, as any chant tune will fit any psalm. Check if buying a psalter that it is pointed. It is very hard to sing reliably from unpointed text. Most books based on Book of Common Prayer 1662, but recent ones from Common Worship also pointed.

6c. Anglican Use - Gregorian Chant. Main book is Manual of Plainsong by Briggs and Frere which provides Chant to Book of Common Prayer 1662 (Coverdale psalms). Pointed. The 2000 edition in print is paperback, and glue bound, so pages tend to fall our. The 1902 edition is widespread in second hand shops and easier for a beginner to sing from, although it looks old fashioned. Each psalm is allocated a single chant tune, which irritates purists.

7. Orthodox Church - Western Rite. The Antiochian Orthodox Church and other Western Rite Orthodox churches in the USA are bring back into print various of the Anglican Chant books.

7a. St Dunstan's Plainsong Psalter. Based on Briggs and Frere, but converted to the Anglican 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Available from the Launcelot Andrewes Press in the USA and other sources. A well made hardbacked book.

7b. Monastic Diurnal and Monastic Diurnal Noted. Two very different books: The Monastic Diurnal (note: OUP nor Farnborough edition) is a reprint of the 19th century Anglican Monastic Diurnal, a very compact book based on 19th century Monastic Breviary, using Coverdale (BCP psalms and canticles). Unpointed. The Monastic Diurnal Noted is a large book with music handwritten, intended to be used with the Monastic Diurnal, but tying the two in together is not easy. Both available from the Launcelot Andrewes press.

8. Lutheran Use - Note there are many Lutheran Chant books in German, which are not covered here.

8a. Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood (USA - Missouri Synod) see http://www.llpb.us English. Psalms on weekly, 4 weekly or 30 day cycles. Pointed. Lutheran Chant is slightly different from Gregorian Chant.

8b. Oremus - A Lutheran Breviary. Published on demand from lulu in hard back. Pointed. Traditional words.

This list is still being assembled. Do please let me know of errors and omissions. wjcbailey[at]gmail[dot]com