Prayer Book revision: Service of Light

In addition to traditional Anglican forms of Daily Morning and Evening Prayer, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer provides a flexible ‘Order for Evening’ which can take several forms but which is generally intended to provide for an early-Christian ‘cathedral’ (i.e. secular and not monastic) Vespers.

The Order begins with the ‘Service of Light’, modelled after early Christian (and probably pre-Christian) rituals of lamplighting in the evening, which may be used to introduce not only such a ‘Cathedral Vespers’ service, but also Prayer Book Evensong, an evening Eucharist, an Advent or Christmas Festival of Lessons and Music, or some other services.*

In parish work I have used the Service of Light for some years now as a prelude to Evensong, and it provides not only a beautiful ceremony appealing to many sorts and conditions, but also an opportunity beyond the psalm- and canticle-antiphons (if such be used) to include some material proper to seasons and feasts when an occasional Evensong is most likely to be sung. With this experience, I offer some thoughts about the current and future shape of this short rite.

¶  ‘A musical prelude or processional is not appropriate’

A silent entrance of the ministers is elsewhere specified in the Prayer Book only on Good Friday (not even on Ash Wednesday, when the Entrance Rite is omitted, is music banned at this point, despite some commentators’ remarks to the contrary). Though a silent entrance on other occasions can be perfectly effective in its simplicity and a welcome antidote to the bombastic hymnody that has become the norm (perhaps this is what the framers of the service had in mind), the very distinction often drawn by late- and post-Liturgical-Movement liturgists between ‘Cathedral’ and monastic Vespers would seem to plead for the opposite: ‘Cathedral’ Vespers was ‘colorful, ceremonious, odiferous, and full of movement’ (William Storey, quoted in Leonel Mitchell, Pastoral and Occasional Liturgies: A Ceremonial Guide), whereas the monastic Office was quiet, simple, essentially devoid of ceremonial other than what was required to arrive and depart in an orderly fashion. Surely discreet music from the organ would not be out of place as the ministers (including the choir) enter and this rubric might be omitted or rethought.

¶  ‘When one or more Scripture Lessons are to be read later in the service,
      the Short Lesson may be omitted.’

Rather like the (optional) Opening Sentences of Mattins & Evensong (some of which themselves might well be used here), the Short Lesson can help briefly to recall the people’s attention and introduce the theme(s) of a feast or season, or of evening worship generally. It can be an opportunity to slip in at least the keynote of one of the other Lessons appointed for the feast or its Eve. Though it is not essential, I see no reason to omit it, even when one or two longer Lessons will be read at Evensong.

¶  ‘During the candle-lighting,
      an appropriate anthem or psalm may be sung, or silence kept’

The Book of Occasional Services provides ‘anthems’ for use at this point, and these are set to music in the Hymnal Appendix. They are in fact Short Responsories with a Versicle & Response, and are taken from the historic repertory. While this is a welcome appearance of this form of chant – otherwise almost unknown in the Prayer Book tradition† – and while the Responsories provide another occasion to highlight relevant themes and scriptures, a Responsory in the liturgical tradition (though not during para-liturgical processions) always follows a reading of Scripture and not a prayer. While it is to be wished that Responsories would be allowed this historic function in the body of the Office (perhaps the rubrics of the Order for Evening are open-ended enough to admit of this) rather than every Lesson being followed with a Canticle, the candle-lighting may not be the place for them – especially as those provided in the bos and Hymnal Appendix are not, in my experience, long enough to accompany the action of lighting the number of candles one hopes are available to make the Service of Light have its proper impact.

To accompany the candle-lighting, I suggest instead, and have used in my own work, a flexible Antiphon-and-Verses form like that used at the processional chants of the Mass. Indeed, simple forms of Introit (such as those from the Graduale Parvum and Lumen Christi projects) work well here, with verses set either to simple Office or more elaborate Introit forms of Psalm-tone, though the field is wide open for borrowing chants from other genres, as they have always been borrowed for Processions (indeed, a Service of Light on Candlemas, if the Procession is not to be used, might very well borrow one or more of the antiphons from the Procession as well as taking advantage of the rubric that ‘on special occasions, lighted candles may be distributed to members of the congregation’). These texts, like the Short Lessons and Prayers for Light, should treat in some way the subject of light and, for particular feasts and seasons, join it to symbolism proper to such.

¶  Phos hilaron / Office Hymn

The Phôs hilarón is a beautiful early hymn associated with the Service of Light. Though there is not a great wealth of choral settings of the text, there are some older settings of other translations of this text in the Anglican repertory, and – as the Phôs hilarón is used in the Eastern Church – the Russian choral repertory also contains settings of this text, most famously in Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil. The Hymnal also contains at least two chant settings, two through-composed settings, and two or three strophic-paraphrase settings that are worthy of use here (see also the trial-use Book of Canticles). The Phôs certainly has a welcome place at Evensong, particularly in Ordinary Time.

For particular feasts and seasons, however, I have for some years now used traditional Office hymns in this location (occasionally with organ verses alternatim). The Hymnal contains a good handful of these, though many of the Hymnal texts are not particularly faithful to the originals, nor are plainsong melodies provided in every case, and for the Marian feasts and Trinity, among others, the selection is meagre. At the end of this post is a list of traditional Office hymns either traditionally appointed, or suitable, for Evensong and appearing in the Hymnal 1982, and some suggestions in cases where the Hymnal does not provide such for a particular feast, or does not provide a plainsong or otherwise modal tune.

¶  ‘The service may then continue in any of the following ways:
     · With Evening Prayer, beginning with the Psalms…
     · With the celebration of the Holy Eucharist,
       beginning with the Salutation and Collect of the Day’

This rubric is in keeping with bcp1979’s predilection for dovetailing ritual units (which predilection is only the latest stage in trends operative throughout the Prayer Book tradition): for when the Service of Light is used before Evensong or the Eucharist, the former has no satisfactory conclusion, and both of the latter lose their own characteristic beginnings (the opening versicles for the former; the Introit, Opening Acclamation and/or Collect for Purity, and Kyrie and/or Gloria for the latter).

For a future revision of the Prayer Book, in addition to allowing whatever rite might follow to retain its customary beginning, I suggest that the Service of Light be reordered slightly to provide a clearer conclusion. Leonel Mitchell in the aforementioned commentary suggests, given the Responsory-and-V&R structure of the Lucernaria supplied in bos, moving the Prayer for Light to follow the V&R and precede the hymn, which also lets the Responsory immediately follow the Short Lesson. I suggest, instead, that the Prayer for Light might well end the entire Service of Light, summing up, rather than introducing, the intention already given visual and kinesthetic form in the ceremonial action (all the prayers provided work equally well in this role):

Opening Acclamation
Short Lesson
Candlelighting with Anthem/Antiphon
     [possibly in form of Responsory as in bos,
      since it would now follow a reading]
[V&R [as in bos]]
Phos hilaron or Office Hymn
Prayer for Light
................................
O God, make speed to save us...

or

Opening Acclamation
Short Lesson
Candlelighting with Anthem/Antiphon
      [possibly in form of Responsory as in bos,
       since it would now follow a reading]
Phos hilaron or Office Hymn
[V&R (just as V&R follows the Hymn at Lauds & Vespers
and precedes the Collect in a Commemoration)]
Prayer for Light
................................
O God, make speed to save us...

Another scheme would allow the Service to end with a V&R, which would provide more of a hinge than a conclusive ending – rather as the V&R following the Confession at Compline leads to the opening versicles of Compline proper.

Opening Acclamation
[Short Lesson]
Prayer for Light
Candlelighting with Anthem/Antiphon
Phos hilaron or Office Hymn
V&R [which follows the Office Hymn at Lauds and Vespers]
................................
O God, make speed to save us...


In sum, the Service of Light is a welcome addition to the Prayer Book Offices, and one that is likely to remain in future revisions. Slight adjustments to its order and rubrics would give it an even clearer shape (supposedly, though not always effectively, a major aim of liturgical reformers) and more satisfying impact.


¶  Office Hymns for Evensong

Though traditionally Sundays and other Major Feasts begin with Vespers on the evening before, the bcp1979 Office Lectionary does not particularly acknowledge this tradition for Sundays that are not Principal Feasts, although ‘the Collect appointed for any Sunday or other Feast may be used at the evening service of the day before’ (bcp 158). The date ranges suggested below therefore follow the bcp1979, rather than the traditional, pattern in assigning these hymns. (EH=English Hymnal, an excellent source for plainsong tunes and for further [not officially publicly useable in the Episcopal Church] Office hymns.)

advent
Saturday after Proper 29 through 23 December
Conditor alme siderum
60 Creator of the stars of night

christmas eve
Veni redemptor gentium
55 Redeemer of the nations, come

christmastide
Christmas Day through 4 January
A solis ortus cardine
77 From east to west, from shore to shore
     [the tune given in the Hymnal is a carol
      derived from the proper plainsong tune;
      the latter is given in Hymns III.
      The Lutheran tradition also makes use of
      a version somewhere between the two]

holy name
Jesu dulcis memoria
650 O Jesus, joy of loving hearts
or
Gloriosi salvatoris
248 To the Name of our salvation
     [tune: Urbs beata, 519
      or the plainsong tune printed at EH 231,
      also known as Tibi Christe splendor patris,
      and used for many Office hymns]

epiphanytide
Eve of the Epiphany through Eve of 1 Epiphany
Hostis Herodes impie
131 When Christ’s appearing was made known
       (continuation of ‘A solis’, with same tune)

ordinary time
Monday after 1 Epiphany through Shrove Tuesday
[excluding the Last Sunday after the Epiphany; see Transfiguration below]
and Monday after Pentecost through Friday after Proper 29

Saturday Evensong
O lux beata trinitas
30 O Trinity of blessèd light
or
O quanta qualia

Sunday Evensong
Lucis creator optime
27 O blest Creator, source of light

Weekdays
Christe, lux mundi
33 Christ, mighty Savior
or
Caeli Deus sanctissime
32 Most Holy God, the Lord of heaven

lent
Ash Wednesday through Saturday in Week of 5 Lent
Ex more docti mystico
146 Now let us all with one accord

holy week
Palm Sunday through Wednesday in Holy Week
Vexilla regis prodeunt
161 The flaming banners of our King
162 The royal banners forward go

triduum—easter week
Maundy Thursday through Saturday of Easter Week
no hymns

low sunday until ascension
2 Easter through Rogation Tuesday
Ad cenam agni providi
202 The Lamb’s high banquet called to share

ascensiontide
Eve of Ascension through Friday after 7 Easter
Aeterne rex altissime
220 O Lord most high, eternal King
or
Hymnum canamus gloriae
217 A hymn of glory let us sing

pentecost
Eve and Day
Beata nobis gaudia
223 Hail this joyful day’s return

dedication of a church
Eve and Day
Christe, cunctorum dominator alme
361 Only-begotten, Word of God eternal

saints
[Eve and] Day
231 By all your saints still striving
     [tune: Gloria, laus, et honor, 155
      or Ave caeli janua, 273]

apostles
Eve and Day
Aeterna Christi munera
233 Th’eternal gifts of Christ the King

evangelists
Eve and Day
Jucundare, plebs fidelis
244 Come, pure hearts, in purest measure
     [tune: Stabat mater dolorosa
      (the Mechlin Gradual tune printed at EH 115)]

martyrs
Day
Rex gloriose martyrum
236 King of the martyrs’ noble band
or
O beata beatorum
238 Blessèd feasts of blessèd martyrs
     [tune: Pleading Savior, 586
      or Beng-Li, 340
      or Restoration, 550]

candlemas
Eve and Day
Templi sacratas pande, Sion, fores
257 O Zion, open wide thy gates
     [tune: Windsor, 642/643
      or St Flavian, 332]

st joseph
Day
Caelitum, Joseph, decus atque nostrae
261 By the Creator, Joseph was appointed

annunciation
Eve and Day
Quem terra, pontus, aethera
263 The God whom earth, and sea, and sky

visitation
Eve and Day
269 Ye who claim the faith of Jesus
     [tune: Divinum mysterium, 82]

st peter & st paul
Eve and Day
Felix per omnes festum mundi cardines
273 Two stalwart trees both rooted

nativity of st john the baptist
Eve and Day
Praecursor altus luminis
271 The great forerunner of the morn

transfiguration (and Last Sunday after the Epiphany)
Eve and Day
Caelestis formam gloriae
126 O wondrous type! O vision fair

st mary the virgin
Eve and Day
278 Sing we of the blessèd Mother
     [tune: 586, Pleading Savior
      or parts of the Sequence tune at EH 253]

holy cross day
Eve and Day
Vexilla regis prodeunt
161 The flaming banners of our King
162 The royal banners forward go

michaelmas
Eve and Day
Christe sanctorum
283 Christ, the fair glory of the holy angels

all saints
Eve and Day
275 Hark! the sound of holy voices
     [tune: 586, Pleading Savior
       or parts of the Sequence tune at EH 253]


*The Service of Light is specifically appointed to begin the Vigils of Christmas, the Holy Name, [i.e., the ‘Service for New Year’s Eve’], the Baptism of Our Lord, Pentecost, All Saints’ Day, All Faithful Departed [i.e., ‘Service for All Hallows’ Eve’], or any Baptism; the Lighting of the New Fire at the Easter Vigil is a more elaborate form of this Service.  

†The Hymnal does set what historically are the Responsory and V&R of Compline (‘Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit’ and ‘Keep me, O Lord, as the apple of your eye’) in their proper form, and the bos Tenebrae includes Responsories in their traditional places at a Service of Readings / Vigils / Nocturns / Matins.