Reshaping the 1928 Prayer Book Services for Mission—Part 5

By Robin G. Jordan

In The Book of Common Prayer canticles have been a regular part of the offices for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer and the office for the administration of the Holy Communion from the first Edwardian Prayer Book on. Canticles are non-metrical hymns that are derived from the Bible or from extra-biblical sources. Together with the psalms they have played an important part in Christian worship from earliest times.

Canticles were a prominent feature of the cathedral (or popular) offices of Lauds and Vespers which predate the monastic daily offices. These two offices consisted of fixed psalms, canticles, and prayers. They were services that were held in the principal church of a town and in which the townspeople played a part.

When the practice of the community gathering to praise God and to pray every morning and every evening declined, the offices of Lauds and Vespers would be absorbed into the monastic daily offices. In the monastic daily offices the monks were the only participants.

Choral Evensong in which the choir of a cathedral or college chapel sings the service is an offshoot of the later monastic tradition, and not the older cathedral (or popular) tradition. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, when he reformed the monastic daily offices, conflated them into two services—Matins and Evensong.

Cranmer’s reformed daily offices were not intended solely for the use of clerics and religious. They were part of his strategy for reforming the Church and the nation. They incorporated two daily readings from the Scriptures as well as a daily portion of psalms from the Psalter. They were also services that the laity was expected to attend as they had been the cathedral (or popular) offices of Lauds and Vespers.

With the exception of the Venite, the role of the canticles in Cranmer’s reformed daily offices was that of congregational responses to God’s Word, responses of praise. The purpose of the psalm portions and the Scripture readings was not only to edify the people but also to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. In these responses of praise those who have gathered to hear his Word glorify God for his mighty deeds, particularly his work in salvation.

As we shall see, the Venite, on the other hand, serves as a call to worship God, in which the members of the congregation express their praise of God while exhorting each other to praise God in song. It follows on the heels of the Opening Preces, “Lord, open thou our lips…,” which is a brief prayer invoking the aid of the Holy Spirit in declaring God’s praise. A preces is a short petition that is sung or recited as a versicle and response by the service leader and the congregation. It is the plural of the Latin word prex, or prayer.

A total of eleven canticles are used in the services of the 1928 Prayer Book. Before we consider how we might make better use of them, let us first examine how they may be used in these services according to the 1928 Prayer Book’s rubrics.

Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer

Before the Psalms. In the 1928 Prayer Book what had become the traditional version of the Venite (Psalm 95:1-7; Psalm 96:9,13) in the American Church is appointed in the order for Morning Prayer before the daily portion of psalms except on those days when other canticles are appointed. The choice of wording of the rubrics suggest that the Commission for the Revision of the Prayer Book had more than one canticle in mind but the final revision that was adopted provides only one alternative canticle for Easter Day and the Octave of Easter. This appears to have been a step to bring the American Prayer Book into line with the first English Prayer Books, in this particular case the 1552 Prayer Book. It was the expressed desire of the revisers to pattern American Prayer Book more closely upon the first English Prayer Book, The Book of Common Prayer of 1549, both in doctrine and liturgical usages. (As we shall see in future articles, they went beyond the 1549 Prayer Book in their revision of the American Prayer Book.) The 1789 and 1892 Prayer Books made provision for six alternative canticles—for Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, Easter Day, Ascension, Whit-Sunday, and Thanksgiving.

The rubrics, however, do permit the substitution of the full text of the Psalm 95 for the Venite. It was recognized at the time of the adoption of the 1928 revision that this version of the Venite was a peculiarity of the American Prayer Book. The rubrical permission to use Psalm 95 in its entirety also appears to have been a step to bring the American Prayer Book into line with the 1549 and 1552 Prayer Books, which used the full text of Psalm 95. It allowed clergy and congregations that wished to adopt the practice of the first Edwardian Prayer Books to do so while allowing those who wished to sing or recite the traditional version of the Venite to continue to do so.

The rubrics also permit the omission of the Venite on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

The rubrics direct that singing of the the Pascha Nostrum, also known as the Easter Anthems, on Easter Day in place of the Venite and permit the use of the Pascha Nostrum in its place throughout the Octave of Easter.

After the Psalms. The rubrics permit the singing or recitation of the Gloria in excelsis Deo in place of the Gloria Patri at the end of the whole portion of psalms in the order for Evening Prayer. The 1789 Prayer Books permitted its use at this point in the service in the office for Morning Prayer as well as the office for Evening Prayer.

But the 1892 revision withdrew this permission apparently on the assumption that the Communion Office would be the principal Sunday service and the singing or recitation of the Gloria in excelsis Deo at both the morning office and the Communion Office would be redundant.

This rationale fails to take into consideration that Gloria in excelsis Deo was originally a part of the morning office in the Western Church and still is a regular part of that office in the Eastern Church. It is not sung or recited in the Eastern Orthodox Communion Offices. For this reason a number of the more recent Anglican service books permit the use of the Gloria in excelsis Deo in the morning office.

The withdrawal of permission to sing or recite the Gloria in excelsis Deo at the end of the whole portion of psalms at Morning Prayer was also short-sighted. In the twenty-first century in many small Anglican churches the principal service is Morning Prayer on most Sundays. According to Bishop William White, the use of the Gloria in excelsis Deo as an alternative to the Gloria Patri after the last psalm in Morning Prayer was allowed to lend a more festal character to Morning Prayer on Sundays when there was no communion. At the time of the adoption of the first American Prayer Book the most common pattern of Anglican worship in the United States was a combination of Morning Prayer and Ante-Communion. Owing to the short-sightedness of the Commission for the Revision of the Prayer Book and General Convention small Anglican churches were deprived of most effective means of learning and master a musical setting of this joyful hymn of praise—constant repetition. Instead they were given little alternative than to adopt the lame practice of saying what should be sung.

After the First Lesson. At Morning Prayer the rubrics of the 1928 Prayer Book permit the singing or recitation of one of three canticles after the First Lesson—Te Deum laudamus, Benedicite omni opera Deus, and Benedictus es. The Te Deum is an extra-biblical canticle. It is one of the oldest hymns of the Church. It dates as far back as the fourth century AD and originally may have been an eucharistic prayer. Like the rubrics of the 1552 Prayer Book, the rubrics of the 1928 Prayer, permit the singing or recitation of the Te Deum daily throughout the year. More recent Anglican service books permit the omission of the last section beginning, O Lord, save thy people….” These capitella (singular capitellum) migrated to the Te Deum from the Gloria in excelis Deo when it was one of the canticles of the daily offices in the Western Church. They consist of intercessionary petitions taken from the psalms and were usually sung or recited after a hymn at the conclusion of the Western monastic offices of matins and vespers in the fifth century AD and later. See pages 104-108 in Robert Taft’s The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West: The Origin of the Divine Office and Its Meaning for Today (The Liturgical Press, 1986). Capitella were sung or recited in the early Western monastic offices in the place of litanies and are one of the characteristics of these offices. The origin of the Suffrages of the Anglican Daily Offices can be traced to the capitella of the early Western monastic offices.

The Benedicite omnia opera Deus is taken from the Song the Three Young Men in the Apocrypha. With the Benedictus es, which form the first part of this song, the Benedicite is an expanded version of Psalm 148. The Benedicite was a fixed element of the ancient cathedral office of Lauds and was sung daily throughout the year. While the rubrics of the 1549 Prayer Book limit the singing or recitation of the Benedicite to daily in Lent, the rubrics of the 1928 Prayer Book permit its use daily throughout the year as was the ancient practice. The rubrics of the 1926 Irish Prayer permit the singing of the refrain, “praise him and magnify him forever, at the end of each verse, or of each group of verses. The rubrics of the 1928 Proposed English Prayer Book state:

The words ‘praise him, and magnify him for ever’ may be omitted except after vv. 1, 2, 17, 18, 25, 32.

On such weekdays days when Benedicite is used instead of Te Deum Laudemus, it may suffice that the first and last sections of this Canticle be said or sung.

The rubrics of 1929 Scottish Prayer Book also allow the omission of the first and last sections of the Benedicite on weekdays. They permit the omission of the refrain except after verses 1, 2, 17. 18, 26, and 32.

The rubrics of the 1962 Canadian Prayer Book state:

Note that the words praise him, and magnify him for ever may be sung at the end of each verse, or any group of verses, as desired.

Unfortunately the 1928 Prayer Book makes no provision for reducing the repetitions of the refrain of this beautiful hymn of praise or for shortening it.

Benedictus es, as previously noted, is the first part of the Song of the Three Young Men. It was provided as an alternative to the Benedicite in the 1928 Prayer Book. It was also provided as an alternative to the Benedicite in the 1929 Scottish Prayer Book.

At Evening Prayer the rubrics of the 1928 Prayer permit the singing or recitation of one of three canticles after the First Lesson—Magnificat, Cantate Domino, and Bonum est confiteri. The Magnificat is the Song of Mary, taken from the Gospel of Luke. It has formed a part of the daily offices since at least the fourth century, if not earlier. The Cantate Domino, Psalm 98, was first provided as an alternative to the Magnificat in the 1552 Prayer Book. The Bonum est confiteri, the first four verses of Psalm 92, was provided as an alternative to the Cantate Domino in the 1798 Prayer Book. The Bonum est confiteri is peculiar to the American Prayer Book and encapsulates the thoughts of the Cantate Domino.

After the Second Lesson. At Morning Prayer the rubrics of the 1928 Prayer Book permit the singing or recitation of one of two canticles after the Second Lesson—Benedictus Dominus Deus and Jubilate Deo after the Second Lesson. Benedictus Dominus Deus is the Song of Zechariah, taken from the Gospel of Luke. It is one of the three gospel canticles, the other being the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis. It is customary to sign oneself with the cross when singing or reciting the opening words of the Magnificat and the Benedictus. Incense may be offered during the singing or recitation of these canticles.

The 1789 Prayer Book omitted the last eight verses of the Benedictus, bowing to a prejudice against the use of the gospel canticles that originated with the Puritans. The result is a truncated version of the Benedictus, which Massey Shepherd points to our attention “leaves the impression that salvation is solely a negative blessing—deliverance from our enemies—and does not involve the positive demand of service.” The 1892 Prayer Book restored the full text of the Benedictus but permitted the omission of the last eight verses except on Sundays in Advent. This rubric was retained in the 1928 revision. It is an example of what Percy Dearmer describes as “the worst of revision” in The Art of Public Worship. “While old mistakes have been in small part removed,” he writes, “new mistakes have been made.”

The Jubilate Deo, Psalm 100, was provided as an alternative to the Benedictus in the 1552 Prayer Book. Psalm 100 invites the people of Israel to enter the courts of the Temple with thank offerings for God who made them and to whom they belong. They are his people, the sheep of his pasture, and he is their shepherd who watches over them and cares for them. Psalm 100 is associated with the daily Thanksgiving offering in the Temple. It was sung or recited every day except on Sabbaths and festivals when no Thanksgiving offering was made. Psalm100 was also omitted on other occasions.

It is a peculiarity of the Anglican Daily Offices that the Jubilate Deo is sung or recited as a response to the Scripture readings. In the medieval office of Lauds it was sung or recited as an invitatory psalm, a function suggested by its use in the worship of the Temple at Jerusalem and its opening words:

O be joyful in the LORD, all ye lands: * serve the LORD with gladness, and come before his presence with a song.

In several more recent Anglican service books the Jubilate Deo has been restored to its earlier function.

At Evening Prayer the rubrics of the 1928 Prayer Book permit the singing or recitation of one of three canticles after the Second Lesson—Nunc dimittis, Deus misereatur, and Benedic, anima mea. The Nunc dimittis is the Song of Simeon and, like the Benedictus and the Magnificat, is taken from the Gospel of Luke. It has been sung in the evening offices of the Church since the fourth century. The Deus misereatur, Psalm 67, was provides as an alternative to the Nunc dimittis in the 1552 Prayer Book. The Benedic, anima mea, the initial and concluding verses of Psalm 103, were provided as an alternative to the Deus misereatur in the 1789 Prayer Book. Like the Bonum est confiteri, the Benedic, anima mea is peculiar to the American Prayer Book. They meet what the compilers of the 1789 considered a need for short alternative responses to the lessons of Evening Prayer.

Holy Communion

After the Post-Communion Thanksgiving.The rubrics of the 1928 Prayer Book permit the singing or recitation of the Gloria in Excelsis Deo after the Post-Communion Thanksgiving. They do not, however, authorize the transfer of the Gloria to a position before or after the Kyries. They do permit the singing of a hymn as an alternative to the Gloria. Unlike the rubrics of the 1928 Proposed English Book, the 1929 Scottish Prayer Book, and the 1929 South African Prayer Book, they do not give the officiating priest the discretion to omit the Gloria “on any day not being a Sunday or a Holy-day.”

Singing the Daily Office Canticles. Key to the singing of the canticles is the right kind of acoustical environment, strong musical leadership, and a congregation that is willing to learn how to chant. I am not talking about singing the canticles to Anglican Chant but to plainsong, which the late Erik Routley recommended as the best method for congregations to chant the psalms and the canticles.

Where these conditions exist, a congregation can be taught several of the easier festal psalm tones which are the best tones for singing the canticles. The canticles, after all, are hymns of praise. They should not be sung to a psalm tone used to sing laments. A congregation should learn several tones. Each canticle should be sung to a different tone. If it is possible, the tones should be varied with the seasons of the Church Year.

Nothing is more monotonous than singing all of the canticles to the same tone week in and week out. Like all songs, the congregation needs to put their hearts into their singing of a canticle. Singing every canticle to the same tone will reduce what should be one of the brighter times of the service into a time of mind-numbing dullness and eventually may extinguish the congregation’s enthusiasm for canticle-singing.

When the canticles are sung to plainchant, they should be sung in unison. The two exceptions are the Benedicite and the Benedictus es. They should be sung responsorially. The choir, a small ensemble of singers, or a cantor should sing the verses. The congregation should sing the refrain. The Benedicite and Benedictus es may be the two easiest canticles for a congregation to sing to plainchant. All the congregation needs to learn is the refrain. If some repetitions of the refrain of the Benedicite and, or sections of that canticle are omitted, the text of the canticle with the omissions should be printed in the church bulletin. The notes of the melody of the refrain can be printed with the words of the refrain.

Once a congregation has learnt and mastered the refrain of the Benedicite, the canticle my not only be used at Morning Prayer but also in solemn processions preceding the celebration of Holy Communion on special occasions. Rogation Sunday is particularly appropriate occasion for a solemn procession accompanied by the a cappella singing of the Benedicite. Hand bells may be used to embellish the singing.

If one or more of the aforementioned conditions is absent, it is still possible for a congregation to sing the canticles. The congregation can sing metrical versions of the canticles.

Metrical versions of the canticles are typically set to the same meters to which hymns are set and may be sung to familiar hymn tunes. Metrical versions of the canticles have the advantage of not only familiarity of tune but also familiarity of form. They are strophic. All verses of the text are sung to the same music. A number of metrical versions of the canticles have also been set to promising new tunes which are not difficult to learn.

The Anglican Church has a rich tradition of singing metrical versions of the psalms and canticles. At the time of the English Reformation the most popular form of congregational song was the metrical psalm.

The first complete English metrical psalter was the work of Robert Crowley. It was printed in 1549 and was apparently intended as a supplement to the 1549 Prayer Book. In addition to the psalms, Crowley’s psalter included English versions of the Prayer Book canticles—Te Deum, Benedicite, Benedictus, Magnificat, and Nunc Dimittis –and the Quicumque Vult. While the psalms and canticles were translated into the vernacular and versified, they were sung to plainchant.

Elizabeth I’s first Archbishop of Canterbury Matthew Parker rendered the whole Book of Psalms into “English verse” and the English composer Thomas Talley contributed nine tunes to the Archbishop’s metrical psalter. They include the Eighth Tune, also known as Tallis’Canon.”

The metrical psalter that was used most widely in the Elizabethan Church was Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkin’s “Old Version.” It included versified scriptural paraphrases and non-scriptural prayers as well as metrical versions of the Magnificat and the Apostles’ Creed. Almost all of the psalms in the”Old Version” were written in “common metre,” also known as “ballad metre,” and were sung to tunes largely borrowed from the French Geneva Psalter. These tunes included popular, secular tunes, “Geneva jigs” as Elizabeth I called them, as well as plainchant.

In its day the “Old Version” was very popular. It went through 200 printings between 1550 and 1640 and was bound up with most English editions of the Geneva Bible and The Book of Common Prayer. Its versification did not appeal to the literary tastes of later generations. It has been variously described as awkward, unexciting, lacking in beauty and sophistication, and even tortured. But it enabled the English people to sing God’s praise in the English language. Those who wish to sing metrical psalms from the “Old Version” should allow for changes in the pronunciation of English words since the sixteenth and seventeenth century. They also best sung to lively ballad tunes or a cappella.

In the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth century Nicholas Brady and Nahum Tate’s” New Version” would supplant Sternhold and Hopkin’s psalter. The versification of the “New Version” was more polished than that of the “Old Version” The “New Version” was used well into the ninteenth century. The supplement to the “New Version” included metrical versions of the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments as well as the Prayer Book canticles.

Hymns Ancient and Modern would supplant the “New Version” in the nineteenth century. A number of the hymns in that collection are themselves metrical psalms.

The twentieth century saw a revival of interest in the writing of metrical versions of the psalms and canticles and the composing of tunes to which they may be sung. A number of these hymns may be found in more recent hymn collections or online.

Anglican churches have a wealth of worship resources from which they can select metrical versions of the canticles for their worship on Sundays and other occasions. In a separate article I plan to identify a number of metrical versions of the Prayer Book canticles that may be found in these resources and have proven their usefulness in worship.

Another option for congregations that cannot sing the canticles to plainchant are worship songs that are based upon the canticles and echo imagery and themes from the canticles. These songs are hymns in the making. They may have repetitive lyrics or refrains and are easy-to-sing. This makes them particular useful in congregations containing children.

Singing the Gloria. If the congregation cannot master one of the traditional settings of the Gloria in excelsis Deo, it should sing a metrical version of the Gloria or some other suitable hymn of praise rather than recite the Gloria after the Post-Communion Thanksgiving at celebrations of Holy Communion. The Gloria should be recited only at early, evening, and weekday celebrations of Holy Communion, which have no music whatsoever. If anything else is sung in the service—Kyries, Ter-Sanctus, and so on, a good rule of thumb is to sing a metrical version of the Gloria or take advantage of the rubric and sing a hymn of praise as an alternative to the Gloria. Thomas Ken’s doxology, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow” is recommended in the The Hymnal (1940) as an alternative to the Gloria. Thomas Ken’s doxology may be sung as an a cappella round to Thomas Tallis’ Eight Tune (or Tallis’ Canon) or Jimmy Owen’s Fairhill. For the last setting of the Doxology, see H-281, Songs for Celebration - Church Hymnal Series IV, C-172, Come Celebrate! A Hymnal Supplement, or Hymn 44, Worship & Rejoice (2001).

Reciting the Canticles. While their circumstances may permit them to sing the canticles, using plainchant, metrical versions, or canticle-based worship songs, some congregations prefer to recite the canticles. If it is at all possible, these congregations should be encouraged to sing the canticles on Sundays and feast days. Singing the canticles adds a dimension to Anglican worship, which is missing when they are recited. Psalms and canticles, when they are chanted well, can be described with such words as “beautiful,” “sublime,” and “awe-inspiring.” Even first-time guests who have never heard the psalms and canticles chanted may be moved. The sung word can touch the heart in a way that the spoken word cannot. Words like “beautiful,” “sublime,” and “awe-inspiring,” however, are rarely applied to the recitation of the psalms and canticles.

Metrical versions of the canticles and worship songs based upon the canticles, if they are well-sung and heart-felt, can have a similar affect upon first-time guests. If the tune and the words are familiar, they may join in the song and add their voices to those of the congregation.

While longtime Anglicans may be accustomed to reciting the psalms and the canticles, first-time guests who come from other Protestant church backgrounds are not likely to experience the recitation of the psalms and canticles in the same way that these Anglicans experience them. Protestants who attended one of the more traditional Protestant churches may have at most participated is a short responsive reading and perhaps the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. This observation also applies to first-time guests who come from a Roman Catholic background and who have not regularly prayed the Liturgy of the Hours. The new Roman Catholic Mass is also not as prolix as the 1928 Communion Office.

Prayer Book services with their versicles and responses, exhortations, confessions of sin, Scripture readings, creeds, collects and other prayers can be overwhelming for first-time guests who are unaccustomed to liturgical forms of service. They may be used to singing hymns and worship songs, and listening to a sermon but that is extent of their experience of worship.

Congregations that put their preferences first and are not open to do things differently erect a wall around themselves—a barrier that turns people away and renders these congregations ineffective on the mission field.

This said, congregations that for whatever reason chose to recite the canticles can do a number of things to improve the way that they recite the canticles. These suggestions are made with Morning Prayer in mind when that office is the principal service on Sunday morning. They are applicable to other occasions when the Daily Offices are said by individuals, small groups, or congregations. They are also applicable to celebrations of Holy Communion which has no music and at which the Gloria in excelsis Deo is recited.

1. Use Psalm 95 and not just the Venite before the psalm or psalms appointed for the day. Use the Pascha Nostrum on Easter Sunday and the octave of Easter.

2. Use the Te Deum and the Benedicite and not just the Benedictus es. The Te Deum and the Benedicite are long but as I have noted, they can be shortened both for Sunday and weekday use even though the rubrics of the 1928 Prayer Book do not make provision for shortening them.

3. Use the Benedictus and not just the Jubilate Deo.

4. Use the full version of the Benedictus and not the abbreviated version.

5. Slow down!! Anglican worship is not a horse race in which the horses running neck to neck in the last lap of a race, trying to reach the finish line first. A lot of congregations need to adopt a pace that is more prayerful and which allows the words that they are praying to sink in. Too often they create the impression that they are in a hurry to get the service over so they can do something else. This impression is not lost on first-time guests. It suggests that we do not value our worship and the time that we spend in our worship with God.

6. Remember that what we are reciting are hymns of praise to the Lord God almighty, the creator of heaven and earth. They are prayer. Follow George Herbert’s advice to preachers about what they should do before giving their sermons. Dip the canticles in the prayer of our heart and then say them.

7. Say the canticles in a natural voice and with feeling. If we let them move our hearts, they will move the hearts of those around us, including outsiders who wander off the street and into our gatherings. Tap into the feelings of love and reverence we have for God and for our Lord Jesus Christ His Son when we say them. Pour out these feelings to God. Don’t hold back!!

8. Speak out. Reciting a canticle is not a time to mumble or whisper. It is a time to loudly declare God’s praise.

9. Recite the Te Deum, the Benedictus, and the Jubilate Deo in unison. Say them as with one voice.

10. Recite the Benedicite and the Benedictus es responsorially, with one or more voices reading the verses and the whole congregation reading the refrain. This is the way that they were written to be said or sung. Two different voices or groups of voices can alternately read the verses and the whole congregation read the refrain.

11. Take advantage of the rubrics of the 1928 Prayer Book and omit the Gloria Patri after the canticles, the exception being the Benedicite whose final verse is a Trinitarian doxology. Reserve the Gloria Patri for “the end of whole Portion, or selection from the Psalter” and then sing it as Percy Dearmer suggests in The Art of Public Worship, using Henry Greatorix’s setting of the Gloria Patri or a metrical version of the Lesser Doxology.

12. Encourage the members of the congregation, before they recite each canticle, to send a short arrow prayer winging on its way to God in the silence of their hearts, beseeching God’s help in declaring his praise.

13. Pause for a moment of silence after reading each canticle. This provides the congregation with an opportunity to pray in the silence of their hearts any prayer that arises out of the canticle.

14. Practice reading the canticles individually, in small groups, and as a congregation. Good choral reading takes work. Remember the old say, “what is worth doing is worthy doing well.”

I believe that individuals, small groups, and congregations that follow these suggestions will find praying the canticles a different experience. I also believe that their worship will be transformed and will have a greater affect on them, and in the case of small groups and congregations, on visitors to their gatherings.

The canticles have formed an important part of reformed Anglican worship for well over 400 years. Their use in Christian worship goes back to the earliest centuries of Christianity. Let us make the best use of these hymns in our worship as the circumstances of our churches permit.