Ship of Fools: Happy O Sapientia!

Thread: Happy O Sapientia! Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by David Goode (# 9224) on :

Happy O Sapientia, shipmates!

And accept my congratulations a day early if you prefer just seven antiphons.

Posted by Hilda of Whitby (# 7341) on :

Bless you. [Votive]

I look forward to the O Antiphons every Advent. I find them to be so moving and beautiful.

Posted by David Goode (# 9224) on :

Bless you, too, Hilda of Whitby!

Yes, it's one of my favourite times, too. The antiphons mean that the time is near, and there's no better way to prepare than by meditating on them.

It's our great loss that we usually now only use the seven antiphons, for the eighth, and last, is powerful. Here's O Virgo Virginum, for those who may not know it:

O Virgo virginum, quomodo fiet istud,
Quia nec primam similem visa es nec habere sequentem.
Filiae Jerusalem, quid me admiramini,
Divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis.

O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be?
For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after.
Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me?
The thing which ye behold is a divine mystery.

Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :

Thank you - it's my birthday!

On the night of my 7th birthday a group of teenagers rung the doorbell because they had found an abandoned kitten. At my insistence we took him in and named him O Sapientia in honour of the day - Sappy for short. We had 18 happy years with him, so he definitely chose wisely!

Posted by David Goode (# 9224) on :

Great story, Gill. And a belated happy birthday!

Posted by american piskie (# 593) on :

Here they are, with the Magnificat; an early Xmas present.

O antiphons (English)

Posted by Offeiriad (# 14031) on :

A question for musicologists: in the Latin rite or its precursors, are there other examples of a set of antiphons for successive days which share (broadly) the same tune?

I learned the musical beauty of the 'O's from an example on a fine, but long forgetten, RSCM record (vinyl!) of plainsong sung in English: if my memory serves me, the disc was called 'The Royal Banners'.

Posted by american piskie (# 593) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Offeiriad:
A question for musicologists: in the Latin rite or its precursors, are there other examples of a set of antiphons for successive days which share (broadly) the same tune?

Not really an answer and not from a musicologist, but there is the antiphon Christus Factus Est, of which one sings more and more on successive evenings in the triduum. (I've just added it/them to the O-antiphon page I linked above).

Posted by Enoch (# 14322) on :

Does anyone know if anyone has ever produced a version of the successive Antiphons in the form of a hymn in English?

Posted by Pancho (# 13533) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Enoch:
Does anyone know if anyone has ever produced a version of the successive Antiphons in the form of a hymn in English?

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is a hymn paraphrase of the O antiphons in English.

In the modern Latin Rite (aka the Ordinary Form) not only are they still the Magnificat antiphons at Vespers for the last 7 days of Advent, but they now also serve as the Gospel acclamations for weekday Mass during on those days. Tomorrow's acclamation:

quote:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Luke 1:67-79

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