Wednesdays, Dec. 3, 10 and 17 | 7:30 pm | St. Mary's Chapel -
This Advent we will be chanting in “plainsong” the Compline prayers during St. John’s lay-led, candle-lit services on December 3, 10, and 17 at 7:30 pm in St. Mary’s Chapel.
Compline is the final service of the day in the ancient “Daily Office” of prayers from our Book of Common Prayer (page 127). Singing these prayers adds a special warmth and depth to the experience that is fitting for Advent and you will find that you can take part in the chanting without any special training or musical experience.
Plainsong praying has existed and evolved over thousands of years because non-musicians find it easier to sing. Jewish worshipers had long used plainsong to chant the Psalms and other prayers in the morning, noon and at night. Christians in the first centuries continued this practice but adapted plainsong to their regions and dialects, and as the new faith spread across Christendom, so did new styles of Christian plainsong praying. The most well-known form of plainsong emerged through the work of Charlemagne, the 9th century and first of the rulers to restore the Holy Roman Empire in the West. He tasked Frankish musicians with fusing Gallic and Roman chanting that became known as Gregorian Chant.
While Gregorian Chant is today the most prominent style of plainsong, many variants continue to be developed and used. One of these was created for us by parishioner Walter Smith, who has set the entire Compline service in one consistent plainsong style. His goal was to help us sing freely and naturally, uninhibited by the requirements of rhythm and pitch that modern musical notation encodes. Please join us during Advent to take part in this ancient and modern-day experience of Compline.
- Tom Hebert & Walter Smith