Friday, October 22, 2010

Rubrical Query

If one says Compline, and wishes to add Compline of Our Lady (from her Little Office), does one first say the Marian anthem &c. at the end of Compline, and then add Compline de Beata, or does one interpolate the latter after the blessing and before the Marian anthem?

I came to think this may be the case because Compline of the Little Office, when given as an appendix in a Breviary, was given with neither a final blessing nor Marian anthem until the 1962 edition – yet did appear with such when printed as a standalone devotion.  This made me surmise that when the two Complines were said one after the other, the blessing and Marian anthem of the daily Office supplied for its little sibling as well.  It would certainly seem strange, strictly following the '62 rules, to sing Salve Regina twice in close succession...

I recently found that in the Carmelite Breviary, the following rubric appears after the blessing: Statim dicitur Completorium de beata Virgine, si dicendum sit, quo dicto (vel si dicendum non sit) data benedictione, statim dicitur Antiphona Salve Regina...  [It would appear to me that the second parenthesis is misplaced, and should have been after benedictione.]

Therefore, at least in the Carmelite Rite, Our Lady's Compline is interpolated between Compline of the day and the Marian anthem following.

However, the Roman and other Breviaries make no such note, and indeed have a seemingly contrary rubric to the effect that, after the Benedicamus Domino, Fidelium animæ is not said, but rather the blessing and Marian anthem follow immediately.

2 comments:

Bryan said...

In the Officium Parvum the Marian Antiphon is said after compline both in the public office and when said in private.

Of course before the Council some religious congregations used the Officium Parvum as their public prayer. In that case they did not use the Breviarium Romanum.

For those Orders that said the Off. Parvum as a devotion after the public offices from the Brev. Monasticum. The Officium Parvum was a private office said in the cell.

Since the great silence follows Compline from the Brev. Monasticum it would follow I would suggest that the Compline of Officium Parvum was said just after Vespers and not as a separate office tacked on after Compline fromm the Breviary

so

the question you pose above never arose. NB there are no set times for saying the hours in the Off. Parvum and one can tack together Hours ie Lauds, Prime and Terce.

I know this is not an answer to your specific question but just some ideas.

In caritate Xp.,

Bryan

Rubricarius said...

Having scanned some books herewith two more pieces to add to the puzzle.

1) Cistercian Breviary, 1935. In the General Rubrics:
De Officio Parvo Beatae Mariae. 2. In choro semper praeponitur Officio diei, excepto Completorio, cui postponitur. (...)
In the rubrics concerning the Marian antiphon they state it is omitted after Compline (of the day)!

2) In The Golden Manual, 1902, the Officium Parvum is given with the Marian antiphon at the end of Compline.