![]() A Virtual Evensong IntroitĮvensong often begins with an anthem or hymn. Alternately, if you would rather rest quietly and listen to the music used herein, you can listen to the playlist here. You may follow the text of Evening Prayer, Rite I, below, along with the readings for the day this blog post was published (July 29, 2020), and click the video links to listen to portions that are sung. I’ve selected settings from throughout our history for the virtual Evensong you can enjoy on this page. The Anglican tradition has a glorious repertoire of music written for Evensong. When it is set to music, we call it Evensong. Containing Scriptures, hymns, a psalm, and a collection of beautiful prayers appropriate for the close of day, Evening Prayer can be recited alone or in a group. When Thomas Cranmer was creating the Book of Common Prayer for the fledgling Anglican church, he merged the Divine Office services of Vespers and Compline into one service, called Evening Prayer. ![]() The Lutheran tradition founded their own evening Vespers liturgy. Their Vespers service includes the beautiful Greek hymn Phos hilaron, a hymn sung at the lighting of the lamps, and which we sing in English at Evensong.Īt the Reformation, several Protestant groups implemented their own evening prayers. The Orthodox Church maintains a similar Liturgy of the Hours. The Episcopal Church today has its own version of the Daily Office. Their Divine Office maintains two evening services: Vespers, at the time of lighting lamps, and Compline, before bedtime. The Divine Office divides the day into eight portions, each of which is marked with a short service of prayer. Since the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church has observed the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office. The Book of Psalms includes several prayers for the close of day, including Psalm 91. Prayers before sleep are an ancient element of Judaism, and are still in use today. Many religious traditions appoint prayers for the evening. For those of us who are relatively new to the Anglican tradition, Evensong is the mostly-sung version of the service of Evening Prayer, a liturgy for the close of day. There’s nothing that soothes my heart quite like the service of Evensong.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |