O Antiphons, final...

Ghent altarpiece by Jan VanEyck

A click on the above painting will take you to a Website that has, toward the bottom, a listing of the antiphons with an audio file of a corresponding Latin chant for each.

part one: O Antiphons...a day late...

In the weavings of a mystical web page, whose threads of inspiration include Julian of Norwich and a modern day poet, a treasure of 'O Antiphons' was grace-fully stumbled upon.

They are not as mysterious as they seem. Most, if not all of us, already know the 'O Antiphons' through the almost universally familiar Advent hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, with its verses all beginning with the same impassioned plea, "O Come..." (Here, a beautiful and concise webpage on the Antiphons.)

There are seven "O Antiphons", one for each of the seven days leading up to Christmas Eve. They are, in fact, chanted this way in many corners of the world, as singular statements, chained together in time, out of time...defining a season of waiting. December 17th would be the 'First Day of O Antiphons'. And, so, I'm a day late.

To follow, a post on each of the Antiphons, on the appropriate day. From the heart of poet, musician, and priest, Malcolm Guite, an interpretation of each antiphon will be included in the form of a sonnet. I think of it as a sort of seven-day Advent, or perhaps Emmanuel calendar gift from him.

Today, I rejoice: we'll be gifted with two - to catch up.