Audio Recordings of BCP and Other Christian texts

Discussion in 'Liturgy, and Book of Common Prayer' started by luke, May 3, 2013.

  1. luke

    luke Member

    Posts:
    56
    Likes Received:
    51
    Country:
    Australia
    Religion:
    Christian
    Hello,
    I have been looking around for some Audio version of Christian text, hymns, prayers, church history etc as i spend 2.5 hours a day travelling to and from work. I already have a lovely copy of the NKJB bible that gets a regular workout but would love a audio version of other documents.

    I was about to start making my own as a attempt to add more meaning to my travel time but honestly i really dont like my voice :)

    Does anyone know of any free resources like this already as it will save me some time :)
     
  2. Symphorian

    Symphorian Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    351
    Likes Received:
    518
    Country:
    UK
    Religion:
    Anglican, CofE
    luke likes this.
  3. Peteprint

    Peteprint Well-Known Member Anglican

    Posts:
    724
    Likes Received:
    718
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    High-Church Laudian
    I would like to ask a related question. I am used to hearing all the services in the Orthodox Church sung. I have seen/heard recordings of choral Evensong with a choir, but are there any sites where one can hear the Anglican liturgy sung/chanted by a priest? I have read about Anglican chant someplace, but in my visits to Episcopal churches I have only heard the service spoken (the same when I have visited Roman Catholic parishes). Thank you.
     
  4. Symphorian

    Symphorian Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    351
    Likes Received:
    518
    Country:
    UK
    Religion:
    Anglican, CofE
    Anglican Chant is largely used in the Choir Offices of Mattins and Evensong (Morning and Evening Prayer) where the Psalms and Canticles are chanted this way. So, for example, during Evensong, the Psalms, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis are often sung to Anglican Chant. Sadly, fewer smaller parochial churches seem to have choirs these days so the art of Anglican Chant is less common than it once was but it's still a strong tradition amongst cathedrals and churches in larger towns.

    When ++Cranmer set forth the First Book of Common Prayer in 1549, he wanted simpler musical settings to be used in services. Cranmer's premise was that there should be "for every syllable, a note" rather than the complex settings found in the old English Uses. He commissioned John Merbecke to produce music for the 1549 BCP and 'The Book of Common Prayer Noted' was published a year later. It had a short life due to the turbulence of the period.

    Chanting the Sursum Corda, Preface and Eucharistic Prayer tends to be a practice more commonly found in Anglican churches that might be described as High Church or Anglo-Catholic. It is I suppose a practice largely revived by the Tractarians/Ritualists. Even so, fewer Anglican Priests these days seem inclined to sing. (With some, that's quite a blessing!)

    There are many Communion settings available today for the Ordinary of the Communion (Decalogue/Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei). These will vary from church to church and are often fully congregational. However, it's not uncommon these days to find choirs singing some parts of the Ordinary to Gregorian Chant or Renaissance Polyphony.

    Here's an instructional video which starts off in the classroom and later moves to the altar using Merbecke's setting which is slightly adapted.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnhEHRymz4k

    If you type 'Anglican Eucharistic Prayer' into YouTube you'll find more examples during actual services.
     
    Robert, Peteprint and Lowly Layman like this.
  5. Lowly Layman

    Lowly Layman Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    2,722
    Likes Received:
    2,488
    It's been my experience that priests only sing services on special holy days if at all. But I'm only speaking of TEC parishes in the south and Midwest. You'll probably have your best luck at Cathedrals. I wonder if the more AngloCat provinces in in the continuing movement may sing more often.
     
    Peteprint and Symphorian like this.
  6. Peteprint

    Peteprint Well-Known Member Anglican

    Posts:
    724
    Likes Received:
    718
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    High-Church Laudian
    Thank you both!
     
  7. The Dark Knight

    The Dark Knight Active Member

    Posts:
    138
    Likes Received:
    195
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Anglican
    That's my experience as well. The priests will chant on Major Feasts & during Holy Week at our parish.
     
    Peteprint likes this.
  8. Gordon

    Gordon Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    688
    Likes Received:
    512
    Country:
    Australia
    Religion:
    Franciscan - Anglican
    I sometimes go a 6PM Mass on Saturday nights at St. Phillips Annerly here in Brisbane and it is always a Sung Eucharist even the Gospel is chanted. St. Phillips is run by our First Order Franciscan Brothers here.
     
    The Dark Knight likes this.
  9. Deacon Johnson

    Deacon Johnson New Member

    Posts:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Religion:
    Anglo-Catholic
  10. Anne

    Anne Active Member Anglican

    Posts:
    178
    Likes Received:
    205
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Anglo-Catholic
    Does anyone know where I can get the notation for the Magnificat + Nunc Dimitis? Traditional....I'm assuming Merbecke....but, you know, I've never actually seen it in print and I'm trying to share it. I'm stumped.
     
  11. Symphorian

    Symphorian Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    351
    Likes Received:
    518
    Country:
    UK
    Religion:
    Anglican, CofE
    See Merbecke's 'Book of Common Prayer Noted 1550'
    http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/Merbecke/Merbecke.htm

    I'm unaware of any editions of his settings of MP & EP in modern notation. (Unlike his better known Communion Setting.)

    It shouldn't be too difficult to use the 'Book of Common Prayer Noted' to transcribe the settings into modern notation. My knowledge of neumes and old notation is very limited but I was able to work through them fairly easily whilst sat at the keyboard.

    Bear in mind that English pronunciation has changed...as an example, 'generacions' is sung as 5 syllables in Merbecke's settings.

    Failing Merbecke, there are, as I'm sure you're aware, a host of Anglican Chant settings that can be used.
     
    Anne likes this.
  12. Anne

    Anne Active Member Anglican

    Posts:
    178
    Likes Received:
    205
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Anglo-Catholic
    I was wondering if there was a modern notation, but that's fine I can do that myself I just....wanted to see if I could save time ;) Thank you much!
     
  13. billn59

    billn59 New Member

    Posts:
    13
    Likes Received:
    15
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Anglican
    My Pastor, Fr. Damien from Holy Cross in Alpine, Tx is working on podcasts. I am helping him by reading some lessons in the evening. You can go to any podcast site and search "Always With Christ". Morning and evening prayer are posted each day along with other readings. Daily readings are from the 1928 BCP.
     
    Lowly Layman likes this.
  14. Edmundia

    Edmundia Member

    Posts:
    54
    Likes Received:
    38
    Country:
    United Kingdom
    Religion:
    Roman Catholic (Tradition
    Sorry for VERY late reply.I am a new boy.
    For musical settings of the 1662 BCP you might find the CATHEDRAL PRAYER BOOK second hand on A.B.E. or a good second hand shop; it has all the chants in squared notation but stictly BCP, Merbecke for the Communion Service. The Plainsong Psalter(Briggs and Frere) is hard to find but it has the Psalms and Canticles of the Prayer Book, set to Gregorian Chant and THE SARUM PSALTER : G.H.Palmer has old English Sarum Chant, but again for the Prayer Book.