Troparia / kontakia at small compline

[Silouan Wollert]

My usual prayer rule for Morning and Evening Prayers is that of the Jordanville Prayer Book. Not too long ago, I read that it was appropriate for laymen to read Small Compline at night and the Midnight Office in the morning. Comparing what is in the Prayer Book to what is in the Horologion, it is apparent that the Evening Prayers are an abbreviation of Small Compline and the Morning Prayers are an abbreviation of the Midnight Office. I have the desire to do just this. I understand how to do "reader's services", so that isn't an issue. What I don't understand is how the troparia/kontakia after the second Trisagion are chanted. I'm using the Jordanville Horologion and it's fairly straightforward. If the temple (well, my home) is dedicated to a saint, then the troparion of the day is said first and then the troparion of the temple, and then "O God of our fathers" etc. The troparia for each day are listed. So far, so good.

Here's where confusion arises. As part of my service as Reader in our parish, I use the Liturgical Calendar from St John of Kronstadt Press (which reflects Russian usage). For example, for Wednesday of this week (May 10 OS), the instructions for Compline stated "After the Trisagion, we read the kontakion of the Apostle, Glory...Now & ever...kontakion of the Ascension." How does this fit in with what is in the Horologion? Do I say these in place of the troparion of the day/temple and continue at "O God of our fathers"? Or do I omit "O God of our fathers" since there is a Glory...Now and ever there?

To make things even a bit more puzzling, sometimes the Calendar states that at Compline we "read the kontakion of the feast", as it does for tonight. Just that? How? The Horologion is silent at this matter and a lot of searching on the Internet has left me with nothing.

Can someone enlighten me, please?

Silouan

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear Silouan,

Most editions of the Horologion contain only the normal hymns of the regular weekly cycle - i.e., those dedicated to regular days of the week, and thus consistent throughout (e.g. Monday the holy bodiless powers, Tuesday St Nicholas, etc.). Additionally, the rubrics in most editions of the Horologion will also contain the variations for the type of temple or service, e.g. 'If the temple be dedicated to Christ...' or 'If the service is in honour of the Virgin...'. These are, as it were, the 'unchanging' weekly 'standards'.

The calendar from SKJP, like most solid liturgical calendars, takes into account the specific commemorations of each given day, which are drawn not from the horologion, but from the ochtoechos, menaia, triodion, pentecostarion, etc. In most cases, these instructions are suitable only for Church use, for the sole reason that most homes do not possess all these collections of books -- hence the horologion's 'good fit' for regular home prayers of this kind. In parishes, most often the day-specific hymns take precedence over those of the daily / hourly cycle, and are used instead; but in fact they can all be used - though there are a variety of patterns for precisely how they are peiced together.

The simplest order for home use is that the insertion of festal hymnography into the usual order follows a basic pattern of 'at both extremes' -- i.e., if it is the feast of, say, the Ascension, a hymn of the ascension would be inserted before the regular hymns at a given section, and then again at the end, as a special doxastikon, theotokion or stavrotheotokion (as appointed). The actual precision of order for the full liturgical celebration of these services is quite complete (and often spelt out in detail in the calendar); but this is a standard 'home practice' for including festal hymnography in one's daily prayers.

Bear in mind, too, that at certain times of the year, the liturgical cycle wreaks good and proper havoc on the 'normal' order, and the period of the Pentecostarion is one of these. There is almost nothing in the order of troparia / kontakia that is 'normal' in this period; so do not be too surprised if the instructions in the calendar seem strange vis-a-vis what's listed as the usual order in the horologion or another usual service book.

I hope some of this helps. Others will surely expand.

INXC, Matthew

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Matthew S wrote:


Bear in mind, too, that at certain times of the year, the liturgical cycle wreaks good and proper havoc on the 'normal' order, and the period of the Pentecostarion is one of these. There is almost nothing in the order of troparia / kontakia that is 'normal' in this period; so do not be too surprised if the instructions in the calendar seem strange vis-a-vis what's listed as the usual order in the horologion or another usual service book.

I hope some of this helps. Others will surely expand.

One reason that some use the Old Rite Prayer Book from Erie, Pa is that it more easily allows for the changing liturgical seasons than does the standard Prayer Book.

In the Old Rite it is easy to just read or substitute for what is already written in the Prayer Book tropars and kondaks for the day or feast. One can even add an akathist or canon.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Silouan Wollert]

Dear Silouan,

The calendar from SKJP, like most solid liturgical calendars, takes into account the specific commemorations of each given day, which are drawn not from the horologion, but from the ochtoechos, menaia, triodion, pentecostarion, etc. In most cases, these instructions are suitable only for Church use, for the sole reason that most homes do not possess all these collections of books -- hence the horologion's 'good fit' for regular home prayers of this kind. In parishes, most often the day-specific hymns take precedence over those of the daily / hourly cycle, and are used instead; but in fact they can all be used - though there are a variety of patterns for precisely how they are peiced together.

The simplest order for home use is that the insertion of festal hymnography into the usual order follows a basic pattern of 'at both extremes' -- i.e., if it is the feast of, say, the Ascension, a hymn of the ascension would be inserted before the regular hymns at a given section, and then again at the end, as a special doxastikon, theotokion or stavrotheotokion (as appointed). The actual precision of order for the full liturgical celebration of these services is quite complete (and often spelt out in detail in the calendar); but this is a standard 'home practice' for including festal hymnography in one's daily prayers.

INXC, Matthew

Thank you for the explanation, Matthew. What I have been doing is to insert the "festal" troparion/kontakion just before the troparion of the day. I do have a fairly complete set of liturgical books (the octoechos, the 12-volume menaion, the pentecostarion and triodion) and can usually find what is called for in the service. As I said, the instructions in the horologion were a little less than completely clear and since we don't celebrate small compline in church except for the akathistos during Lent I don't know the correct way to handle it.

Thank you again (and thank you to Fr Raphael for your additional information),
Silouan

[Silouan Wollert]

Father Raphael,

If you were to celebrate small compline in church, say for today when the calendar states that the kontakion of Pentecost was to be chanted, how would the service go between the Trisagion and Lord have mercy 40x?

Forgive me for not being able to get my head around this. I'm really interested in how it would be done in a service in the church. Do you know perhaps of a book that would explain this kind of thing?

Thank you,
Silouan

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Dear Silouan,

After the Trisagion, chant the kondak for Pentecost, and then go immediately to Lord have mercy 40x. Then read the prayer of the Hours, "Thou Who at all times and at every hour..."

The explanation for this can be found on page 246 (in red type) in the Jordanville Unabbbreviated Horologion.

In Christ- Fr Raphael



Father Raphael,

If you were to celebrate small compline in church, say for today when the calendar states that the kontakion of Pentecost was to be chanted, how would the service go between the Trisagion and Lord have mercy 40x?

Forgive me for not being able to get my head around this. I'm really interested in how it would be done in a service in the church. Do you know perhaps of a book that would explain this kind of thing?

Thank you,
Silouan

[Silouan Wollert]

Dear Silouan,

After the Trisagion, chant the kondak for Pentecost, and then go immediately to Lord have mercy 40x. Then read the prayer of the Hours, "Thou Who at all times and at every hour..."

The explanation for this can be found on page 246 (in red type) in the Jordanville Unabbbreviated Horologion.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

Thank you, Father! I think that this clarifies it for me. In general, then, if the typikon/calendar states that such-and-such is to be chanted at little compline, then the same process is followed as above (chant such-and-such, then go immediately to LHM40x), otherwise chant what is in the Horologion (troparia of the temple, day, then O God of our Fathers, etc.)?

I appreciate your patience very much!

Silouan

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Thank you, Father! I think that this clarifies it for me. In general, then, if the typikon/calendar states that such-and-such is to be chanted at little compline, then the same process is followed as above (chant such-and-such, then go immediately to LHM40x), otherwise chant what is in the Horologion (troparia of the temple, day, then O God of our Fathers, etc.)?

Silouan

Yes that's right. The Unabbreviated Horologion has the the tropars and kondaks to read at 'normal' times of the year.

Otherwise on Feasts and Sundays we read the tropar & kondak proper to the feast day itself.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Silouan Wollert]

Thank you, Father, for your explanations and your patience.

Silouan