according-to-the-whole.orthodoxwestblogs.comAccording to the Whole – with Stephen Brannen

According to the Whole with Stephen Brannen Menu The Orthodox West Blogs According to the Whole About Contact Scroll down to content Posts Posted on March 31, 2024 April 1, 2024 The Dating of Pascha and the Church’s Calendar The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central event in the history of world, and its celebration is the preeminent feast day in the Christian year. But not all Christians today—and not even all Orthodox Christians—celebrate this most holy Feast on the same day. Whatever one’s feelings about cooperation between communions, or ecumenism,” the fact is that the division between Christian communions on the dating of Pascha is a stumbling block to non-believers and should be felt as a scandal to us all . This division and scandal is hardly a new problem, however. Continue reading The Dating of Pascha and the Church’s Calendar” Posted on December 23, 2023 December 23, 2023 The Unlikely Alleluia This year, something is happening on Christmas Eve that rarely happens: it falls on a Sunday. This is the only liturgical Vigil that is allowed to fall on a Sunday, as Vigils in the Western Rite are always penitential and preparatory in nature (fasting is prescribed and the liturgical color is purple). So in all other instances where a Vigil would fall on a Sunday (excepting the Vigil for Epiphany which simply gets replaced by the Mass of the Holy Name of Jesus), the Vigil gets anticipated and bumped back to Saturday or the first available day prior. Christmas Eve is entirely unique in being able to be celebrated on a Sunday. And when this does happen, aside from the fast being lifted, there is almost nothing that changes liturgically. . . . except for one particular Proper chant which is only ever sung in this instance. That chant is the Alleluia verse, which runs: Alleluia, alleluia. Tomorrow, the iniquity of the earth shall be done away: and the Savior of the world shall reign over us. Alleluia.” [Latin] Alleluia, alleluia. Crástina die delébitur iníquitas terræ: et regnábit super nos Salvátor mundi. Alleluia.Continue reading The Unlikely Alleluia” Posted on June 10, 2023 June 10, 2023 Depicting the Trinity – Part 2 In my previous article on depicting the Trinity , which was initially intended as a stand-alone post, I reached the conclusion that Andrei Rublev’s masterful iconographic rendering of the hospitality of Abraham” pictorial tradition was the height of Trinitarian visual depictions, in its mystical and symbolic highlighting of the divine attributes of the Triune Godhead. I argued in favor of this iconography as opposed to other various images of the Trinity which represented the Father as an old man. Continue reading Depicting the Trinity – Part 2” Posted on February 8, 2023 February 8, 2023 Burying the Alleluia From ancient times in the West, the liturgical usage of the word Alleluia ceased at Septuagesima (the first Sunday of the pre-Lenten season) all the way until the Paschal vigil. This cessation of the Alleluia in the Western liturgies stands in contrast with the Eastern practice of increasing the usage of Alleluia liturgically during Lent. Why this move in opposite directions between the two traditions? Is this an instance or example of the Eastern and Western rites having different spirits? Continue reading Burying the Alleluia” Posted on October 3, 2022 October 7, 2022 In Paradisum The antiphon In paradisum” is one of those unique chants in the Western liturgical repertoire which is not exactly liturgical, per se, but is liturgy-adjacent. It’s sung at the very conclusion of the Requiem Mass (Mass for the dead), when the body of the deceased is being borne from the church to the grave. The composer of the text and music is unknown, and I’ve had a hard time tracking down even what century it entered the service books. Its provenance seems shrouded in mystery, but its message is so powerfully universal. The words to the chant are: In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem. Into paradise may the Angels lead thee; at thy coming, may the martyrs receive thee, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem. May the choir of Angels receive thee, and with Lazarus, who was once poor, mayest thou have eternal rest. Continue reading In Paradisum” Posted on June 12, 2022 June 13, 2022 The Golden Sequence In the Western liturgical life as we have it in the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America today, we have precious few Sequence hymns prescribed to be sung. A Sequence hymn is a poetic chant sung after the Gradual and Alleluia/Tract. That’s why on Pentecost and throughout its Octave (excluding the following Sunday), it’s a joy to sing the Sequence Veni, Sancte Spiritus.” This 12th or 13th century hymn was popularly dubbed the Golden Sequence” in the late middle ages because of itswondrous sweetness, clarity of style, pleasant brevity combined with wealth of thought (so that every line is a sentence), and finally the constructive grace and elegance displayed in the skilful and apt juxtaposition of contrasting thoughts .” I would also add to that list the memorableness of its melody. Continue reading The Golden Sequence” Posted on April 21, 2022 May 4, 2022 The Arma Christi A centuries old devotion practiced throughout the middle ages and beyond was the meditation on the Arma Christi , or the weapons of Christ—things associated with the Passion and Death of the Lord. The reason the instruments of Jesus’ suffering and death came to be known as his arms is because when they were used against him, they exhausted their powers of evil on him, only to be subverted by his willingness to accept them and to turn them into his own triumphs of patience, self-sacrifice, and love. Having disarmed evil, they became Christ’s own weapons of victory. Continue reading The Arma Christi” Posted on February 16, 2022 January 24, 2023 A (Very Brief) Primer on Plainchant Plainchant is the ancient, standard music of the Western tradition of the Church. It is traditionally monophonic (sung in unison), though it is sometimes harmonized and/or sung with accompaniment. It is sung without the time signatures of modern music (like 4/4 or 6/8), in a free meter . Continue reading A (Very Brief) Primer on Plainchant” Posted on November 2, 2021 January 24, 2023 Day of Wrath – And Hope The Dies Irae is probably one of the most famous pieces in the entire repertoire of Latin chant. Its first opening notes have proven to be one of the most enduring musical phrases in our culture, prominently quoted by composers like Mozart, Haydn, Berlioz, and Rachmaninoff, and even in the film scores of movies from Citizen Cane and It’s Wonderful Life, to The Shining, Home Alone, The Lion King, Star Wars: A New Hope, and many, many more. Continue reading Day of Wrath – And Hope” Posted on July 29, 2021 January 24, 2023 Kinetic Composition I’ve been fascinated for a while now with a particular artistic motif which depicts King David, ruler of ancient Israel and credited author of many of the Psalms, in the rapturous throes of composing. Many images of David with his harp/lyre can be found dating right back through the early middle ages, but many of these are also of a somewhat static, poised David. As art became more expressive of emotion in the Renaissance and beyond, the figure of David became more dramatic. And David, as an artistic figure, is particularly suited for drama. Continue reading Kinetic Composition” Posts navigation Page 1 Page 2 … Page 6 Next page Search for: Search Recent Posts The Dating of Pascha and the Church’s Calendar The Unlikely Alleluia Depicting the Trinity – Part 2 Burying the Alleluia In Paradisum Categories Architecture Liturgical Seasons Music Spirituality Uncategorized Archives Archives Select Month March 2024 December 2023 June 2023 February 2023 October 2022 June 2022 April 2022 February...