O Sapientia: O Wisdom (2009)

December 16:

O Wisdom, which camest out of the mouth of the most High, and reachest from one end to another, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.

For each night this week, as I post the Great "O" Antiphons of Advent, I'll also post a paragraph from Derek's article, "Sapientia-tide: The Great O Antiphons."

I doubt you've heard of Sapientia-tide—but I'll bet you know “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” The liturgical obscurity and the popular hymn are both vestiges of an ancient tradition that celebrates the Incarnation of Christ: The Great “O” Antiphons. The intentional liturgical communities of the Middle Ages—the monastic houses and cathedrals—always sang the Song of Mary, the Magnificat, as part of their Evening Prayer (Vespers). To further their meditation upon the various mysteries of Christ made present in the liturgical cycles, one-line antiphons drawn from biblical or traditional sources were interwoven with Mary's canticle. The verses we now know as “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” are versions of the antiphons traditionally sung on the seven nights leading up to Christmas Eve. These antiphons are worthy of our attention as we enter this time before Christmas for both their spiritual riches and for their place in our Anglican heritage.

A nice version here, although with dizzying visuals. And it includes the Magnificat, which most audio versions of the antiphons don't.



Here's more from the link above:

Photos are taken at Abteikirche Niederaltaich, Bavaria, Germany.

The Benedictine monastery of Niederaltaich was founded in 731 and has seen a lot of ups and downs during the centuries.

Monastery and village of Niederaltaich are placed next to the Donau river.

The Basilica of Niederaltaich is nowadays belonging to the worldly parish, but the monastery cares for the parish. It is dedicated to St. Mauritius.

An mp3 version is here; and another one here, sung along with the Magnificat.