{"id":5990,"date":"2016-11-29T16:11:31","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T21:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5990"},"modified":"2016-11-29T16:17:29","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T21:17:29","slug":"marking-the-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5990","title":{"rendered":"Marking the Hours"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Music\"

Music for celebrating the Divine Office from the Directoriuvm Chori: Ad Vsvm Omnivm Ecclesiavm Cathedralium & Collegiatarum<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Rare Books Collection, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries, M2153.2 .C36 1665<\/p><\/div>\n

Sunday, November 27th marks the beginning of Advent in the Western Christian tradition. The season of\u00a0Advent starts the fourth Sunday before Christmas and is preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day. It also marks the beginning of the liturgical year in the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

In the Special Collections Research Center, we have some examples that allow us to see the ways in which people historically celebrated the Christian liturgical year.<\/p>\n

\"Vellum

Vellum Leaf from a Missal printed in 1493<\/a>, Rare Books Collection, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries, BX2015 .A2 1493<\/p><\/div>\n

In medieval Christian Europe, public worship and the liturgical year revolved around the Mass or the Divine Office.<\/p>\n

The Mass can be defined as the rituals, hymns, and readings that\u00a0evolved around the celebration of the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

In contrast, the Divine Office is a set of prayers recited at specific hours of the day. The Divine Office is primarily composed\u00a0of the biblical Psalms\u00a0with supplemental hymns and readings. In the Middle Ages, singing the Divine Office was the responsibility of monks and nuns. According to John Cassian (d. 435), “The whole purpose of the monk and indeed the perfection of his heart amount to this–total and uninterrupted dedication to prayer.”(1)<\/p>\n

The medieval Divine Office was composed of eight “Offices” or “hours.”<\/p>\n