The Great O Antiphons of Advent
by Carl Schalk
Exactly how old the Great O Antiphons of Advent really are, no one knows for certain. According to Arthur Carl Piepkorn they "go back to the ninth century at least, and some historians are ready to accept the medieval ascription of them to St. Gregory the Great."

Their number has also varied. But by the end of the Middle Ages their number had been almost universally fixed at seven, the key words of which, when reversed in order, form an acrostic that beautifully fits the Advent season: "Ero cras"-"I shall be tomorrow."

What ultimately became the most common practice of the Church was to use these Great O Antiphons as antiphons sung in connection with the canticle Magnificat at Evening Prayer or Vespers on the days immediately preceding Christmas Eve. The usual date on which the use of these antiphons began was Dec. 17, although in certain uses their beginning date was as early as Dec. 6.

The normal practice was to sing these antiphons complete both before and after the singing of the Magnificat, although for greater solemnity they may be sung three times-before the canticle and before and after the Gloria Patri. In addition to their use as antiphons to the Magnificat, there is historical precedent for their use as seasonal liturgical pieces-as 'anthems in the modern, rather than in the etymological, sense of the term.

Contemporary use follows two general practices. The first pattern is to use them as canticles upon the Magnificat in the weekly Advent services observed by many Christian churches. The second pattern is to use them together in a special Advent service based on the Great O Antiphons. In this service they are used in connection with a brief meditation on each of the successive antiphons, with prayers suited for each of the antiphons, and in connection with the congregational singing of "Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel," the Advent hymn based on these antiphons of which John Mason Neale's English version is the most commonly used.

In addition to the music provided for these antiphons in the Roman chant books, the only generally available choral settings of the Great O Antiphons were the settings for four-part choir (SATB) written by Healey Willan and published by Concordia Publishing House in the late 1950s. These settings have long been out of print. With the appearance of Lutheran Book of Worship in 1978 and Lutheran Worship in 1982, these great texts now have an official place in the Advent Propers for Evening Prayer. They are given in both LBW and LW in new translations common to all Lutherans in North America.

In order to make these great texts available again to church choirs and others who may wish to use them in worship, Concordia Publishing House will shortly be publishing two editions of the Great O Antiphons available for Advent 1985. One new edition, edited by the undersigned, will again make available the four-part settings for choir by Healey Willan, carefully adapted to the new translations appearing in both LBW and LW. This edition will also make available the historic Gregorian melodies from the Liber Usualis traditionally associated with these texts. A second edition for unison and three-part choir by Richard Gieseke will appear about the same time. With the availability of these three musical vehicles, church musicians will be able to use either of the three sets of melodies and settings, or as appropriate to the circumstances, a combination of either the Willan or the Gieseke settings together with the Gregorian melodies.

It is hoped that the availability of these readily accessible musical settings will facilitate the use of these great liturgical texts in parishes throughout the Church, thus enriching the Advent celebration of the God who came, who comes, and who will come again. 

Source: "Proclaim" Series B, Concordia Publishing House, Barry L. Bobb and Hans Boehringer
Reprinted by permission from Lutheran Worship Notes, Summer 1985.