1 - Ethnography in a Monastery

Summary

The Prophet says: Seven times a day I have praised you (Ps 118:164). We will fulfill this sacred number seven if we satisfy our obligations of service at Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline… . Concerning Vigils, the same Prophet says: At midnight I arose to give you praise (Ps 118:62).

—Rule of Benedict, 16:1–5

Morning Vigil

Finger-picked guitar strings broke the silence of night: a simple tune followed by a chord plucked out gently, one string at a time. No light except for the faintest blue glow of the coming dawn filtered in through the high windows. A single candle flickered in the center of the chapel. A collective breath from the schola, a small group of brothers who lead the singing, then a slow Alleluia sung on the tune the guitar had just given. A gentle, three-note movement on -lu and an upward step on -ia brought a sense of uplift, lightness, and subtle energy. A carefully picked guitar chord marked the syllables but did not establish a regular beat.

They sang the next line: This is the day our God has made. The rest of the brothers responded: Alleluia. It was more like a chant than a song. They articulated each word on the same pitch until the final four words stepped down in a simple cadence. This time the Alleluia also stepped down, mimicking the cadence. The schola brothers sang the next line: Jesus our hope is risen. This time the cadence stepped up, mirroring the meaning of the words. The response again, Alleluia, was similarly uplifted: vowels and syllables extended by more ornate melismatic movement. The opening chant continued through several phrases, each with a responding, Alleluia.

There was no steady beat. Only a subtle suggestion of meter created by the emphasis of the syllables of each word, marked by the plucking chords of the guitar. It at once evoked the natural rhythms of the spoken word, the carefully crafted meters of poetry, and the regulated pulse of song. The brothers sang in unison, breathed in unison. Except for the slight movement required of the guitar player, they sat essentially motionless in their semicircle.