Countdown to Christmas: The "O Antiphons" - Digital Advent Calendar 2021

Listen to the entire series of the “O Antiphons”! Hélène offers some more insights as to their importance as a meditative preparation for Christmas, sung at Vespers every evening during the Octave of Advent, from 17 December until 23 December, as the antiphon to the Magnificat. Each day, the antiphon offers one of the Seven Attributes of Christ, and relates texts from the Old Testament, and particularly from the book of Isaiah.
The melody of these antiphons is instantly recognisable, with the rising fourth motif on the letter “O” repeating in the second part to connect to the word "veni" ("come, O Lord''). In each, there is a movement towards the upper register which highlights an important word, followed by a melodic movement to the lower part, for example underlining the word “tenebris”, before its final cadence.
These beautiful antiphons, in a dark 2nd mode, sound serious and solemn, but this recurring motif offers a flicker of light through this darkness; a daily countdown until the dawn of Christmas morning.
Hélène Derieux studied philosophy, management, and theology in Paris (La Sorbonne), London (City University), Berlin (ESCP Europe), and Vienna (Universität Wien), and holds three master's degrees. Having spent several years at a convent where she gained an intimate knowledge of liturgy, she went on studying musicology at La Sorbonne where she is currently finishing an MA, and specialising in medieval liturgical music. Her musical background involves lyrical singing (Conservatoire de Levallois-Perret), Gregorian chant (Diploma in Gregorian chant from the École du Chœur Grégorien de Paris obtained summa cum laude; Brigitte Lesne's class of plainchant interpretation at La Sorbonne), traditional Breton music, choir direction, and organ playing with a keen interest in improvisation. She is currently based in Paris where she is the choir director of the Gregorian schola of Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre, as well as a singer and a church cantor. She also works as a freelance consultant, translator and interpreter.
Listen to the first of the Major Antiphons in the app: odra.dk/OOOOOOO
________
We are pleased to offer the Neumz Digital Advent Calendar to celebrate one year of the Neumz mobile apps for Android and iOS. Each day we will offer you a commentary on a chant sung during Advent or a reflection on Gregorian chant, in the hope that you will enjoy these chants as much as we did while preparing them to share them with you all. Subscribe to our TH-cam channel to celebrate Advent together!

[@Undermarysmantleforever]

I just discovered your channel and the chanting of the sisters is Angelic...Joyeaux Noel from Montreal .Veni Emmanuel.

[@Neumz]

Joyeaux Noel !