Tenebrae
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Tenebræ (Latin for darkness or shadows, pronounced ten-eh-bray) is the name of the church services of Matins held for the last three days of Holy Week, during which the candles in the church are extinguished one by one "to signify the setting of the Sun of Justice" in the words of Benedict XIV. Following the opening, the service is divided into three sections, called "Nocturns". They largely disappeared after the 1969 revision of the liturgy, but were traditionally observed on the eves of the day and thus Couperin's 3 Leçons were titled "pour le mercredi" (for Wednesday). As standardized in the Liber usualis, the order is thus:
- Feria V in coena Domini ad Matutinum - Maundy Thursday
- 1st Nocturn (3 lessons from Jeremiah (1:1, 1:6 & 1:10, each concluding "Ierusalem, convertere ad Dominum Deum tuum") with their responsories)
- 1. Quomodo sedet & In monte Oliveti
- 2. Et egressus & Tristis est anima mea
- 3. Manum suam & Ecce vidimus eum
- 2nd Nocturn (3 lessons from St Augustin with their Responsories)
- 4. Amicus meus osculi
- 5. Judas, mercador pessimus
- 6. Unus ex discipulis
- 3rd nocturn (3 lessons from Corinthians 11)
- 7. Eram quasi agnus
- 8. Una hora
- 9. Seniores populi
- 1st Nocturn (3 lessons from Jeremiah (1:1, 1:6 & 1:10, each concluding "Ierusalem, convertere ad Dominum Deum tuum") with their responsories)
- Feria VI in parasceve ad Matutinum - Good Friday
- First nocturn (3 lessons from Jeremiah with their Responsories)
- 10. Cogitavit Dominus (Jer. 2:8) & Omnes amici mei
- 11. Matribus suis (Jer. 2:12) & Velum templi
- 12. Ego vir videns (Jer. 3:1) & Vinea mea electa
- 2nd Nocturn (lessons from St Augustin)
- 13. Tamquam ad latronem
- 14. Tenebrae factae sunt
- 15. Animam meam dilectam
- 3rd Nocturn (3 lessons from Hebrews 4)
- 16. Tradiderunt me
- 17. Jesum tradidit impius
- 19. Caligaverunt oculi mei
- First nocturn (3 lessons from Jeremiah with their Responsories)
- Sabbato Sancto ad Matutinum - Holy Saturday
- First nocturn (3 lessons from Jeremiah)
- 21. Misericodiae Domini (Jer. 3:22) & Sicut ovis ad occisionem
- 22. Quomodo est obscuratum (Jer. 4:1) & Jerusalem surge et exue
- 23. Recordare Domine (Jer. 5:1) & Plange quasi virgo
- 2nd nocturn (3 lessons from St Augustin)
- 24. Recessit pastor noster
- 25. O vos omnes
- 26. Ecce quomodo moritur justus
- 3rd Nocturn (3 lessons from Hebrews 9)
- 27. Astiterunt reges
- 28. Aestimatus sum
- 29. Sepulto Domino
- First nocturn (3 lessons from Jeremiah)
See also
View the Wikipedia article on Tenebrae.
- Category:Tenebrae responsories