Night Office for the Translation of St Cuthbert at Worksop: Service Orders used for a Medieval Enactment on Sunday 1 September 2024

Abstract

This deposit consists of four service orders that contributed to an experimental, community-led enactment of a medieval 'Night Office' liturgy at Worksop Priory, Nottinghamshire, on Sunday 1 September 2024, at 5am. Based upon primary research from the project 'Music in the Shadows: Staging Medieval Night Worship, 800-1300', the service was co-created by the named researchers together with clergy, musicians, and volunteers from Worksop Priory.

The service on 1 September 2024 followed the medieval secular pattern of nine readings, as it might once have been known at Worksop, or another English Augustinian priory, on the feast of the Translation of St Cuthbert on 4 September. The music was drawn from the thirteenth-century Guisborough Antiphoner, GB-Lbl Add. 35285. The rubrics were based upon instructions in later-medieval Augustinian customaries, including those of Barnwell, Stafford, St Victor in Paris, and Rolduc (Klosterrath). The readings were derived principally from the Coldingham Breviary, GB-LBl Harley MS 4664.

The documents published here mix the original Latin of the medieval liturgy with English translations to assist modern audiences. The rationale for these and other liturgical choices will be explored in a future publication, in which the researchers reflect on the intellectual contribution of the medieval enactments accomplished during the research project.

The orders of service were assembled with the assistance of Prof. David Hiley (scholarly edition and typesetting of the chants), Dr Peter Siepmann (further music typesetting), and Dr Henry Howard (English translations of chants). Their work is published here with permission.

Contents: 1) Master booklet - used by the celebrant, choir director, servers, and research team 2) Readers' booklet - used at the lectern 3) Choir booklet - used by the singers 4) Congregation booklet - used by the other attendees