The interior of St. Dominic's Catholic Church (photograph by Alex Mizuno, from the St. Dominic's Web site)
Another last-minute announcement has prompted me to push Bleeding Edge news back yet another day. St. Dominic’s Catholic Church will host an evening of Advent meditations tomorrow night. The meditations will be based on the so-called “O Antiphons,” Magnificat antiphons, which are chanted at the Vespers services for the last seven days of Advent. Their collective name comes from the fact that each antiphon begins with the vocative particle “O” followed by a name of Christ. The full set and the associated dates of each antiphon are as follows:
- December 17: O Sapienta (wisdom)
- December 18: O Adonai (Lord)
- December 19: O Radix Jesse (root of Jesse)
- December 20: O Clavis David (key of David)
- December 21: O Oriens (dayspring)
- December 22: O Rex Gentium (King of the nations)
- December 23: O Emmanuel (with us is God)
St. Dominic’s has commissioned seven of its parishioners to compose organ meditations on these antiphons. Those composers are (in alphabetical order of their last names) Daniel Chang, Robert Chastain, David Conte, Nathan Crowe, Joseph Stillwell, and Harry Whitney. The evening will begin with a prelude of two hymns and a reading from Isaiah. Each of the meditations that will follow will begin with a chant of the antiphon by Ashley Walker. Organist Simon Berry will then play the meditation on that antiphon. There will then be a concluding prayer after all the meditations have been performed.
This event will take place in the Church Nave of St. Dominic’s, which is located at the western end of the Western Addition at 2390 Bush Street at the corner of Steiner Street. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. and last for about an hour. There will be no charge for admission, but donations will be greatly appreciated.
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