Jekyll2026-05-13T00:42:06+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/feed.xmlParvum OfficiumSinging the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Latin.VeronicaBrandtShorts2025-11-02T00:00:00+00:002025-11-02T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2025/11/02/shortsOfficially this blog is now over on Substack

Little Office Articles at Substack  substack

But substack doesn’t have a spot for saving .tex files, so this is a stub post for my future self wondering how I went about making those vertical aspect shorts videos with the chant arranged as if on a narrow bookmark. Actually, having the music for the antiphons printed on narrow bookmarks was yet another idea floating around.

So, turns out this is a Jekyll blog instead of a Hugo blog, so I don’t necessarily have the post folder layout thing that Hugo does, but I’ve made a pdf/shorts folder and will figure something out.

God bless,</br> Veronica

]]>VeronicaBrandtThis blog has moved to Substack!2023-08-03T00:00:00+00:002023-08-03T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2023/08/03/substackI really like the way Substack handles podcasts. They also do a fine job with blog articles, so I’ve copied all earlier articles over and will endeavour to fix missing pieces as I go. All future article should be available on littleoffice.substack.com. We might even figure out a membership option!

Little Office Articles at Substack  substack

God bless you!

]]>VeronicaBrandtEaster Booklet2023-04-10T00:00:00+00:002023-04-10T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2023/04/10/easter-bookletI’m heading away for a few days and wanted to take the Little Office with me. I’ve made this little booklet, taking out some parts that I have reliably in memory.

easter.pdf

I place it here in case it’s useful to someone.

I’ve also started adding in the extra bits from the 1910 version of the Little Office - the commemoration of Saints being the biggest bit, plus the Kyrie Eleisons.

Happy Easter!!!

Christus resurrexit!

Surrexit vere! Alleluia!

]]>VeronicaBrandtSacred Triduum2023-03-30T00:00:00+00:002023-03-30T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2023/03/30/sacred-triduumThe Little Office is not sung in public during the Sacred Triduum. The last Little Office hour would be Compline on Wednesday and would resume with Matins of Sunday (with the Te Deum!)

Singing the Roman Office is not too tricky for this time. It is all said, not sung, except for Matins and Lauds, which is known as Tenebrae or Darkness. You can find many recordings of Tenebrae for each of the days here:

Tenebrae at Sensus Fidelium

Watch out for Christopher Jasper from the Gregorian Chant Academy in the videos from St Joan of Arc Church, Idaho.

Talks about the Triduum at Sensus Fidelium

Office des Tenebres a French place with very beautiful Tenebrae Offices with Polyphony - Jeudi is Thursday, Vendredi is Friday and Samedi is Saturday.

]]>VeronicaBrandtPassiontide2023-03-26T00:00:00+00:002023-03-26T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2023/03/26/passiontideA quick note to say the in Passiontide in the Little Office the Gloria Patri is nowhere omitted.

That means we keep singing Gloria Patri in the Little Office, even though in the 1962 Divine Office and the Mass we leave that prayer out for Passiontide.

Also, during the Sacred Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday) the Little Office is not said publicly. I will look into making a resource outlining how to sing the Divine Office for this time. Much of the Divine Office is stripped right back, making it much more approachable.

Our statues and crucifix covered with purple cloth

It’s also customary to cover images of Jesus, Mary and the saints with purple cloth on Passion Sunday, which was the Sunday before Palm Sunday in the old calendar. The purple comes off the crucifixes after the 3pm Good Friday Service and the rest after the Resurrection.

]]>VeronicaBrandtCarmelite Chant2023-03-13T00:00:00+00:002023-03-13T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2023/03/13/carmeliteSomeone requested details on how to sing the Carmelite Little Office.

Going from a Carmelite Little Office book from the Internet Archive, I’ve looked up the unfamiliar antiphons on Gregobase and pasted them in here. Even though they’re not specifically Carmelite versions, the chant tunes tend to be fairly universal.

Carmelite Bits

and in booklet format

and here’s a recording

UPDATE: From the comments section in the short video, someone provided this transcription from a Carmelite Antiphonal:

(c3)VIr(e)go(g) Ma(h)rí(ij)a,(i) *(,) 
non(j) est(k) ti(j)bi(i) sí(j)mi(i)lis(h) or(i)ta(j) in(j) mun(i)do,(i) (;) 
in(i)ter(ivHGF) mu(g)lí(f)e(e)res:(e) (:) 
flo(h)rens(g) ut(h) ro(ij)sa,(i) (;) 
fra(j)grans(k) si(j)cut(i) lí(j)li(ih)um,(g) (:) 
o(h)ra(ij) pro(j) no(i)bis,(i) (;) 
san(i)cta(ivHGF) De(g)i(f) Gé(e)ni(de)trix.(e) (::)

I’ve added it to the Carmelite Bits PDF above and here is a peek:

Virgo Maria, carmelite version

]]>VeronicaBrandtEven More Books2023-02-13T00:00:00+00:002023-02-13T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2023/02/13/even-more-booksPrevious articles:

Book Reviews - the first article detailing the first four books.

Benziger Brothers 1915 - the second article, discussing my second batch of reprints.

New Books:

My Paperback including Office of the Dead

My Hardback, without Office of the Dead

Karl Keller’s Little Office big Paperback

and Christopher Kent’s book which I haven’t linked to here on the blog before

]]>VeronicaBrandtA Treatise2022-09-08T00:00:00+00:002022-09-08T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2022/09/08/a-treatiseMe reading the back of the book

The Scans on the Internet Archive

The Printed Book

The Epub

The Video

Other Books

My earlier article on the The Dominican Little Office

Here is my copy of The Divine Office: Explanation of the Psalms and Canticles, by St Alphonsus Liguori

The scans are still on the internet archive - it’s volume 14 of the Complete Works of St Alphonsus Liguori.

This book from Barnes & Noble seems to be the same book.

There are other reprints available on other popular online bookshops.

]]>VeronicaBrandtBenziger Brothers 19152022-07-22T00:00:00+00:002022-07-22T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2022/07/22/benziger-brosNew Book Cover

The Little Office, Benziger Bros 1915

I found a new favourite scan of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary here on the Internet Archive I’ve tidied it up and set up a reprint via Lulu.

The original includes the Office of the Dead plus a section of Commemorations, but when I first printed the book including these it felt quite bulky and so I took them out for subsequent versions. Maybe I should make both available.

The really wonderful things about this book:

  • Very similar to the “current” books, ie Baronius Press and Angelus Press as there were changes in 1910 which took out some small psalms in Lauds. If you want those psalms, you’ll need an older copy, like my earlier 1832 reprint or the Bonaventure Press reprint. Still has those little Kyrie Eleisons though.
  • Nice big print, whole page layout, drop caps.
  • Accent marks, asterisks to mark the mediant of each psalm verse.
  • Handy introduction with rubrics and ceremonial.

I also discovered the the British Library collection of Illuminated Manuscripts have released images into the Public Domain. So I am very much looking forward to reusing these images. All the Books of Hours seem to be predominantly copies of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary! It is wonderful how recognizable they are!

]]>VeronicaBrandtLittle Office of the Immaculate Conception2022-06-23T00:00:00+00:002022-06-23T00:00:00+00:00https://littleoffice.brandt.id.au/2022/06/23/immaculate-conceptionThe Little Office of the Immaculate Conception is much shorter than the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It has no Psalms, only hymns, which all share the same meter.

UPDATE: I’ve found a really nice 12 page section containing the Little Office of the Immaculate Conception in Latin and English from The Sodalist’s hymnal, Edwin F MacGonigle, 1887.

12 page PDF

And if your computer doesn’t automatically do booklet printing, try this pdf, flip long side.

Here is Michael Martin’s page with all the prayers in Latin and English

UPDATE: I’ve transcribed a chant tune as sung in this video

Chant tune, 5 page PDF

Formerly, looking to sing it in Latin, I might use this tune:

Gregobase closest hymn (sequence)

That tune has three variations over 6 verses whereas the Little Office of the Immaculate Conception only has two or four verses at a time. I might arrange the variations A B C A, or just use the first variation.

Looking in J M Neale’s book The Hymnal Noted, there are some Latin hymns with a similar meter: Ades, Pater supreme and Cultor Dei memento. It also adapts a version of Ave maris stella, which could open up many more tunes.

The Brebeuf Hymnal pairs Salve mundi with 5 different tunes, most notably the tune for Good King Wenceslaus!

If I were to sing it in the metrical English version, I would use the Lourdes Hymn Tune or “O Purest of Creatures” (Maria zu lieben). The Welsh tune St Denio, from “Immortal Invisible”, would be great too.

English literal translation

So, this article is a bit disjointed now with the updates. Maybe it’s time for a separate section!

Listen to our renditions in the Youtube Playlist

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