CANTICLE
I. General Notions
C. (from the Greek φῶς) is generally understood to mean a poetic composition intended to be sung in praise and thanksgiving to God. St. Paul, speaking of the early Christians’ eucological songs, expressly mentions canticles alongside psalms and hymns. Writing to the Ephesians (Eph. 5:19) he says: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord.” A similar expression occurs also in the Letter to the Colossians (Col. 3:16). Ecclesiastical tradition has not preserved sufficient elements to distinguish precisely these three categories of song, and especially canticles in comparison with psalms and hymns. Yet liturgical discipline, following the cited Pauline texts, classifies poetic songs in use in the Church under the same terms: psalms are the poetic texts contained in the Davidic Psalter; canticles, on the other hand, are those contained in the Bible outside the Psalter, and this is now the specific sense of liturgical vocabulary. They are closely akin to the psalms, sharing the same poetic structure based on parallelism and the same purpose of expressing religious sentiments of special nobility and intensity. In particular, they resemble the psalms of doxology in content, since they chiefly express praise and thanksgiving, in keeping also with the generic meaning of the word; yet they are not lacking in supplications and elegiac touches.Liturgical Use. – Canticles were originally composed not for liturgical use but simply to give noble expression to the authors’ sentiments, and were committed to writing solely to preserve their memory. Yet it was natural that such elevated formulas should be used by pious persons to express or arouse similar sentiments on analogous occasions, and in particular should be taken up for public worship. Many psalms too (among them the well-known Miserere) were first composed for quite specific purposes and only later inserted into the official collections of the Psalter. There is also the case of a canticle that was inserted whole into the Psalter and used on a par with the other psalms: it is the canticle recorded in 2 Sam. 22:2ff., composed by David when he saw himself delivered from all his enemies, and which later became, with slight variations, Psalm 17. Psalm 104, too, down to verse 15, forms part of the canticle recorded in 1 Chron. 16:8ff.
As for canticles not included in the Psalter, there is no evidence that the Jews used them in public worship; Christians, however, made very extensive use of them, especially at morning praise, because their elevated style and doxological content render them most suitable for extolling God’s perfections, his works, and his benefits. Even those that do not refer to the works of creation or, more generally, to God’s benefits, but to well-defined historical events of the Old Testament, such as the crossing of the Red Sea, can be used by Christians with full relevance to the new reality, since it is well known that ancient events are taken as figures of Christ’s and the Church’s events. The first to be used were the aforementioned canticle of Moses at the Red Sea (Ex. 15:1ff.) and that of the Three Children in the furnace (Dan. 3:52ff.), which may be called the typical canticles. Later others were added, and in particular the Gospel canticles, which, thanks chiefly to St. Benedict, came into daily use. In the Roman Breviary the New Testament canticles are used at the end of Lauds, Vespers, and Compline, almost as a complement to the hymn; those of the Old Testament, on the other hand, are used in the psalmody of Lauds, precisely in the penultimate place.
Until the reform of Pius X (1911), seven canticles were used for this purpose, one for each day of the week. Pius X gave greater impetus to this usage. He
Canticles of Lauds
A double scheme is employed for the canticles of Lauds: one for ordinary times and another for penitential seasons, and this is done for the sake of precision, since the canticle expresses in general sentiments of praise rather than penance. In this way, seven other most noble formulas of praise have passed from the occasional reading of the Bible to liturgical use.
In the Benedictine Breviary, which reflects a more ancient form of the Divine Office, the Old Testament canticles are used not only in Lauds but also at Matins: on Sundays and the most solemn feasts, after two Nocturns with six psalms each, a third Nocturn is added, consisting of three canticles.
The Ambrosian Breviary, which is also very ancient, likewise makes use of canticles at Matins.
Besides their use in the Divine Office, canticles are widely employed in the Mass, especially in the chants that follow the Epistle. Generally, however, only certain verses are used, more rarely entire canticles. Notable above all is the use of the Canticle of the Three Children, already mentioned, after the fifth lesson on the Saturdays of the Tempore, when, instead of responding *Deo gratias*, one proceeds immediately to sing a part of II. After some prophecies on Holy Saturday—specifically after the fourth, eighth, and eleventh—certain verses of the canticles of Moses and Isaiah are sung. In processions, canticles—especially those from the Gospels—are widely used along with psalms and hymns. Notable is the singing of the *Benedictus* by the adult choir.
### III. THE OLD TESTAMENT CANTICLES
We have said that the Old Testament canticles used in the Roman Breviary are fourteen; more properly, they should be called thirteen, since the two canticles taken from the prophet Daniel are in fact only two portions of the same canticle placed in the mouths of the Three Children in the fiery furnace.
Following the biblical order of the books from which they are taken, a brief review of them will be given here, indicating their place in the Office, namely, the day of the week and the first or second scheme of Lauds to which they are assigned.
1. **2.** Moses in his first canticle (Ex. 15:1–19; Thursday II) celebrates the miracles of the Red Sea; in the second (Deut. 32:1–43; Saturday II) he sings of God’s covenant with Israel and His immense love for the chosen people, so often repaid with the blackest ingratitude.
3. **Anna, mother of Samuel** (1 Sam. 2:1–10; Wednesday II) blesses the Lord for the wondrous gift of motherhood and for divine kindness toward the humble. This canticle is closely related to the psalm *Laudate pueri* and to the *Magnificat*.
4. **David** (2 Chron. 29:10–13; Monday I) while gathering materials and treasures for the construction of the Temple, celebrates God as the supreme being, master of all things, to whom it is fitting to dedicate what man possesses that is most beautiful and precious.
5. **Tobias** (Tob. 13:1–10; Tuesday I) celebrates God’s goodness and His designs of mercy toward the Jews even in Babylonian captivity.
6. **Judith** (Judt. 16:15–21; Wednesday I) sings of God’s power in creation and in the defense of His people.
7. **Jesus son of Sirach**, author of the *Ecclesiasticus* (Ecclus. 36:1–16; Saturday I), prays to God for the Israelites scattered throughout the world, that He may make Himself known to all peoples, gather Israel, and restore to Jerusalem its ancient glory.
8. **Isaiah** in his first canticle (Isa. 12:1–6; Monday II) invites praise of God, foretelling liberation from Babylonian slavery; in the second (Isa. 45:16–26; Friday I) he sings a hymn of joy to the invincible God, Savior of Israel and author of all things, arbiter of all human destinies. Of Isaiah, mention should also be made of the canticle found in chapter 6, verses 1–2, on the benefits God bestowed upon His beloved vineyard, that is, the people of Israel; this is sung on Holy Saturday morning after the fifth prophecy.
9. **Hezekiah**, miraculously delivered from a mortal illness (Isa. 38:10–20; Tuesday II), poetically expresses the anguish of extreme peril and the joy of sudden healing.
10. **Jeremiah** (Jer. 31:10–24; Thursday I), comforted by God with the vision of Israel’s forgiveness, sings of the joy of return from Babylon.
11. **12. 13.** The Three Children, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael (Dan. 3:52–56; 3:57–88; Sunday II and I), moved at being miraculously delivered from a terrible death and feeling themselves incapable of thanking God sufficiently on their own, turn to all creatures that they may join them in divine praise. This is the biblical canticle most used in the Church from earliest times and is employed in the Mass on the Saturday of the Tempore after the fifth lesson. It has a simple structure, reviewing one by one all the works of God that fill heaven and earth, inviting them to bless, praise, and exalt their Lord. It inspired St. Francis in composing the Canticle of the Creatures.
14. **Habakkuk** (Hab. 3:1–19; Friday II) extols divine Providence, which with terrible justice and unfailing mercy directs all human events.
### IV. THE GOSPEL CANTICLES
The Gospel canticles (*Benedictus*, *Magnificat*, *Nunc dimittis*), the last blossoms of inspired Hebrew poetry, arose around the cradle of Jesus and sing of His divine mission as Savior of the world. For this reason, the Church has deemed it fitting to recite them daily at the end of the most important canonical hours. They receive special honors in the Office, which in some way recall the solemnity of the Gospel in the Mass. They are sung standing, making the great sign of the cross at the beginning and repeating the musical introduction at each verse; if desired, a more ornate and solemn tone may be used. Then, at Solemn Vespers, which is the evening counterpart of the Mass, during the singing of the *Magnificat*, the most important and most solemn ceremony takes place, which is the incensation.