Tenebrae

- Sagrada Família. The candles are extinguished one by one during the course of the service. Tenebrae ( —Latin for 'darkness') is a religious service of Western Christianity held during the three days preceding Easter Day, and characterized by a gradual extinguishing of candles, and the strepitus or "loud noise" in the total darkness at the end of the service. Tenebrae was originally a celebration of matins and lauds of the last three days of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday) in the evening of the previous day (Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) to the accompaniment of special ceremonies that included the display of lighted candles on a special triangular candelabrum. Modern celebrations called Tenebrae may be of quite different content and structure, based for example on the Seven Last Words or readings of the Passion of Jesus. They may be held on only one day of Holy Week, especially Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednesday). They may be held during the daylight hours and the number of candles, if used, may vary. Tenebrae liturgical celebrations of this kind now exist in the Catholic Church's Latin liturgical rites, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Methodism, Reformed churches (Continental Reformed, Presbyterian and Congregationalist traditions) and Western Rite Orthodoxy.

- Sagrada Família. The candles are extinguished one by one during the course of the service.]] Tenebrae ( —Latin for 'darkness') is a religious service of Western Christianity held during the three days preceding Easter Day, and characterized by a gradual extinguishing of candles, and the strepitus or "loud noise" in the total darkness at the end of the service. Tenebrae was originally a celebration of matins and lauds of the last three days of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday) in the evening of the previous day (Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) to the accompaniment of special ceremonies that included the display of lighted candles on a special triangular candelabrum. Modern celebrations called Tenebrae may be of quite different content and structure, based for example on the Seven Last Words or readings of the Passion of Jesus. They may be held on only one day of Holy Week, especially Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednesday). They may be held during the daylight hours and the number of candles, if used, may vary. Tenebrae liturgical celebrations of this kind now exist in the Catholic Church's Latin liturgical rites, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Methodism, Reformed churches (Continental Reformed, Presbyterian and Congregationalist traditions) and Western Rite Orthodoxy. ====Music==== of the Prophet Jeremiah]] The lessons of the first nocturn at matins are taken on all three days from the Book of Lamentations and are sung to a specific Gregorian reciting tone, which has been called "the saddest melody within the whole range of music". The Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet have been set to polyphonic music by many composers, including Palestrina, Tallis and Lassus. Such High-Renaissance polyphonic choral settings of Lamentations at Tenebrae, culminating in those of Lassus (1584), share the same texts with, but in musical idiom are to be distinguished from, the French Baroque genre of Leçons de ténèbres, as composed by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (54 settings, H.91 - H.144), Michel Lambert, and François Couperin. In the 20th century Ernst Krenek wrote a Lamentatio Jeremiae prophetae, Op. 93 (1941–1942), and Igor Stravinsky composed Threni (1957–1958). Each day, the lessons of the second nocturn are from writings of St. Augustine, and the lessons of the third nocturn from two New Testament epistles. These are chanted to the ordinary lesson tone and have been relatively neglected by composers, though there are a few settings by Manuel Cardoso, and an accompanying melody set in form of recitative attributed to Manoel Dias de Oliveira, used in a few brazilian cities. The Tenebrae responsories have been set by, among others, Lassus, Gesualdo, Victoria, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Francesco Antonio Vallotti, Jan Dismas Zelenka, and José Maria Xavier. Gregorio Allegri's setting of the Miserere psalm, to be sung at the Tenebrae Lauds, is one of the best known compositions for the service. Also Gesualdo includes a setting of that psalm in his Responsoria et alia ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae spectantia, along with a setting of the Benedictus. ==Other Western Christian Churches== for Good Friday, describing the significance, as well as the summary of components, of a typical Tenebrae service]] Some Protestant denominations retained elements of the Roman Tenebrae liturgy, or added others. The Tenebrae services in the Lutheran and Anglican traditions, as well as in Methodist and Reformed (inclusive of Continental Reformed, Presbyterian and Congregationalist denominations) churches that hold them, all contain "the pattern of extinguishing the candles (and the overhead lights) and restoring the Christ candle", along with the strepitus. Some liturgical Baptist congregations also hold Tenebrae Services. Variations of Tenebrae are sometimes celebrated in less formal or non-denominational churches as well. ===Lutheran practice=== In Lutheran churches that observe the celebration, the Tenebrae service is typically held on Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday) as the following days that form the Paschal Triduum (The Three Days) have set liturgies; for Lutheran churches that hold the Tenebrae on Good Friday, it is typically done in the evening, as the main Good Friday liturgy (Swedish: Långfredagens gudstjänst) is held at 3 pm. During the Tenebrae, there is a gradual dimming of the lights and extinguishing of the candles as the service progresses. Toward the end of the service, the Christ candle, if present, is removed from the sanctuary. A concluding Strepitus, or loud noise, typically made by slamming shut the Bible, is made, symbolizing the earthquake that took place, and the agony of creation, at the death of Christ. Certain Tenebrae responsory settings have led their own life in Lutheran practice, for instance: Jacob Handl's Ecce quomodo moritur justus The Tristis est anima mea setting attributed to Johann Kuhnau ===Anglican practice=== Most Anglican churches that celebrate the Tenebrae service do so only on Spy Wednesday, so as not to deflect attention from the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday practices. But this practice is not universal. In its Book of Occasional Services, the Episcopal Church (United States) provides for a single Tenebrae service on Holy Wednesday in the evening. That service preserves the number of nine Tenebrae lessons, each followed by a responsory. Church Publishing also offers a booklet called, In the Shadows of Holy Week: The Office of Tenebrae. It provides the full ancient form of Tenebrae as it appears in basic outline in The Book of Occasional Services. This booklet develops that outline providing all of the materials necessary for a recitation of the office: All of the psalms, canticles, responsories, antiphons, and readings are reproduced in full. Rubrics guide participants through each phase of the service. Parishes of the Anglican Church of Canada that do celebrate Tenebrae follow a variety of practices. The Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto) is notable for the excellence of its music, of which the musical Tenebrae services are exemplary. Christ Church Cathedral (Fredericton) uses Tenebrae in a sung traditional language form on the Wednesday evening of Holy Week which includes lessons from Jeremiah with responding psalms, the fourth being from John 17, and Benedictus. At the Church of the Epiphany (Oakville) Tenebrae is described as the reversal of the Advent wreath: "starting Lent with the brightness of six candles, the darkness grows as a candle is extinguished each week in anticipation of Jesus dying on the cross on Good Friday." This abbreviated Tenebrae liturgy begins worship services on Sundays during Lent. The Sisterhood of Saint John the Divine have their own liturgy, "The Order of Tenebrae", published in 1933¹. ===Methodist practice=== Certain congregations of Methodist denominations, such as the Free Methodist Church, Global Methodist Church and United Methodist Church, observe a Tenebare service. In those churches that choose to observe it, the United Methodist Book of Worship specifies that fourteen candles, along with a central Christ candle, are lit on the Tenebrae hearse after the Opening Prayer. They are consequently extinguished after each of the Tenebrae lessons. Prior to the reading of the sixteenth lesson, the Christ candle on the Tenebrae hearse is extinguished and then the church bells are tolled. The sixteenth lesson is read in darkness, followed by the conclusion of the liturgy. ===Polish National Catholic practice=== The Polish National Catholic service usually takes place on Good Friday, mostly at night. A standing cross is put on the altar with a black veil over it and 12 to 14 candles are placed behind it. The service has a combination of Bitter Lamentations, Matins, and Vespers. Several of the PNCC clergy, vested with cantors, are seated at the high place and the service is chanted. Gradually, a minor cleric puts out each candle except for the top one that is taken around the sanctuary into the vestry. At that time a moment of silence is held for Christ's death. Then the candle is placed back; the lights in the church are turned back on; and the final hymns are sung. ===Reformed practice=== Congregationalist versions of Tenebrae service, particularly on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, often contain readings from the gospels which describe the time between the Last Supper and the Passion of Christ. ===Western Orthodox practice=== Some Western Rite Orthodox parishes observe the service of Tenebrae . Among the Byzantine Rite Orthodox the nearest equivalent is Matins of Great Friday, when a candlestick with 12 candles is set up in the center of the temple behind the analogion from which the Twelve Passion Gospels are read. However, here after each reading one of the candles is lit rather than extinguished. ==References== ==External links== Catholic devotions: Tenebrae An Episcopal Tenebrae service Tenebrae – Catholic Encyclopedia article Tenebrae Hearse – Catholic Encyclopedia article Presbyterian Tenebrae Order of Service United Methodist Church Tenebrae Sample non-denominational Tenebrae Tenebrae – The Jesuit Institute

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