Versicle

Aversicle(from Latinversiculus,'short verse') is a short two- or four-line verse that is sung or recited in the liturgy alternating between thecelebrant,hebdomadarianorcantorand the congregation. It is usually apsalmverse in two parts. A series of versicles and responses forms thepreces.^[1]The versicle is sung recitatively on a note with a simple cadence.

The opening versicle before the first liturgical hour isLord, open our lips: And we shall praise your name.In theLiturgy of the Hours,a versicle opens the hour together with thedoxology.At the beginning of the Hours, when either this versicle orO God, come to our aidis recited, everyone makes thesign of the cross.

The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours states that theinvitatoryand the versicle "invite the faithful to sing the praises of God, hear his voice and look forward to the 'Rest of the Lord'".^[2]

In theMatinsor the office of readings versicles lead from thepsalmodyto the readings;^[3]in theLittle Hoursthey are the answer to the chapter. According to the Church, the versicles reply to the short reading, and the brief response "is a kind of acclamation, and enables the word of God to penetrate more deeply into the mind and heart of the person reciting or listening".^[4]

In the prayer of a monastery, the hebdomadar recites the first part of the verse, and the convent or congregation responds.

Versicles are also part of the rite of various blessings and consecrations. The episcopal blessing is introduced by a versicle; in the sacramental blessing, a versicle leads from the singing of theTantum ergoto thecollect.In litanies or in prayers like theAngelusand theRegina coelithere is a versicle before the oration.

References

^"Preces".Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. 2001.doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.22278.
^The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours,no. 34
^The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours,no. 63
^The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours,no. 172

Sources

J. Harper,The forms and orders of Western liturgy from the tenth to the eighteenth century,Oxford, 1991.
D. Hiley, P. Le Huray,Versicle,inThe New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,London; New York, 2001.

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[1] "Preces".Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. 2001.doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.22278.

[2] The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours,no. 34

[3] The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours,no. 63

[4] The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours,no. 172

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