CHORAL EVENSONG

Choral Evensong at St. Gregory’s on Sunday, September 29, 2024

Worship. It comes in all shapes and sizes, and there is no “one size fits all” as is evident by so many varying religious denominations and practices which have existed throughout the ages, and which still exist today. Our own Episcopal tradition is steeped in history and traces its ancestry all the way to the founding of the Roman Catholic Church and more recently to the Church of England when in 1534 Henry VIII broke away from the Church in Rome to form a new church, declaring himself it’s titular head. To this day, the British Monarch remains “head of the Church of England, Defender of the Faith.” 

We in the Episcopal Church follow forms of worship and hold traditions that have been passed down through the centuries worshiping together using a universal Book of Common Prayer which enables us to organize ourselves and develop a practice of devotion to God which provides a certain discipline of the heart, mind, and soul. These “offices”, Morning Prayer devotionals along with Noonday Prayer and Evening Prayer, help to ground us in our faith as we strive to walk with God in our daily lives.

Choral Evensong is an outgrowth of the office of Evening Prayer and is perhaps one of the most beautiful of all services that comes out of the Anglican church. The service is quite literally a living history of our church and its traditions. Being basically Evening Prayer, and apart from a few prayers and scripture readings, the service is sung by a choir and cantor. The office of Evensong traces its history of origin all the way back to Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I under whose hand he was burned at the stake in Oxford during her attempt to return England to Catholicism. Cranmer was trying to figure out a way to reduce the number of services within a day as there were a series of services known as The Hours which required one to attend many services throughout the day. He ended up combining two of the final services of the day which were Vespers, sung at sunset, and Compline, so-called because it completed the day, into one service. We find that the two major canticles of Evensong, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, come from Vespers and Compline respectfully. The form of the service with the psalms, scripture, collects and prayers all originate from these two services and haven’t changed too terribly since first appearing in the 1549 Prayer Book. Many countless musical settings of the canticles and psalms have been composed throughout the centuries making the service of Evensong rich in musical diversity, beauty, and heritage and we in the Anglican Church are very blessed to have these services upon which to draw inspiration and guidance through their graceful elegance and tradition.  

There is no other service like Choral Evensong. When we partake in communal worship utilizing our Book of Common Prayer, we are not only coming together globally, we are becoming one with all those who have come before us. We are honoring our ancestors from centuries past who came together to pray the same prayers, hear some of the same music, and recite the same creeds. Choral Evensong reminds us of who we are as Christians and as Episcopalians as we strive to walk with God through our common faith.  

We are extremely blessed at St. Gregory’s to be able to offer Choral Evensong to our members and to our Boca community. Choral Evensong requires much work on behalf of the musicians and singers to present the service with integrity so that it will be an inspiration to all those in attendance and do honor and justice to the music and tradition.

I hope you’ll consider making Choral Evensong a part of your devotional life and allow it to “Make a Difference” in you and in turn, in others. 



-Tim Brumfield