Rorate Caeli

Divino Afflatu centennial - II:
comparing the Psalter orders before and after St.Pius X

In this second commemorative post on the first centennial of Divino Afflatu, of Pope Saint Pius X, on the reform of liturgical rubrics and the alteration of the order of the Psalter in the Roman Breviary, we take a closer look at the latter.

The changes in the order of the psalter were, by far, the most noticeable consequence of Divino Afflatu. For the first time in centuries, the order of psalms of most hours was changed - and the holy Pope explained why:

Even at present the psalter should be recited in its entirety within the week were it not that owing to the changed condition of things such recitation is frequently hindered. ... More than once serious complaints have been made by prudent and pious men about this omission, on the ground that owing to it those in sacred orders have been deprived of so many admirable aids for praising the Lord and expressing the inmost feelings of the soul, and that it has left them without that desirable variety in praying so highly necessary for our weakness in supplicating worthily, attentively, and devoutly.
...


No wonder, then, that a great many bishops in various parts of the world have sent expressions of their opinions on this matter to the Apostolic See, and especially in the Vatican Council when they asked, among other things, that the ancient custom of reciting the whole psalter within the week might be restored as far as possible, but in such a way that the burden should not be made any heavier for the clergy, whose labors in the vineyard of the sacred ministry are now increased owing to the diminution in the number of laborers. ...

In fulfillment of the charge entrusted to them they elaborated a new arrangement of the psalter, and this having been approved by the cardinals of H.R.C. belonging to the Congregation of Sacred Rites, we have ratified it as being in entire harmony with our own mind, in all things, that is, as regards the order and partition of the psalms, the antiphons, versicles, hymns with their rubrics and rules, and we have ordered an authentic edition of it to be set up in our Vatican printing press and then published.

Based on the good work done by a well-known website, Rorate composed the following table, comparing the two orders of the psalter of the Breviarium Romanum.

Some changes are immediately noticeable. The limitation of the traditional psalms for Compline only to Sunday (and the feasts in which Sunday Compline is recited) and the recitation of Psalm 118 in the minor hours also only on Sunday opened up wide spaces for the better allocation of the great numbers of psalms which were before piled up in Matins.

The rubrical changes, which limited considerably the supersession of the psalms of each day by the festive psalms of feasts, octaves, and vigils, allowed, for the first time in centuries, for a regular recitation of the entire psalter each week by those bound to the recitation of the Divine Office.

In the table below, then, the psalter of an ordinary week (and first order for Lauds - remembering, though, that, in the centuries immediately preceding Divino Afflatu, the recitation of the psalms proper to each day of the week could be quite rare):

 

1568
S. Pii V
1911
S. Pii X
Dominica
Matutinum
94
I: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
II: 15, 16, 17
III: 18, 19, 20
94
I: 1, 2, 3
II: 8, 9a, 9b
III: 9c, 9d, 10
Laudes
92, 99, 62+66, Dan, 148+149+150
92, 99, 62, Daniel, 148
Prima
53, 117, 118a, 118b
117, 118a, 118b
Tertia
118c, 118d, 118e
118c, 118d, 118e
Sexta
118f, 118g, 118h
118e, 118g, 118h
Nona
118i, 118j, 118k
118i, 118j, 118k
Vesperae
109, 110, 111, 112, 113
109, 110, 111, 112, 113
Completorium
4, 30 (1-6), 90, 133
4, 90, 133
Feria secunda
Matutinum
94
26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37
94
I: 13, 14, 16
II: 17a, 17b, 17c
III: 19, 20, 29
Laudes
50, 5, 62+66, Is, 148+149+150
46, 5, 28, David, 116
Prima
53, 23, 118a, 118b
23, 18a, 18b
Tertia
118c, 118d, 118e
26a. 26b, 27
Sexta
118f, 118g, 118h
30a, 30b, 30c
Nona
118i, 118j, 118k
31, 32, 32b
Vesperae
114, 115, 116, 119, 120
114, 115, 119, 120, 121
Completorium
4, 30 (1-6), 90, 133
6, 7a, 7b
Feria tertia
Matutinum
94
38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51
94
I: 34a, 34b, 34c
II: 36a, 36b, 36c
III: 37a, 37b, 38
Laudes
50, 42, 62+66, Ezech, 148+149+150
95, 42, 66, Tobit, 134
Prima
53, 24, 118a, 118b
24a, 24b, 24c
Tertia
118c, 118d, 118e
39a, 39b, 39c
Sexta
118f, 118g, 118h
40, 41a, 41b
Nona
118i, 118j, 118k
43a, 43b, 43c
Vesperae
121, 122, 123, 124, 125
122, 123, 124, 125, 126
Completorium
4, 30 (1-6), 90, 133
11, 12, 15
Feria quarta
Matutinum
94
52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 65, 67
94
I: 44a, 44b,. 45
II: 47, 48a, 48b
III: 49a, 49b, 50
Laudes
50, 64, 62+66, Anna, 148+149+150
96, 64, 100, Judith, 145
Prima
53, 25, 118a, 118b
25, 51, 52
Tertia
118c, 118d, 118e
53, 54a, 54b
Sexta
118f, 118g, 118h
55, 56, 57
Nona
118i, 118j, 118k
58a, 58b, 59
Vesperae
126, 127, 128, 129, 130
127, 128, 129, 130, 131
Completorium
4, 30 (1-6), 90, 133
33a, 33b, 60
Feria quinta
Matutinum
94
68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79
94
I: 61, 65a, 65b
II: 67a, 67b, 67c
III: 68a, 68b, 68c
Laudes
50, 89, 62+66, Moses, 148+149+150
97, 89, 35, Jeremias, 146
Prima
53, 22, 118a, 118b
22, 71a, 71b
Tertia
118c, 118d, 118e
72a, 72b, 72c
Sexta
118f, 118g, 118h
73a, 73b, 73c
Nona
118i, 118j, 118k
74, 75a, 75b
Vesperae
131, 133, 134, 135, 136
132, 135a, 135b, 136, 137
Completorium
4, 30 (1-6), 90, 133
68, 70a, 70b
Feria sexta
Matutinum
94
80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 93, 95, 96
94
I: 77a, 77b, 77c
II: 77d, 77e, 77f
III: 78, 80, 82
Laudes
50, 142, 62+66, Habac, 148+149+150
98, 142, 84, Is (45), 147
Prima
53, 21, 118a, 118b
21a, 21b, 21c
Tertia
118c, 118d, 118e
79a, 79b, 81
Sexta
118f, 118g, 118h
83a, 83b, 86
Nona
118i, 118j, 118k
88a, 88b, 88c
Vesperae
137, 138, 139, 140, 141
138a, 138b, 139, 140, 141
Completorium
4, 30 (1-6), 90, 133
76a, 76b, 85
Sabbato
Matutinum
94
97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108
94
I: 104a, 104b, 104c
II: 105a, 105b, 105c
III: 106a, 106b, 106c
Laudes
50, 91, 62+66, Moses, 148+149+150
149, 91, 63,Ecclus, 150
Prima
53, 118a, 118b
93a, 93b, 107
Tertia
118c, 118d, 118e
101a, 101b, 101c
Sexta
118f, 118g, 118h
103a, 103b, 103c
Nona
118i, 118j, 118k
108a, 108b, 108c
Vesperae
143, 144, 145, 146, 147
143a, 143b, 144a, 144b, 144c
Completorium
4, 30 (1-6), 90, 133
87, 102a, 102b