Cover Image: Lighten Our Darkness

Lighten Our Darkness

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Member Reviews

For those who are already knowledgeable about or interested in Evensong this book will be enjoyable and insightful, to be savoured. For those like myself who have more of a passing interest, curious rather than committed, the book is interesting and may potentially spark more of an interest but it wouldn't pull me in as such. Worth a read but a prior interest in the subject would definitely be helpful. Still recommended to those interested in the topic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Darton Longman Todd for ARC.

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"[Evensong's] fusion of music, words and silence seems to meet the desire of those who yearn for the time and space to ponder life’s deepest questions - and to do so at their own pace."

The book takes the reader through the history and spirituality of Evensong - the Anglican evening office of prayer, now a world-famous adaptation of the ancient offices of Vespers and Compline.

The book is written in the wake of the strange attraction that Evensong offers in an increasingly secular age. The author suggests that if nothing else, a time and place where stillness can be found, where divinity can be considered, and the matters of the soul taken seriously.

Those who might never feel able to step into a parish church can be drawn into the (often) ancient churches such as collegiate chapels and cathedrals that offer this service. The author points out that Evensong was a Reformation-era adaptation of the monastic offices, so to bring the deep spirituality of the monastic tradition into the ordinary life, and this continues - aided by the medium of choir and organ - to this day. But the author reminds us that we are not mere spectators or a passive audience. Instead, we are participating by giving our attention to the creativity of others and being invited to involve ourselves in the spiritual energy they are evoking and generating.' In our increasingly lonely and screen based society, this is a refreshing viewpoint.

The author suggests that to participate fully, we must be able to hear what the unchanging liturgy and form of the service is saying, which may then allow our own thoughts and prayers to come to the fore. This book is an effort to explain the Evensong pattern to the reader. In each chapter, a small selection of quotes from a variety of sources and theologians is provided for further thought.

I considered myself to be well versed in liturgy and church history. Still, I was delighted at the little nuggets of thought that I had never considered - that on Friday, Evensong is sung more sparsely, unaccompanied by the organ to recall the Crucifixion. Whilst the psalms were divided up into the days of the month at the Reformation, the author notes that the more recent custom of using particular psalms on certain days or seasons is more faithful to the ancient monastic tradition from which Evensong takes its origin. The organised recitation of the Bible after the Reformation was a reaction against a Puritan tendency to concentrate on specific and particular verses. The Nunc Dimittis has been sung at the end of the day since the 4th century, a prayer that points us 'towards a future that we cannot control.'

I was particularly taken with his explanation of 'Praise Ye the Lord', a prayer I must have said thousands and thousands of times without really considering them - "It is an intensely succinct eruption of delight. It acts as a climactic full-stop that contains more than any other words can possibly express. It is as much a cry of triumph as a sigh of relief...It is used in times of gladness and sorrow: at a marriage as well as a funeral. It is a way of voicing our recognition that all that is good in life comes from God; and, even when we feel overwhelmed by grief, guilt or failure."

An entire chapter is dedicated to the Psalms - "the contrasting experience of praise and lament, hope and despair, tragedy and triumph, exile and home-coming, grief and delight." Whilst the parallelism of the psalms may seem unusual to us, the repetition allows 'the words and ideas in the psalms to become lodged in the memory and take root in our consciousness.' Further to the psalms, the public recitation of scripture is dealt with in-depth. In Evensong, there is often no sermon or interpretation of the text - to the author, the emphasis comes on hearing the scriptures and engaging with them directly rather than dependence on the interpretation of one individual, allowing us to be primarily focused in worship and contemplation.

Another chapter covers the musical aspects of Evensong and how the development of the varied and complicated settings, psalms and anthems familiar to us was once a contentious matter since simplicity was the order of the day in the Reformation era. In modern settings, the words and syllables are given many notes, creating that sense of soaring, which is such part and parcel of the Sung Evensong experience. I have often been guilty of not paying a great deal of attention to the final anthem at Evensong, but the author suggests that this might instead offer us a moment of thanksgiving for the skill of composer and organist, but also a moment of personal reflection of what we have received throughout the service.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I learnt a great deal and will commend it to others - indeed, it could be usefully provided to every chorister in the country. My only concern is the price of the book. £17 for a brief, popular hardback seems an unusual choice for this day and age, and this can only limit potential readership.

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A beautiful summary of the service of Evensong from the Book of Common Prayer. The author gives the history of the various parts of Evening Prayer and shows their relevance today. One is given the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of this liturgy which is refreshing in a time when most churches have modernized their services and lost a sense of reverence (among other things) in the process. The author gives hope that Evensong is once again becoming an important part of people's worship experience not only in England but in Anglican churches all over the world.

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I’ve attended a fair few Evensong services over the years, mostly in England and Scotland. So when Lighten Our Darkness came up in NetGalley to read/review, I immediately jumped on it! This is my jam, I thought. And it really is.

Lighten Our Darkness traces Evensong’s roots over scads of history; naturally, being only 128 pages, it channels Cliffs Notes more than Encyclopedia Brittanica. But, I would hazard that almost enhances its readability; this treatment creates a springboard effect, allowing the reader to pursue specific points of interest from there. I do wish the bibliography included more recently published books, or at least ones more easily available via the local library–but, come to think of it, that may be simply due to geography; approximately 5,000 miles do separate me and the author!

I particularly enjoyed the “words of reflection” at the end of each chapter, which brought together words from poets, theologians, saints, martyrs, and more. And anyone that spends solid time on the “Nunc Dimittis” like Reynolds did is a kindred spirit in my book. 🙂

Lighten Our Darkness was particularly interesting for me to read as a Protestant. I felt I learned a good deal about the Church of England, and appreciated how both Protestantism and Orthodoxy were also represented. This little work combined a number of my interests into one; I finished it contented and more deeply appreciative of the centuries-long worship practice I’ve come to love. Also particularly enjoyable as a way to get my Britain fix, what with the pandemic cramping my travel style!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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This book was requested from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This short but packed book is a guide to Choral Evensong, giving insight into the structure and elements of the service, along with detailed history of each of those parts.

I think I’ve only been to one Choral Evensong service before when I was at St Paul’s in London, and I have to admit I didn’t really ‘get it’.

But now I’ve read this book, all I want to do is go and sit and hear everything I’ve read about. Given Covid-lockdowns, I think I may either have to be patient or join online, but I think it needs to be done.

Even though the book was only short, I was impressed with how much detail the author went into. I previously knew nothing about the origins of the service but each chapter gave you context for that part of the service, be it the readings, the canticles, the anthem.

I feel like I learned so much, but rather than being dry and boring, the author also spoke with such warmth and passion throughout the book that it was hard to not take that on myself, it was truly fascinating.

Rather than a service that feels out of touch and old-fashioned, the book makes it clear that this service is perfect for today’s times, a way to reflect and connect with God in a way that isn’t offered by any other aspect of life.

Having learnt so much through this book, there’s really too much to share, but I did like the fact that my hometown got a mention in the fact that until 2016 Leeds Minster was the only parish church in England to maintain daily choral evensong.

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