Advent has been a part of Christian tradition since at least the 5th century but the nature and duration of the season have changed over the years. In the Middle Ages, the season began earlier and was also a time of fasting. In the Protestant tradition, the season now begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends with Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the season begins with First Vespers on the Sunday closest to 30 November and ends before First Vespers of Christmas.
Advent has been traditionally paired with Lent, and both seasons encourage a sense of ‘austerity’.
Where the primary theme of Lent is penitence, however, in Advent it is hope and expectation. The focus during the season in the Anglican Church is on preparation for the coming of Christ, as a baby in Bethlehem but also as judge at the end of time. The readings and music of the season, therefore, reflect both these themes. The Catholic tradition includes an additional focus: the sacramental presence of Christ in the Eucharist. During the prayers you may hear the word ‘Maranatha’, meaning ‘Our Lord, come’.
While the secular world prefers to hold Christmas festivities in the weeks before Christmas Day, the Church has traditionally maintained a distinction between Advent and Christmas, reserving carols and other Christmas celebrations for the time between Christmas Day and Candlemas. Today, the distinction has become a little blurred. Many churches will hold carol services and decorate Christmas trees before Christmas but, if you attend choral services during Advent, you are likely to hear repertoire appropriate to the season, even if the odd Christmas carol is thrown in here and there!
The traditional colour for the season is purple and, where Advent is most strictly observed, church decorations are kept to a minimum.
Advent candles
During the nineteenth century, the Anglican Church imported the custom of the Advent wreath from other parts of Northern Europe. The wreath, created from evergreen foliage, contains four candles, which are lit (in a cumulative fashion) on each of the Sundays in Advent. Some wreaths also contain a fifth candle, which is reserved for Christmas Day.
The symbolism of the candles varies between Christian traditions but frequently each represents the different figures who foretold or played a role in the coming of Christ: the Patriarchs, the Old Testament Prophets, John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary.
The colour of the candles often mirrors the colour of vestments for the season. Thus the candles for the first, second and fourth Sundays will be purple, but the third candle will be rose pink (for Rose Sunday – see below). The fifth candle, if present, will be white.
Rose Sunday
Christingle services
The custom dates back to the mid eighteenth century and was devised as a way to encourage children to ‘think about Jesus’ and of involving them actively in services.
The Christingle itself is made up of a number of parts, each with their own symbolism:
- An orange represents the world
- A candle pushed into the centre of the orange represents Christ, as the Light of the World
- A red ribbon wrapped around the orange represents the blood of Christ
- Dried fruit or sweets on four cocktail sticks represent the fruit of the earth and the four seasons
Services during Advent
Towards the beginning of the service, the first candle on the Advent wreath will be lit. Light from this candle is then passed to candles held by members of the congregation. The service will then continue with readings, prayers and music appropriate to the season. In larger cathedrals, the choir and clergy will move around the cathedral and sing from different points, often beginning near the West Door and moving eastwards towards the High Altar.
Services during the remainder of Advent will largely follow the standard pattern of the denomination (for example, in the Anglican Church, Matins, Eucharist and Evensong). During Mass/Eucharist, as is also the case in Lent, the Gloria will be omitted.
Towards the end of Advent, cathedrals and churches often hold carol services. These could be a traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a Christmas Procession, or a carol service with liturgy specially compiled for the occasion.
Music during Advent
One commonly heard Advent hymn is ‘Come thou Redeemer of the earth’. This is a free English translation of ‘Veni redemptor gentium’, a 4th-century plainchant hymn attributed to St Ambrose, which forms part of the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours between 17 and 24 December. The English translation is not usually sung to the original plainchant, rather to the tune of ‘Puer nobis nascitur’. You may also hear a German chorale setting of this text (‘Nun komm der Heiden Heiland’) or Bach’s Chorale Prelude based on its melody, played on the organ.
Hills of the north rejoice
Come thou long-expected Jesus
Lo! He comes with clouds descending
Let all mortal flesh keep silence
O come, O come, Emmanuel
Creator of the stars of night
O Antiphons
These are the plainchant antiphons sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers in the Catholic tradition, from 17th to 23rd December. Each antiphon features a different name for Christ, and begins with the exclamation ‘O’.
O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
O Adonai (O Lord/Master)
O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
O Clavis David (O Key of David)
O Oriens (O Dawn of the East)
O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
O Emmanuel (God is with us)
Many Anglican cathedrals have also adopted the custom of singing the O antiphons during Advent. Across the centuries, a number of composers have set these texts as anthems, and you may also hear these performed by choirs during Advent. One of the most famous contemporary settings is by James MacMillan. ‘O Radiant Dawn’ is a translation of ‘O Oriens’. It is thematically connected to an anthem by Tallis (‘O nata lux’).
Rorate coeli
The words ‘rorate coeli’ occur frequently in Advent liturgy, as the introit to Mass on the fourth Sunday and as the beginning of the Advent Prose, a plainchant version of which is often sung during Advent services. Anthems based on this text either in Latin or in an English translation (Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness) are also frequently sung. There are numerous Renaissance settings of this text, with that by William Byrd being the best known. Contemporary composers such as Judith Weir, Richard Hey Lloyd, Richard Shephard and Anna Lapwood have also set this text.
Watchfulness is a common theme of Advent and you may hear the chorale ‘Wachet auf, ruf uns die Stimme’ or Bach’s delightful chorale prelude (BWV 645) played on the organ. You may even hear a performance of the cantata ‘Wachet auf’ (BWV 140), which is based on this chorale.
Another motet based on the same theme is William Byrd’s ‘Vigilate’.
Although its text is taken from the office hymn at Lauds on the Feast of the Transfiguration (6 August), settings of ‘O nata lux’ are also commonly heard at Advent. Tallis’s is the most famous, but there are a number of contemporary settings by Morten Lauridsen, Lucy Walker, Steven Grahl and Anna Lapwood.
The final verses of Psalm 96, which begin ‘Laetentur coeli’ (Let the heavens be glad) are also frequently sung during Advent. Well-known settings include those by Orlando Gibbons and William Byrd.
Advent is also a time to reflect on the figure of St John the Baptist, particularly on the second and third Sundays. Anthems such as Orlando Gibbons’ ‘This is the Record of John’ and Edward Woodall Naylor’s ‘Vox dicentis’ are often sung.
Non-liturgical anthems could include settings of Eleanor Farjeon’s poem ‘People Look East’, or works about the annunciation, such as ‘Angelus ad virginem’ or the Basque carol ‘The Angel Gabriel from heaven came’.
Advent is also a time when many cathedrals give a performance of Handel’s Messiah or other concerts of Christmas music.
Where to hear Advent music
You can also hear Advent music sung at Mass/Eucharist, Matins or Evensong or Vespers in many cathedrals and churches. It is a good idea to check their websites for details of when services are taking place.
You can also tune into BBC Radio 3 to hear a broadcast of Choral Evensong at 3pm on Wednesday afternoons and repeated at 3pm the following Sunday.