The Compline Choir is a nationally acclaimed choral group that chants the Office of Compline every Sunday night, 9:30 P.M. Pacific time, at St. Mark's, Seattle

St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral (Seattle)

St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., is the seat of the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. St. Mark's was founded as a mission church of Trinity Episcopal Parish Church ....

 in Seattle, WA, USA. The Office of Compline is made up of sacred music including plainsong

Plainsong

Plainsong is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. Though the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church did not split until long after the origin of plainchant, Byzantine chants are generally not classified as plainsong.Plainsong is monophonic, consisting of a...

 and polyphonic compositions, and chanted recitations of the Apostles' Creed

Apostles' Creed

The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...

 and the Lord’s Prayer.

Compline – Last of the Divine Hours

Compline

Compline

Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St...

, from the Latin completorium, or completion, is the last of eight monastic services sung throughout the day. These services were defined by the Rule of Saint Benedict.

The Order of Compline at St. Mark’s Cathedral

The Order of Compline consists of short passages from scripture (chapters), psalms, an office hymn

Hymn

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...

, a canticle

Canticle

A canticle is a hymn taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to include ancient non-biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgically.-Roman Catholic Church:From the Old Testament, the Roman Breviary takes seven canticles for use at Lauds, as follows:*...

 (Nunc dimittis

Nunc dimittis

The Nunc dimittis is a canticle from a text in the second chapter of Luke named after its first words in Latin, meaning 'Now dismiss...'....

), a litany

Litany

A litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions...

, collects and additional prayers. The liturgy

Liturgy

Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...

, as sung by the Compline Choir, is based on An Order for Compline, found as an appendix to the 1928 Proposed Book of Common Prayer

Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...

.

The Compline service at St. Mark’s opens as follows:

SPOKEN (Listen now)

READER: The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.

CHOIR: Amen.

READER: Beloved in Christ, be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist, steadfast in the faith. [from I Peter 5: 8, 9a]

READER: But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

CHOIR: Thanks be to God.

CHANTED

CANTOR: O God, make speed to save us;

CHOIR: O Lord, make haste to help us.

CANTOR: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;

CHOIR: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

CANTOR: Praise ye the Lord;

CHOIR: The Lord's name be praiséd.

continues...

Music Sung

The repertory of Compline Choir can be found in the online listing of weekly music presented.

Recordings and Available Performances

Archived recordings of Sunday evening services can be heard in podcast format. The Compline Choir also has made several recordings, which are available on CD.

• Night Music
• Music of Faith and Longing
• Feathers of Green Gold: The Office of Compline and Ten Psalms
• Carols Old and New

History of Compline Choir

The Compline Choir was formed in 1956 by Peter Hallock. Hallock, who directed and composed for the choir, retired in 2009. Dr. Jason Anderson (CC member since 2004) became the second director of the Compline Choir. The choir is made up of approximately 18 men. A video of a rehearsal is available online. Media articles about the choir are available from the New York Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Seattle Weekly.

The Composer-in-Residence for 2011 is Derek Tilton.

Other Compline Choirs in the USA

Numerous compline choirs have been modeled after The Compline Choir at St. Mark’s Cathedral. Examples include choirs in Minnesota and Pittsburgh. The Boys Choir at the Cathedral of All Saints (Albany, New York) also sings compline periodically, usually the first Friday of each month.

St. Mark’s Cathedral

St. Mark's, Seattle

St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral (Seattle)

St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., is the seat of the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. St. Mark's was founded as a mission church of Trinity Episcopal Parish Church ....

 is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia

Episcopal Diocese of Olympia

The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, also known as the Episcopal Church in Western Washington, is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in Washington state west of the Cascade Range. It is one of 17 dioceses and an area mission that make up Province 8. The diocese started as a missionary district in 1853...

. Saint Mark’s is also a parish church.