Antiphon

Derived from the Greek Antiphonon and Latin Antifona, the term antiphon primarily denotes a short versicle recited or sung at the beginning and conclusion of a Psalm or Psalms in the Breviary Offices. Historically, the word carried several broader meanings, including a hymn or psalm performed antiphonally by alternating sides of a choir. Church tradition, recorded by Amalarius, attributes the introduction of antiphonal singing to Saint Ignatius, the third Bishop of Antioch, following a vision in which he heard angels praising the Trinity. Saint Ambrose subsequently transferred this practice to the Western Church at Milan, from where it spread into general usage throughout Latin Christendom.

In liturgical usage, an antiphon can also refer to a sentence of Holy Scripture or an original composition sung independently, such as "I heard a voice from heaven" in the Anglican Burial Office, or short liturgical sentences introduced into the Eucharist. These included historical Introits (Antiphona ad Introitum), Offertories, and Communions, as well as distinct Communion sentences found in the Gelasian Sacramentary, Stowe Missal, and ancient Gallican and Mozarabic rites. In the Eastern tradition, particularly the Liturgy of Constantinople, the Introit consisted of three distinct antiphons. Furthermore, variable antiphons were attached to Psalms in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary across various medieval uses, such as Sarum, Rome, Paris, and Sens.

Among special antiphons, prominent examples include the four Marian antiphons appended to Roman Compline (Alma Redemptoris, Ave Regina, Regina Coeli, and Salve Regina). Medieval liturgists like Hugh of Saint Victor explored the mystical symbolism of antiphons in his Speculum Ecclesiae, while early custom often involved repeating the antiphon before every verse of a Psalm or Canticle. Additionally, key services, service books, and liturgical Sundays frequently derived their titles from the opening words of their respective antiphons, such as Placebo for Vespers of the Dead, Dirige for Matins of the Dead, Ad te levavi for the Gradual, and Sundays named after Introit incipits like Invocavit or Reminiscere.