As anyone who has read Umberto Eco’s fabulous medieval whodunnit The name of the rose knows, monks in monasteries pray according to a rigorous schedule. These fixed times give them a structure in their lives, and they make sure that the name of the Lord shall always be celebrated inside the walls of the monastery.
Psalm 118 says “Seven times a day I praise you“, where the same says a bit earlier “At midnight I rise to praise you“. So in his Rule of Benedict, Benedictus of Nursia (480-548) decided the monks following his rule should pray a total of eight times a day, spread during the whole day.
- Matins: about 2 AM
- Lauds: at dawn
- Prime: first hour, usually about 6 AM
- Terce: third hour, about 9 AM
- Sext: sixth hour, about noon
- None: ninth hour, about 3 PM
- Vespers: “at the light of the lamps”, around 6 PM
- Compline: bedtime, around 7 PM
Interestingly: the English word noon comes from this, but a shift has taken place between twelve and three. So the works on this record should be sung in the evening of the Sunday.