Cantate Domino in Anglican Evening Prayer

Cantate Domino is the Latin incipit traditionally used for Psalm 98, beginning in the Coverdale Psalter with the words, "O sing unto the Lord a new song." In Anglican liturgy it is best known as the alternative canticle appointed after the first lesson at Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer. Its place in the office connects the reading of Scripture with a sung or said response of praise, setting the promises of God within the wider biblical theme of salvation made known among the nations. Although less frequently used than the Magnificat, it remains part of the classical structure of Anglican daily prayer.

Text and placement

In the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, Evening Prayer appoints the Magnificat after the first lesson, with Cantate Domino provided as an alternative. The canticle is Psalm 98 in the prayer book psalter, and therefore belongs to the same biblical and liturgical world as the other psalm-based canticles of the Daily Office. Its title comes from the opening words of the Latin text, Cantate Domino canticum novum, meaning "Sing to the Lord a new song."

The prayer book text follows the Coverdale rendering of the psalms, whose language shaped Anglican worship in English for centuries. The psalm calls the whole earth to rejoice before the Lord, using images of singing, instruments, the sea, floods, and hills. In the context of Evening Prayer, this response follows the first Scripture lesson, which in the traditional office is commonly from the Old Testament. The canticle therefore answers the reading not with commentary but with praise.

Liturgical use

Cantate Domino is one of several alternatives in the Prayer Book offices that allow variation while preserving a stable order. In many parish settings the Magnificat became the customary canticle after the first lesson, especially where choral Evening Prayer or Evensong developed a regular musical repertory. Cantate Domino nevertheless remained available for occasions when Psalm 98 was pastorally, musically, or seasonally suitable.

Its use may be especially fitting in services emphasizing mission, the reign of God, or the manifestation of divine salvation. The psalm's language of God's "marvellous things" and his righteousness shown before the nations resonates with themes associated with Advent, Christmas, Easter, and the Epiphany, though the prayer book does not restrict the canticle to those seasons. Because it is a psalm rather than a New Testament song, it can also underscore the continuity between Israel's worship and the church's praise.

In spoken offices, Cantate Domino may be said in the same manner as other canticles, often concluding with the Gloria Patri. In choral use it has been set by many composers as part of Anglican service music, though the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis have usually received greater prominence.

Theological themes

The canticle presents praise as a response to God's saving action. Its opening summons to a "new song" is not merely a call for novelty, but a proclamation that God has acted decisively and publicly. The psalm's references to victory, righteousness, mercy, and judgment bring together themes that are central to Anglican prayer: thanksgiving for grace, confidence in God's rule, and expectation that the world will be judged with equity.

As a canticle after the lesson, Cantate Domino also illustrates a characteristic feature of the Book of Common Prayer: Scripture is received within prayer. The congregation hears the lesson and then answers in the words of Scripture itself. This pattern reflects the Anglican preference for ordered, biblical, and congregational worship rather than private interpretation alone.

The psalm's universal language is also significant. The call for "all the earth" to rejoice gives the canticle a missionary and catholic dimension. In Anglican Evening Prayer, it places local worship within the praise of the whole creation and the hope that God's salvation is known throughout the world.