The Psalms of Matins for feasts**

Although some have argued otherwise, the special sets of psalms used for feasts - the Commons, and special sets for particular feasts - are in my view, almost certainly a Roman import to the Benedictine Office.

The Roman Office of nine psalms for feasts

St Benedict, after all, insisted that all 150 psalms be said each week, and use of special psalm sets to displace the twelve he set for Matins each day interferes with this principle, as assorted Carolingian commentators noted in the ninth century.

Unlike the Roman Office, the Benedictine, even now, does not use the Sunday psalms for feasts for example.

And it is certainly generally accepted that the two Lauds 'festal psalms' are a Roman import; their adoption into the Benedictine Office was relatively early, but clearly documented as a change.

Moreover the first hard reference we have to the Commons for Matins as far as I am aware actually comes from an eighth century letter from the abbot of Monte Cassino defending a number of romanizations of the Benedictine Office, including maintaining three readings even on summer weekdays (when St Benedict specified only one short reading).  The letter makes clear that no tradition of twelve psalms had been handed down in the Benedictine tradition - instead they divided some of the nine to get to twelve!

Nonetheless, the tradition of special psalms for feasts is well-embedded in the Office now, so I thought it might be interesting to provide a listing of the psalms of the commons and feasts so you can see which are used for most or all feasts; which are identified with a particular type of feasts or saint.

The psalms of the Commons

The 'Commons' for feasts for types of saints/feasts for Matins include an invitatory antiphon, hymn, antiphons, psalms, canticles, versicles, readings and responsories.

All of these elements bar the psalms though, can be displaced for feasts that have come to be more elaborated, with special sets of antiphons and so forth for the feast.  A good example of this is the feast of the Assumption, which retains only the psalms and canticles of the Common.

Table 1 shows the psalms used in the Commons. The bolding indicates psalms unique to that particular Common.

Table 1: Psalms of the Commons

Apostles	BVM/ Female saints	Confessors	One martyr	Several martyrs	Dedication of a Church
		1	1	1
		2	2	2
		4	4
		5	5		5
	8	8	8
		10	10	10	10
		14	14	14
				15
18	18
		20	20
	23	23	23	23	23
					28
				32
33				33
44	44
	45			45	45
46
	47				47
60				60
63			63	63
			64
74
				78
					83
	84
	86				86
					87
					90
			91
95	95	95			95
96	96	96
97	97	97
98	98				98
100

All up there are 34 psalms usd in the Commons, with the most commonly used being Psalm 23, featured in all of the sets except for Apostles

It shows that the Commons of apostles and for the Dedication of a Church have the most unique psalms (three in each case), while the psalms for confessors are all shared with other sets of Commons.

Psalms for other feasts

Table 2 shows the psalms used for other major feasts of the year.  The highlighting indicates the most frequently used psalms. Six of the psalms of the Commons (64, 74, 78, 90, 91 and 100) are not used for any of these feasts.

Nativity	Epiphany	Easter	Ascension	Pentecost	Trinity	All Saints
		1		1		1
2
						4
						5
		8	8	8	8	8
						14
			10	18	18
		15
18			18
			20
23		23	23	23	23	23
				26
		27
	28			28	28
		29	29
						30
						31
				32	32
						33
44
	45		45	45	45
	46		46	46	46
47	47			47	47
						60
		63
	65	65
71	71				71
		75
						83
84
	85
	86
		87
88
95	95		95	95	95
96	96		96		96	96
97	97			97	97
	98		98
			102
		107

Corpus Christi	Sacred heart	Transfiguration	Holy Cross	Christ the king
1			1
			2	2
4			4
			5
		8	8	8
			10
15
		18
19
			20
22			22
				23
				28
	32
	33
	35
	40
41
42
		44		44
		45
	46	46		46
		47		47
	60
				71
		75
80
83		83
84	84
	85
86		86
		88
	93
			95	95
	96	96	96	96
	97		97	97
98			98	98
		103
	107

Office canticles: Isaiah 62:4-7

The third canticle used for female saints, including Our Lady, is set out below.

Canticum Isaiae (62: 4-7)

Non vocáberis ultra Derelícta, * et terra tua non vocábitur ámplius Desoláta:	Thou shalt no more be called Forsaken: and thy land shall no more be called Desolate:
Sed vocáberis, Volúntas mea in ea, * et terra tua inhabitáta:	But thou shalt be called My pleasure in her, and thy land inhabited.
Quia complácuit Dómino in te: * et terra tua inhabitábitur.	Because the Lord hath been well pleased with thee: and thy land shall be inhabited.
Habitábit enim iúvenis cum vírgine, *et habitábunt in te fílii tui:	For the young man shall dwell with the virgin, and thy children shall dwell in thee.
Et gaudébit sponsus super sponsam, * et gaudébit super te Deus tuus.	And the bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride, and thy God shall rejoice over thee.
Super muros tuos, Ierúsalem, constítui custódes; * tota die et tota nocte in perpétuum non tacébunt.	Upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen all the day, and all the night, they shall never hold their peace.
Qui reminiscímini Dómini, ne taceátis, † et ne detis siléntium ei, * donec stabíliat et donec ponat Ierúsalem laudem in terra.	You that are mindful of the Lord, hold not your peace, and give him no silence till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Office canticles: Isaiah 61-2

The second canticle used for feasts of Our Lady and other female saints is from Isaiah.

Canticum Isaiae (61:10-11; 62:1-3)

Gaudens gaudébo in Dómino, * et exsultábit ánima mea in Deo meo:	I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God:
Quia índuit me vestiméntis salútis, *et induménto iustítiæ circúmdedit me,	For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he hath covered me,
Quasi sponsum decorátum coróna, * et quasi sponsam ornátam monílibus suis.	As a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels.
Sicut enim terra profert germen suum, † et sicut hortus semen suum gérminat, * sic Dóminus Deus germinábit iustítiam et laudem coram univérsis géntibus.	For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth her seed to shoot forth: so shall the Lord God make justice to spring forth, and praise before all the nations.
Propter Sion non tacébo, et propter Ierúsalem non quiéscam, † donec egrediátur ut splendor iustus eius, * et salvátor eius ut lampas accendátur.	For Sion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for the sake of Jerusalem, I will not rest till her just one come forth as brightness, and her saviour be lighted as a lamp.
Et vidébunt gentes iustum tuum, * et cuncti reges ínclitum tuum;	And the Gentiles shall see thy just one, and all kings thy glorious one:
Et vocábitur tibi nomen novum, * quod os Dómini nominábit.	And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
Et eris coróna glóriæ in manu Dómini, et diadéma regni in manu Dei tui.	And thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.