The Compline Choir is an American choral group that chants the Office of

Compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer liturgy (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times. The English wor ...

every Sunday night, 9:30 P.M. Pacific time, at St. Mark's Cathedral in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington. The Office of Compline is made up of sacred music including

plainsong Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ; ) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text. Plainsong was the exclusive for ...

and

polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ...

compositions, and chanted recitations of the

Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". "Its title is first found c.390 (Ep. 42.5 of Ambro ...

and the

Lord’s Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father (, ), is a central Christian prayer attributed to Jesus. It contains petitions to God focused on God’s holiness, will, and kingdom, as well as human needs, with variations across manus ...

Order of Compline

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

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

, a

canticle In the context of Christian liturgy, a canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a psalm-like song with biblical lyrics taken from elsewhere than the Book of Psalms, but included in psalters and books su ...

(

Nunc dimittis The Nunc dimittis (), also known as the Song of Simeon or the Canticle of Simeon, is a canticle taken from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 29 to 32. Its Latin name comes from its incipit, the opening words, of the Vulgate transl ...

), a

litany 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. The word comes through Latin ''wikt:litania, litania'' from Ancient Greek wikt:λιτα ...

, collects and additional prayers. The

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

, 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 The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the title given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christianity, Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer (1549), fi ...

Repertoire

The repertory of Compline Choir can be found in the online listing of weekly music presented. Generally (in addition to the standard liturgy) each week includes singing a new or different setting of the following: a psalm, a hymn, a ''Nunc dimittis,'' and an anthem.

Members

As of 2025, all members of the choir are male volunteers. There is a women's choir who has occasionally performed since 2019, usually in cases when the men's choir is touring. The singers are expected to perform at 44 Sundays each year.

Recordings and performances

Archived recordings of Sunday evening services can be heard in podcast format. The radio station KING-FM broadcasts the service each week. The Compline Choir also has made several recordings. * ''What Hand Divine'' (2015) * ''I Will Meditate'' (2013) * ''Carols Old and New'' (2006) * ''Night Music'' (2001) * ''Feathers of Green Gold: The Office of Compline and Ten Psalms'' (1994)

History

The Compline Choir was formed in 1954 or 1955, when Peter Hallock invited "a dozen

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

music students" to form "a study group to sing

". At its founding, it is thought to have been the only American choir to regularly sing compline outside of a monastery. They began their radio broadcasts around 1962. The choir was largely ignored for its first decade, but exploded in popularity among young Seattle residents beginning in 1967. The choir was directed by Peter Hallock for many years prior to his retirement in 2009. Dr. Jason Anderson (a Compline Choir member since 2004) became the second director of the Compline Choir. The Composer-in-Residence (since 2011) is Derek Curtis-Tilton. In March 2020, the choir's performances were closed to the public due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, although the performances continued to be broadcast weekly for the next 16 months. Singers took various precautions, including masking, distancing, and performing in quartets rather than the full choir. The performances reopened to the public in August 2021. The success of the choir has inspired other compline choirs in the U.S.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control 1956 establishments in Washington (state) Choirs in Washington (state) Musical groups established in 1956 Musical groups from Seattle