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á Chant is monophonic
á Melodies are mostly conjunct, narrow in total range
á Melodic cadences occur at text cadences
á Typical melodic contour is rapid ascent, gradual descent
á
Rhythm: traditional
approach is free rhythm, no regular accent or pulse. Some scholars today argue that chant may have had a more
metric quality
á Text setting can be syllabic (one note per syllable of text), melismatic (many notes per syllable), or neumatic (up to 5 or 6 notes per syllable).
Liturgy: The formally-constituted services of the various rites of the Christian church
á Two Main Divisions: Mass (Celebration of Eucharist), Divine Office or Daily or Canonical Hours.
á Canonical Hours: There are 8 services
á Matins: begins the new day at Midnight
á Lauds: originally at sunrise, later at 3:00 am
á Prime, Terce, Sext, None (6, 9, noon, 3 pm)
á Vespers (originally at sunset, later at 6 pm)
á Compline (before retiring or 9 pm)
á musical portions of the office contain mostly chanting of psalms with antiphons, hymns and canticles, chanting of Scripture lessons with responsories
á Antiphon: refrain repeated after each pair of verses of a psalm (see MM#1)
á Chanting of psalms done in simple syllabic style; most of each verse chanted on single tone, with a few different notes at end of phrase. The single tone is psalm tone.
á Each service had its own special music and text content; some variations on calendar
á Sources for text and music of Divine Office: many old manuscripts
á Breviarum contains just texts
á Antiphonale Romanum has antiphonal chants and music
á Liber Usualis is compilation of several liturgical books, has most of what you need for Office and Mass
á Mass (originally called Eucharistia;) is principal service of Catholic church. Initial portions are very similar to ancient Jewish ritual with Eucharist (Communion) added
á There is a set order: about 20 parts or sections, about half related to Communion. Some parts are only done at certain times of year; may have a substitute at other times
á The ordinary : those parts that are the same every day
á The proper: the parts that vary according to liturgical year
á Two other important developments: interjections to liturgical texts with musical significance:
á Tropes: texts added between two words of standard liturgical text.
á Usually set syllabically or neumatically; not melismatic.
á Likely to occur in Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedicamus.
á Troping reached its height as an art around 10th century
á Sequences: began as long melisma on final syllable of Alleluia; later (9th century), free poetic text was set (syllabically) to melisma. Text was poetry
Notation of Gregorian Chant:
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Earliest complete manuscripts using neumes are from 9th Century.
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In late 10th Century, neumes were arranged above or
below an imaginary horizontal line indicating pitch. Gradually more lines added until 4-line staff developed
á By 12th Century, neumes had more square shape that we see in Gregorian manuscripts