SINGING CHANT: LATIN AND ENGLISH

A PERFORMANCE MANUAL
By
Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB

Saint Meinrad, monk of the Abbey of Reichenau, teaching some students

Cover: Panel from Saint Meinrad Shrine, Saint Meinrad Archabbey Church, Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB
Copyright © 2015, 2017, Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB
Saint Meinrad Archabbey
100 Hill Drive
Saint Meinrad, IN 47577-1010

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 Part 1: Basics: Language, Structure & Notation

Chant is “Sung Speech”

“The sound of the chant is the sound of the text.” (Dom Daniel Saulnier)
One of the frequent mistakes made by chanters (particularly beginners) is singing too
loudly, with too much pressure, too much volume. (Which will exhaust one’s air supply
very quickly!) Chant is ideally sung ‘on the breath,’ that is, with the tone supported by
the column of air, like the leaf is borne along by the breeze. Remember that a musical
note does not have to be loud to be heard, it just has to be well-formed and well-
projected. Purity of tone rather than power is the key. In the days before electronic
amplification in acoustically deficient worship spaces singers were more aware of this.
Nowadays we need to re-emphasize the point! To those cantors using amplification one
can merely caution ‘Don’t swallow the mike!’
In speaking of the Lector at Mass, Saint Isidore of Seville writes: “Whoever
shall be promoted to this [clerical] grade, will have been imbued with doctrine
and reading experience and will be skilled in the knowledge of words [that is to
say, their pronunciation] and [their] meaning, so that, with regard to the sense
units, he will know where each sense grouping ends, where the discourse should
still hang [in the air], where the final sense group closes. Thus prepared, he will
maintain the [relative] strength of pronunciation so that the minds of all [his
listeners] will be able to comprehend the sense [of what they hear]. [He will do
this] by expressing the proper feeling [affectus] of the sentences, now [in the
form of] an indicative sentence, now sorrowing, now rebuking, now exhorting,
or in other similar ways, according to the proper category [genera] of what is
being proclaimed. Many things in scripture can take on an opposite meaning by
the way they are pronounced! An example: ‘Who will accuse the elect of God?
The God who justifies.’ [Is this a statement of fact, or is it a question that
demands a negative answer?]
Furthermore, [a lector] should know the relative strength of every accent so that
he will know toward which principle syllable his oral proclamation is tending.”

In speaking of the one who is cantor for the Responsorial Psalm, Saint Isidore
goes on to say: “From the ancient custom of David and the temple singers, the
church has taken the example of nourishing [the faithful] by the use of a
psalmist, whose songs are able to excite his hearers to the love of God. The
psalmist, however, should be noted for a good voice and good training, so that
by the attraction of such sweetness, he may be able to stir the souls of his
hearers. His voice, however, should not be raucous or harsh, but lyric, sweet,
smooth and clear. He should have the voice quality and the kind of tunes that are
congruent with holy religion, not those of the tragic theater but those which
show Christian simplicity in their melodic shapes. Neither should they
exhibit the [qualities] of musical gesturing and the entertainment arts [the
theater], but rather be such that promote compunction for those who hear
his singing.” (Emphasis editorial) (St. Isidore’s De Ecclesiasticis Officiis,
written between 598 and 615 A.D.)1
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A modern author, Charlotte Lee (in Oral Reading of the Scriptures) continues to develop
the art of good public speaking with remarks that singing chant, as good sung speech,
would also require:

“(p.32): … The interpreter learns to breathe wherever the material demands a

pause; he does not pause in order to breathe. It is usually impossible to get a
capacity breath except in the major pause that completes the units of thought.
Therefore, the final step in control of breathing is to learn to inhale quickly and
unobtrusively while still using the proper muscles.

(p.41): … The rate or pace at which a person speaks … includes … also the length
and frequency of pauses separating the sound sequences. The beginner is usually
afraid to hold a pause long enough for its dramatic effect to register with his
listener. If a pause is motivated by real understanding, by identification with the
feeling suggested, it may be sustained for a much longer time and with greater
effect than the beginner realizes. … A pause should usually link what comes
before and after rather than break the train of thought progression. … The
interpreter should … vary and sustain the lengths of the pauses as the material
demands. Punctuation, of course, may serve him as a guide to pauses – but it is
only a guide. Punctuation is used on the printed page to signal the eye.

(p.77): … the division of sentences into speech phrases and the rhythm of stresses
and of flow of sounds resulting from this division … are of considerable interest to
the interpreter because they become evident only when the literature is read
aloud.”2

Notice that Lee emphasizes 1) breath, 2) pace, and 3) sense. To paraphrase Saint Paul,
‘and the greatest of these is sense.’

The tone quality of the voices should be that alluded to by the celebrant’s invitation to the
Assembly (in former days) to sing the ‘Holy’ at the ending of the Preface: ‘una voce
dicentes’ [with one voice singing]. So likewise in The Roman Missal (2011) in Common
Preface VI ‘as with one voice we acclaim.’

It follows from the words of both Saint Isidore and Charlotte Lee that careful preparation
of the text is the basis of correct and competent chant. Thus any rehearsal of the chant
should begin with a careful reading aloud of the words, speaking them as if in
proclamation to the assembly, either by a single voice or by the group speaking as one.
Only when this has been achieved can one effectively proceed to the addition of the
melodic layer, to achieve ‘una voce dicentes.’

In Gregorian Chant a Guide Dom Daniel Saulnier makes the following important points
about punctuation in the chant.

Punctuation is an integral part of discourse. It is, first of all, a vital requirement

for the reader, who can fulfill his role only on the condition of being able to take breaths
and, in the process of so doing, of momentarily interrupting the sung delivery. It is also
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required just as much by the listener, who is guided toward a full understanding of the
sung discourse by the prioritized ensemble of pauses, divisions and caesuras treated
tactfully by the singer.

Moreover, isn’t silence also a part of the music? Is not the silence its breathing
and its life?

In fact, several centuries before the invention of musical notation, the first signs
that appear in manuscripts are related to those of punctuation. They indicate to the reader
the less important, normal and more important punctuations. Questions are often
specified by means of a special sign [the Quilisma!]. These first musical indications,
called ecphonetics, testify to an oral tradition that has the tendency of placing caesuras in
the discourse on lower pitches, and more precisely on the degree immediately below that
of the recitation note. As we will see while studying the pentatonic scale, this degree of
the caesura is situated a whole-step or a minor third below the note of cantillation.

The process of descending to lower notes for the finals – and correlatively
ascending to higher notes for the accented syllables – will develop and grow in the tones
for the readings, and will contribute to the development of Gregorian composition.

The jubilus
The third musical process unitlized by the primitive cantillation seems to be very
archaic. It is the jubilus, or melisma. This is a moment of pure music that interrupts the
syllabic recitation and contrasts with it, while employing “a vocalise” on a single
syllable. According to the unforgettable expression of Saint Augustine, the chant “then
liberates itself from syllabic limits.” The jubilus is not any less an authentic form of
musical composition bound to the cantillation: the jubilus is not music from which
someone has deleted the words, or from which something is missing. It is a song beyond
words, beyond the somewhat narrow concepts that the words evoke.

The tie between the jubilus and cantillation is of a functional order: the jubilus is
traditionally situated on the final syllable of the penultimate logical division of the
discourse. Over the centuries, this traditional placement of the jubilus, which goes back to
the ancient cantillation of the Jewish Bible, was little by little forgotten. The jubilus was
moved progressively toward the ends of phrases and especially toward the word accents,
which were perceived as a lyric and expressive pole of the composition. (Cf. the use of
the jubilus in the Ambrosian Gloria).

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 The “Miserere mei” would be repeated by the community after hearing the
melisma of the cantor.3

Saint Benedict began the prologue to his Rule with the Latin word Obsculta. While often
translated as ‘listen,’ its more exact meaning is ‘listen carefully.’ Each speaker/singer in a
group must listen carefully, intently, to all the others, carefully modulating the
pronunciations to match that of the group as a whole. Shaping the vowel sounds to a
common standard will do much to achieve a harmonious choral sound, both spoken and
sung.
What Are All Those Funny Marks on the Page?
There was a time when every child in a parochial school received at least some training in
how to sing chant. (Even in secular elementary schools there was usually some vocal
training!) The ‘music sister’ would visit each class and teach the chants to be used at the
school masses. These were frequently taught by rote, but there were some small books,
such as ‘Plain Chant for Schools,’ (now long out of print) which illustrated at least the
basics of chant notation. Today’s choir singers and congregants, given an entrance
antiphon or a setting of the Ordinary, are frequently perplexed. Even if they read music,
which many do not, it looks so different! Exotic shapes, no recognizable clef, metre or
key signatures, combine to give them a ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore’ feeling of
perplexity. So a look at where it all began will be helpful.

Singing Chant: Latin and English

The key to singing Gregorian chant lies in its source, the text. Essentially, it is the
chanting of a text whose melody was created in an oral tradition. However, the oral
memory of how this chant was sung has been lost for several centuries. Today, the
interpretation must rely on the musical notation that was developed in the Middle Ages.
This notation, especially that of Laon 239, the Cantatorium of St. Gall 359 and the Codex
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121 of Einsiedeln, have given us a window that opens onto that interpretation. Therefore,
the fundamental elements to be taken into account are the following:

1. the word as the primary source of the interpretation;

2. the melody as conditioned by the text and by the modal laws;

3. the neume design as the symbolic representation of the musical form received by the
text.

Since the singer knew the melody by heart, it was only necessary for the singer to follow
the text and the neume designs that recalled to the singer’s mind the type of rhythmic
flow required by that particular piece. Thus, those earliest extant chant documents served
as a sort of aide-memoire for the cantors, rather than a ‘full score.’

The following pages will present;

1) Gregorian chant as “sung speech”;

2) The four-line staff used for Gregorian chant and the four basic modal scales
used in chant;

3) The neume designs as found in recent editions of Gregorian chant;

4) Cantillation, psalmody and antiphons as the three basic forms of chant.

Exercises with instructions will be provided for the examples that will be given for each
of these forms. These exercises will move from simple syllabic and neumatic chants to
very elaborate melismatic chants.

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 Reading Gregorian Chant in the Square Notation

The C clef sign: Bcccc indicates C on the piano, or a do clef on the top line of the
four-line staff. In chant, these letter names indicate relative pitches, not a fixed pitch.
This clef sign is also found on the following two lines and still indicates a C or a do:

Vccc Cccc
or

Another clef sign is the F, or fa clef sign: Xccc . It indicates that in this case, the F, or
fa clef, is to be found on the second line from the top of the four-line staff.

The following staff shows the pitches from C to c when the C clef is on the top line:

Bvv acv scv dcv fcv gcv hcv jcv kc}

C D E F G A B c
The only accidental in chant is the Bb.

The four basic (authentic) Gregorian chant modes:

D E F G
C D E F
B C D E
A B C D
G A+ B C+
F G A B
E F G A
D E F G

PROTUS DEUTERUS TRITUS TETRARDUS

DORIAN PHRYGIAN LYDIAN MIXOLYDIAN
(Mode I & II) (Mode III & IV) (Mode V & VI) (Mode VII & VIII)

The letters in bold at the fifth above the Finals, indicate the Dominant of each of the
authentic modes ( I, III, V and VII). The letters in bold italic at the third above the Finals,
indicate the ancient Dominants of the Plagal modes ( II, IV, VI and VIII). Modes IV and
VIII have moved their Dominants to the fourth above their Finals as indicated by the plus
sign ( + ).

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 The Carolingian Octoechos
1st Mode: Authentic Authentic
Final Dominant

Protus Bcváxcv=xcvaxcv vsxccvvdxccvfxv v v gxcchxcvjxcvkxclxv

2nd Mode: Final
Dominant
Plagal Plagal

3rd Mode: Authentic Authentic

Final Dominant

Deuterus
Bc=xcv vaxcv sxcv dxccfxccgxcccvhxcv vjxv v kv vx lxv v
4th Mode:
Final Dominant (modern Dominant)
Plagal Plagal

5th Mode: Authentic Authentic

Final Dominant
Tritus

th
6 Mode:
Vvv váxcv =xcv axcv sxcv dxccvfxcv vgxcv v vhxcvjxv vkxcvlxv
Final Dominant
Plagal Plagal
7th Mode: Authentic Authentic
Final Dominant

Tetrardus
8th Mode:
Vvv =xcv axv csxcv vdxccfxccgxcvcvhxcv v jxccxkxcv lxv v
Final Dominant (Modern Dominant)
Plagal Plagal
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 The Neumes
A neume is all the notes over a single syllable. The most important note of a neume is
the last note. It is the note by which the word and the mode are articulated. To sing out
that note makes evident the melodic phrase. The last note of a neume has a very
important role to play: the solidity of the word, the transmission of the vocal flow from
one syllable to the next. It is for this reason that one finds the use of the liquescent on the
last note of a syllable.

The episema indicates a nuance of the basic verbal/melodic rhythm, since the actual
rhythm is in the word itself. Canon Gontier 4 has stated that chant is “a careful
declamation and a musicalized reading of the liturgical Word. The singing is conditioned
by the verbal rhythm.” The value of a syllable depends upon its position and its function
in the proclamation. There are two privileged syllables: the accent and the final. These
are inseparable from each other. They are characterized by their length, their weight and
their force. A melody springs up from an accent and comes to rest on the final syllable.
Therefore, the rhythmic value of a syllable is determined more by its position and its
function than by its phonetic character.

A second important point is that when there are several notes on a syllable (two or more)
the tempo is more flowing and goes more quickly. Thus, the standard of reference is the
syllable as properly proclaimed. The use of the episema on a group of notes signifies only
that these notes have full syllabic value. These episemas usually indicate that one should
be careful to produce a clear declamation of the words. When an episema is used for a
single note, it has an enlarged value (e.g.: over the word cor).

The following tables show the neume designs now used by the Solesmes editions of
Gregorian chant. Read the notes from left to right in each design. The Pes is read from
the bottom note upwards to the top note.

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 The Revised Solesmes Chant Notation as of 1986

The oriscus note indicates a tension toward the note that follows, a note that is
important in and of itself, or is a structural pitch (e.g.: an F or a C). The augmented
liquescent forms began appearing with the publication of the Liber Hymnarius5 in 1983.

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 The quilisma note is a very light and unstable note that functions as a
gliding/sliding legato to the following higher note that is the goal of the motion. In later
Baroque music it was called a schleifer (slide) (cf. J.S. Bach, in the first phrase of the 2nd
movement of the 1st Trio Sonata: >).

The notes that are called initio debilis for the special Podatus and the Torculus
designs, indicate very light and quick notes. They function much as portamento notes do
in bel canto singing.

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 The salicus now has its own special design, thanks to the use of the new oriscus
design as the next-to-the-last note of the note group. The Trigon also makes use of a new
design for its three light, quickly flowing notes.

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 The Vertical Dimension of Gregorian Chant
Some 50% of the chant intonations to be found in the original Gregorian chant repertory
use pitches F or C for the first word accent of the piece. The cases are almost equally
divided between these two pitches. These pitches constitute the higher pitch of the only
melodic leap in the pentatonic scale, a leap of a minor third. The remaining intervals are
all whole step intervals. In normal speech, one raises the pitch of one’s voice on an
important word, or on the syllable of a word, for the sake of emphasis. This process is
called accentuation. The very word “accent” comes from the Latin ad cantum: to sing.
The Roman orator Cicero remarked that “in speech there is a hidden song [cantus
obscurior] … because nature has inserted a raised pitch [accentus acutus] into each
word.”6

As in good public speaking, the earliest formulas for chanting a reading included a rising
pattern for the beginning of a sense unit, a special pattern for an intermediate pause and
an ending pattern for the concluding of a sense unit. As Dom Daniel Saulnier has written:
“When one compares the romano-frankish repertory with its roman ancestor, one cannot
help but notice the care that the new repertory accords to the musical declamation of a
sacred text in the latin language. Moreover, the romano-frankish chant shows an entirely
new concern for the construction of phrases: the melodic curve in the form of an arch, for
all practical purposes, does not exist in the roman chant, while that concern becomes a
canon of composition for the ‘gregorian.’ The same holds true for the treatment of
words. In the case of both the phrase and the word, the Latin accent is handled in the
composition by a melodic elevation.”7

It is clear that the pitches E and B, even when they are either the Final or the Dominant of
a mode, tend to be drawn into the structure pitch that lies immediately above them. Thus,
E tends to be replaced by F and B is drawn into C. It seems that an interval less than a
whole step was not a popular melodic interval. Even when it is used, it normally occurs
as a light, quickly moving Quilisma note (cf. #1 below), or as in the Easter Vigil Tracts,
the recitation on B is drawn up to the C immediately before the next word accent. In fact,
the three-note Quilisma Scandicus (cf. #2 below) is normally found spanning the interval
of a minor third between either A and C, or D and F.

#1: Quilisma note Bcc∆cccc}vXccc©ccc}

#2:Quilisma Scandicus Bcch∆kccc}vXcccf©hcc}
This is the “gapped interval” to be found in a pentatonic scale. This type of pentatonic
scale seems to have been the foundational scale for the core Gregorian repertory. The
ascending cycle of 5ths F C G D A will produce the pentatonic scale F G A C D. It is
precisely these notes that are favored as the pitches to be used for the initial word accent

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in these intonations. In fact, it is more precisely the first two notes of the ascending
cycle, F and C, that are the preferred pitches for these accents.

The Overtone Series

In ascending fifths

The hexachord scale used in Gregorian chant

The Overtone Series in chant notation:

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Like the periodic table of chemical elements, the overtone series is a part of creation’s
order – given, enduring, and constant. Among the musical systems of the world, by far
the most common divisions of the octave are into five, seven, or twelve intervals. The 5th
is an interval by which the Shofar summons the religious to Jewish festival. It was the
first harmonic interval allowed in medieval Christian music. These primal uses of the 5th
are not accidental. The third partial, and therefore the interval of the 5th, is intrinsic in the
overtone series generated by almost every periodic tone that sounds. The resonance of
medieval stone chapels and churches must surely have played a role in the introduction of
the 5th into Christian liturgical music. The 5th is always in the air around singers,
requiring only a resonant building to render it audible. In some buildings one can hear an
echo that returns the complex of pitches that comprise spoken language as a distinct
intonation on a single musical tone. One is led to wonder whether this acoustical
phenomenon might have influenced the origins of single-tone chanting or “cantillation”
in certain religious traditions and subsequently the development of the rich variety of
psalm tone formulas in both the Eastern and the Western Christian chant traditions.

Thus our basic set of eight Gregorian psalm tones are based on some fundamental laws of
the physics of sound. The interval relationships between their reciting tones and their final
pitches reflect these fundamental laws. Their ascending intonation patterns to the
recitation pitch and descending cadence patterns to the Final of the mode reflect a basic
law of rhetoric and good public speaking. Other basic laws of rhetoric and good public
speaking are reflected by the nuanced variations of duration, intensity and tempo indicated
by the early chant notations. Paul Hindemith in his book, A Composer’s World, 8
summarizes the principles involved here. He states: “the intervals which constitute the
building material of melodies and harmonies fall into tonal groupings, necessitated by
their own physical structure and without our consent … it seems to me that attempts at
avoiding them are as promising as attempts at avoiding the effects of gravitation [for ballet
dancers].” Mathematics has a vast universal vocabulary. Music, on the other hand, has a
universal grammar expressed in a myriad of cultural vocabularies.

The universal grammar of music

as expressed in Gregorian chant
The principle structure pitches for the eight Gregorian modes are an expression of one of
these universal rules of musical grammar. That rule of musical grammar is expressed in
the primacy of the interval of the Perfect fifth. Each of the so-called authentic modes
(i.e.: the odd-numbered modes, 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th) has its two basic structure pitches
(i.e.: the Final and the Dominant) spanning the interval of a Perfect fifth. In other words,
the reciting or Dominant pitch of the composition is a Perfect fifth above the Final of the
piece.

The so-called Plagal modes (i.e.: the even-numbered modes, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th) show
another universal law of musical grammar. Gregorian chant scholars call it the law of the
cadential third. These Plagal modes share the same Final with their authentic mode
counterparts: D for modes one and two; E for modes three and four; F for modes five and
six, and G for modes seven and eight. All four of these Plagal modes originally used the
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interval of the third above that shared Final as their recitation and Dominant pitch. Only
later did modes four and eight have their Dominants move up to the interval of a fourth
above their Final. The type of third that lies above the Final and the interval below the
Final determine to which of the four basic categories of modes a given piece belongs.
The use of the whole-step or the half-step interval below the Final of the Source mode C
determines whether the mode will be the Lydian (mode V or VI) or the Mixolydian
(mode VII or VIII) mode in the Carolingian modal system.

Along with the universal structure pitches F and C, each of the eight modes have their
Final, their Dominant and the Cadential Third above that Final as their principal
structure pitches.

The modes and the melody

Gregorian pieces terminate with four possible notes, the Finals of the pieces: D, E, F and
G.

The four characteristics of musical modes

The Scale
A scale can have weak degrees and strong degrees. It can function differently when it
ascends and when it descends. As an example, the Quilisma is never used for a
descending melody.

The hierarchy of scale degrees

Some are strong and attract nearby degrees. Some are weak and are attracted by degrees
either above or below them.

The formulas
These are groups of notes, melodic series that occur on a regular basis. They signal the
moments of the discourse: beginning, conclusion, recitation, or provisional punctuation.

The ethos
This is the most difficult to describe. Yet “you know it when you hear it!”

Like the Greeks and the Church Fathers, the medieval musicians clearly affirm the ethos
quality of the modes. They give the following descriptions for each mode:

Primus gravis (serious) Secundus tristis (sad)

Tertius mysticus (mystical) Quartus harmonicus (harmonius)
Quintus laetus (delighted) Sextus devotus (devout)
Septimus angelicus (angelic) Octavus perfectus (perfect)

Like these early authors, I give my personal feel for each of the modes for what it is
worth! Try giving them your own!

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 Speech Rhythm Signs
Rhythm of the word by the syllable:

De- liv- er- ance

Pretonic accent post-tonic final syllable

PRETONIC: moves quickly and softly to the accented syllable. Use the italic font.

ACCENT SYLLABLE: blossoms with full sound. Use the bold font.

POST-TONIC; floats softly on the momentum of the accent. Use ordinary font.

FINAL SYLLABLE: dissapates all the energy and momentum left from the accent. Use
ordinary font.

Gestures for directing the rhythm of the word:

De- : move your hand from 6 to 3 O’clock as you sing the syllable.
liv- : swing your hand form 3 to 9 O’clock as you sing with strength the accent.
er- : let your hand float from the 9 to the 12 O’clock as you sing lightly the syllable.
ance- : coast gently and lightly from 12 to 3 O’Clock and end with an upward swing of
the hand to the end the forward motion and use a dying-away of the voice on the syllable.

Rhythm of the phrase by the words:

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just.

Ring out your—Three pretonic words before the accent joy. Pick up speed and volume as
you move toward the accented word joy. Move your hand from 6 O’clock to 3 o’clock as
you say: “Ring out your…”

Joy – a pre-cimax accented word that leads with energy to the climax on Lord.
Swing your hand from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock as you say: “joy.”

To the - to two pre-tonic words moving rapidly and lightly to the climax word: Lord.
Move your hand from 9 to midnight as you say: “to the.”

Lord– the climax word of the phrase. Song with full strength that will carry us to the
final word just. Move your hand in an arc, straight down and then to the left, from
midnight to 9 o’clock as you say: Lord.

O you- two pre-tonic words that move quickly and lightly to prepare the final word
accent of the phrase. Move your hand from 9 to midnight as you say: “O you.”

Just. – all the energy and remaining volume of the phrase is dissipated on this word.

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Move your hand in an arc, straight down and then to the right, from midnight to 3 o’clock
as you say: ‘just.” Decrease your volume and coast to a stop as your hand moves slightly
back up from 3 o’clock.

In singing the psalm tones, use these rules for singing the text until you come to the one
or two pickup notes that preceed the final accented syllable at the end of each line. These
pickup notes should always be sung lightly and quickly as they lean toward the accented
syllable that follows. The final accent of the line then dissipates all the energy and
volume of that line. The line ends with a full breath that launches the next line of the text
with a return to rapid speech tempo.

Instructions for pointing and singing the psalm tones is given in the square note version
of the Saint Meinrad Psalm Tones:

http://www.saintmeinrad.org/media/28535/Modal%20Psalm%20Tones%20(Chnt).pdf

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 Psalm Tones Set Moods
Mode 1: Ps. 145(144) 10-11, solemnity

All your works shall thank you, O Lord,

and your faith-ful ones bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign,
and declare your mighty deeds.

Mode 2: Ps. 130(129) 3-4, reverence and awe

If you, O Lord, should mark in-i-quities,

Lord, who could stand?
But with you is found for-give-ness;
that you may be re-vered.

Mode 3: Ps. 130(129) 1-2, intense feeling, either sadness or joy

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;

Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be at-ten-tive
to the sound of my plead-ings.

Mode 4: Ps.119(118) 97-98, reflective, meditative

O Lord, how I love your law:

My meditation all the day!
Your command makes me wiser than my foes,
for it is with me al-ways.

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Mode 5: Ps.96(95) 11-12, joyful, happy

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad;

let the sea and all within it thun-der praise.
Let the land and all it bears re-joice.
Then will all the trees of the wood shout for joy.

Mode 6: Ps.116B(115) 12-13, calm, relaxed, contented

How can I re-pay the Lord

for all his good-ness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
I will call on the name of the Lord.

Mode 7: Ps.148:1-2, joyful, triumphant

Praise the Lord from the heav-ens,

praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all his an-gels;
praise him, all his hosts.

Mode 8: Ps.130(129) 7-8, authoritative, a narrator’s voice

For with the Lord there is mer-cy,

in him is plentiful re-demp-tion.
It is he who will re-déem Is-rael
from all its in-i-quities.

The goal will be to have the psalm tone memorized. Then sing the text in a good speech
rhythm, in a manner that literally “swings” from one word accent to another until it
comes quietly to rest on the last accent of the line. A refrain or antiphon can be made of a
liturgical text by using just the first and the last line of the psalm tone. If three lines are
needed, then use the first two lines and the last line of the psalm tone.

21
1. The Scale
Guido of Arezzo needed only six notes in the scale of his time. Thus he could use
the hymn Ut queant laxis to teach that scale.

However, the scale that is common to almost every culture has only five notes. An
example of this is the hymn Immense caeli conditor:

22
Here is a melody more limited than that proposed by Guido of Arezzo. It does not have a
semitone. This is something that occurs frequently in the chant repertory. The
Communion for Christmas Midnight Mass: In splendoribus (GT 44) and the Tu es Petrus
for the Feast of St. Peter on February 22nd (GT 550). These pieces all have a basic scale:
C D E F G A, with another C at the octave above. The Gradual for the Feast of the
Epiphany (GT 57) was sung at St. Gall in the years 920-930 with a scale of F G A C D E
that almost always avoided the semitone. When the semitone does appear, it is used as an
ornament: B D C C. Only the C is important. The B is just an ornament.

This C mode setting of the same hymn text predates the Carolingian eight-mode system.
It has been transposed from C to F. The punctuation of the first phrase descends to the
semitone below. The second phrase remains on the structure pitch. The final phrase
descends to the minor third below.

23
 Guide to Pronunciation of Liturgical Latin
According to Roman Use
Syllables
There are as many syllables in Latin words as there are vowels or diphthongs.

In the division of words into syllables:

1. A single consonant goes with the preceding vowel.
2. Division is made between double consonants, and each of the consonants
must be sounded clearly, e.g.: bello = behl-loh, not as in the English word
“bellow.”
3. If two or more consonants are between two vowels, the division is
generally made after the first consonant, e.g., mag-is-ter. Exceptions are:
(a) if the last consonant of the group is h, l, or r, the last two consonants go
with the following vowel, e.g., pa-tria. (b) Compound words are divided
into their original parts, e.g., de-scen-do. (c) x goes with the preceding
vowel, e.g., dux-i.

Vowels
1. a as in father: Ma-ri-a = Mah-ree-ah.
2. e as in met: Chris-te = Krees-teh. Avoid the diphthong sound ay-ee as in
“stay.”
3. i as in marine: Fi-li-i = fee-lee-ee.
4. y is the same as i: Ky-ri-e = Kee-ree-eh.
5. o as in for: cor-po = kawr-poh; no-mi-ne = naw-mee-neh.
6. u as in moon: lu-na = loo-nah. Avoid the diphthong sound ee-oo. When u
is preceded by q the combination qu is pronounced kw as in square: qui =
kwee.
7. When two vowels come together each vowel is pronounced, except in
diphthongs ae and oe. In singing, the first vowel is sustained and the
second vowel is sounded on passing to the next syllable: a-it = ah-eet.

Diphthongs
1. ae and oe are pronounced like e: sae-cu-lum = seh-koo-loom.
2. au and eu are pronounced as a single syllable, but each vowel must be
distinctly heard. In singing, the first vowel is sustained as in other
combinations of two vowels: la-u-da = lah-oo-dah.

Consonants
1. b, d, f, l, m, n, p, and v are pronounced the same as in English.
2. c before e, i, y, ae, oe is pronounced ch as in church: coe-lum = cheh-
loom; otherwise, c is pronounced k as in can: sa-crum = sah-kroom.
3. cc before e, i, y, ae, oe is pronounced t-ch: ec-ce = et-cheh.
4. ch is pronounced as k: che-ru-bim = keh-roo-beem.

24
 5. g is soft before e, i, ae, oe, y, as in generous: ge-mi-nus = jeh-mee-noos;
otherwise, g is hard, as in get: ga-rum = gah-room. The word gigas
contains both sounds: jee-gahs.
6. gn is pronounced as ny in canyon: a-gnus = ah-nyoos.
7. h is mute, except in mi-hi = mee-kee, and in ni-hil = nee-keel.
8. j is pronounced as i or y: e-jus = eh-yoos, or ju-bi-lus = yoo-bee-loos.
9. q is always followed by u and another vowel and is pronounced as in
square: quam = kwahm; qua-lis = kwah-lees.
10. r is slightly rolled on the tongue and is never given a hard sound such as
“ar.”
11. sc before e, i, ae, oe, y, is pronounced sh as in shed: de-scen-dit = deh-
shehn-deet.
12. th is pronounced t: ther-ma = tehr-mah (Thus following the Attic Greek
source.)
13. ti is pronounced tzee when followed by another vowel and not following s,
x, t: gra-ti-a = grah-tzee-ah.
14. x is pronounced ks as in vex: ex-cla-mat = eks-klah-maht.
15. xc before e, ae, oe, i,y is pronounced ksh: ex-cel-sis = ek-shel-sees.
16. z is pronounced dz: za-mi-a = dzah-mee-ah.

Some rules to be Observed in Chanting as put forth by the Monks of Solesmes: “the
principles for chanting flow out of the polished matching of a sacred text with a
Gregorian melody. For that reason whoever gives attentive effort to Latin pronunciation
in singing, by that very fact already possesses very many of the requisites for performing
Gregorian chant properly.” [An excerpt translated from the Preface to the Liber
Hymnarius9 ].

Cautions about English pronunciation

Vowels
As noted above, Latin pronunciation involves only five vowel sounds, all pronounced
purely. In contrast to this, standard American English recognizes twenty-three vowel
sounds, and regional variants provide as many as thirty additional modifications to that
total. To further complicate the situation many of these vowel sounds are ‘soft’ or
recessive, making them difficult to sing effectively, especially if encountered with an
important melodic note. The most common of these vowel sounds is the ‘schwa,’ the soft
‘e’ found in ‘the,’ or the first and final ‘a’ as in ‘America.’ Great care must be taken to
avoid a muddy sound!

Another difficult vowel is the long ‘e,’ as encountered in ‘Je-sus’ or ‘sleep’ or ‘sheep,’ all
typically to be found in our scriptural chants. The tendency in many parts of the country
is to let this sound drift ‘into the nose,’ which is guaranteed to produce an unpleasant
noise.

25
Diphthongs
It is nearly impossible to offer rules about English diphthongs – there are so many and
there is little commonality among them. When in doubt one needs to examine each with
the help of a good pronouncing dictionary. The other complication is that not all vowel
pairings are diphthongs, though many are. One persistent mis-pronunciation is ‘Our’ at
the beginning of the Pater Noster. Although the chant clearly shows a single neume, thus
indicating a single syllable, all too frequently those singing pronounce the word as if it
were ‘Ow-err,’ thus making two syllables out of one. Webster’s New Collegiate
Dictionary10 shows the vowel in ‘cot’ or ‘cart’ as equivalent for this ‘ou’ sound.

Consonants
There are many traps to be found in English consonants and consonant groups. These are
particularly noticeable in American speech, which is less ‘forward’ than the British
‘standard speech.’ Just a few of them are:

• the final ‘s’ – unless the singers are particularly careful, any lengthening of this
sound will evoke the hissing of the ‘brood of vipers’
• the final ‘r’ – for much of the United States, this is typically formed in the back of
the throat and thus comes out like the pirate’s ‘aarr!’ In addition to being an
unpleasant sound, it will invariably corrupt the musical pitch downwards
• the initial ‘r’ – use a single tongue-strike to ‘flip’ this sound, thus avoiding a
distortion of the ensuing vowel
• the initial hard ‘g’ – this sound is formed deep in the throat, and so is difficult to
produce quickly as the word begins. It requires more of a push than one might
think necessary, otherwise the sound does not carry
• the final ‘d’ ‘k’ & ‘t’ – these finals all need a conscious effort to make them crisp
and clear; otherwise they tend to be ‘swallowed’ and lost
• the initial ‘l’ and ‘w’ – these consonants require more complicated mouth
formations than other initial sounds, and so care must be taken to form them
quickly and precisely, lest the following vowel sound be degraded.
• compound consonant groups – such as ‘gl’ – at the beginning of a word must be
approached with care, since the ‘g’ is a hard glottal sound and the liquescence of
the ‘l’ takes effort to accomplish if the succeeding vowel is not to be degraded.

26
The Vertical dimension of the Chant
1. The recitation pitch (or “dominant”) corresponds to the optimum pitch level
used by good speakers for the normal proclamation of a sense unit in a text.

2. Intonation patterns in chant correspond to the rising patterns used by speakers at

the beginning of a sentence.

3. Cadence patterns in chant correspond to the dropping pitches used by speakers

at the end of sentences and especially at the end of a major section of a text.

The Horizontal dimension of the Chant

1. The rhythm and tempo of a phrase in chant correspond to the rhythmic flow of
speech used by a good public reader.

2. Pretonic syllables tend to flow more or less rapidly toward the tonic accent of a
word or a phrase (e.g.: a-nun-ti-á-vit).

3. The Tonic accent of a word or a phrase contains all the energy and momentum for
all the syllables that follow it (e.g.: Dó-mi-nus).

4. Post-Tonic syllables are carried by the energy of the preceding Tonic accent
syllable (e.g.: Dó-mi-nus).

5. Final syllables dissipate the remaining energy from the Tonic accent and bring
the forward momentum to a stop (e.g.: Dó-mi-nus). A common example of this
phenomenon is that of letting a car coast to a stop at a stop sign.

Some 70% of the chants in the core repertory begin with one or more Pre-Tonic
syllables! Among the other 30% that begin with an initial Tonic accent, many of these are
notated with quick notes that lead to the principal accent of the phrase itself. Anacrusis
is the norm!

Since the 2005 edition of the Antiphonale Monasticum11, the Solesmes monks have
abandoned the use of both the vertical episema used for the ictus, and the dot for the
Mora vocis, in their publications of Gregorian chant. They state in the Praenotanda,
footnote 31, that:

“The expression ‘rhythmic signs’ as attributed to the episemas and the mora point, is
gravely ambiguous: It seems to signify that these signs indicate the rhythm. However,
these signs do not do so. The fundamental rhythm of Gregorian chant is given by the
declamation of the text and the movement of the melody. The signs added to the
medieval neumes do not indicate the rhythm but rather the tiny agogic nuances, as well as
the vocal ornaments, accessible only to well trained specialists. (See appendices 1 and 2.)
27
One has developed the habit of calling ‘rhythmic signs’ the three signs added to the
Solesmes editions of the books of chant of the 20th century: the mora point, the vertical
episema and the horizontal episema.

These three signs have been abandoned in our editions for the following reasons.

The mora point and the vertical episema do not correspond to anything given in
the traditional Gregorian chants. They do not appear in any medieval manuscript. They
were only introduced in the Solesmes editions for the purpose of promoting a particular
rhythmic theory for Gregorian chant (that of the Nombre musical grégorien), which has
been proved to be obsolete for some time now. Moreover, these signs reveal a
contradiction with the basic principles for reading the medieval neumes. More precisely,
this rhythmic theory, to the degree that it inflicts a rhythmic distortion on the words and
the phrases that are sung, appears in contradiction to the basic principles of liturgical
composition, which rests on a foundation that is at the service of the sacred text.

The horizontal episema only appears in two or three medieval manuscripts of the
Divine Office among the hundreds of documents that we have studied. It is not a
rhythmic sign, a sign that would inform the singer about rhythmic elements. It only
precisions – and that in a very ambiguous fashion for a singer of the 20th century – a tiny
nuance of the rhythm, one which musicians today call agogic.

Most amateur choirs are incapable of producing these very subtle nuances,
nuances that are reserved for expert soloists. The exaggerated interpretation that these
amateur choirs give to these signs leads in the end to a deforming of the fundamental
rhythm of these Gregorian pieces, even to the simple antiphons. It should be an
interpretation that is based on the declamation of the text and the movement of the
melody.

It is for this reason that we have chosen to renounce their use in conformity to the
principle laid out by Dom Cardine at the end of the Preface to the Liber hymnarius:

‘The principles given here flow from the perfect correspondence of a sacred text
to a Gregorian melody. It is for this reason that singers who show respect for the Latin
diction, by that very fact already possess the greater part of what is required to execute
well a Gregorian piece.’

Huius proemii dispositiones ex perfecta adaequatione textus sacri cum melodia

gregoriana defluunt. Propterea qui cantando dictioni latinae sedulam dat operam, ipso
facto iam potitur requisitis plurimis ad cantilenam gregorianam recte exsequendam.”12

It is nice to call to mind that it was the founder of Gregorian semiology who expressly
demanded its insertion into the text of this Preface!

28
 Syllabic Value: Determined by the verbal context

Although each syllable of the word benesonantibus has only a single square note,
each syllable has a different value and function in the word:

––––––––> < / > ––> ––|

be- ne- son- án- ti- bus

The first three syllables are pre-tonic syllables that pick up speed and volume as
they accelerate toward the accented syllable. After this buildup, the accented syllable now
contains a great deal of energy and volume/duration. This energy and momentum carries
through the next syllable, an intermediate post-tonic syllable. The final syllable of the
word then absorbs the remaining energy to bring the forward momentum to a closure at
the end of the word before moving on again with the following words (laudáte
Dóminum). The melody forms a Roman arch over the word, a hallmark of the Gregorian
chant style of composition. As Dom Daniel Saulnier states: “… the romano-frankish
chant shows an entirely new concern for the construction of phrases: the melodic curve in
the form of an arch, a … concern [that] becomes a canon of composition for the
‘gregorian.’ The same holds true for the treatment of words. In the case of both the
phrase and the word, the Latin accent is handled in the composition by a melodic
elevation. Grammar has regained all its prerogatives over the music and finds itself
elevated as the custos recte loquendi (the guardian of right speech).”13

The value of each of the square notes in the following example is determined by
the value and function of its syllable and the position of that syllable in the structure of
the phrase. Once again, note the perfect Roman arch formed by the melody of the phrase:

Cf. Graduale Triplex,14 p. 773, line 7.

Speak each of the following three units separately. Expand the syllable in bold type as if
it were an expanding balloon by speaking the syllable as you draw your hands apart as if
expanding something.

First unit: Et u-nam

Second unit: sanc-tam

Third unit: ca-tho-li-cam

29
Speak the entire phrase by expanding the accents indicated in bold type and then fading
away on the syllable(s) that follow. Make a slight break in sound between each of the
units.

Complete phrase: Et u- nam –– sanc- tam –– ca- tho- li- cam

Now return to sing the melody as given above from the Graduale Triplex, p.773, line 7.
Sing the entire phrase:
1) by making the pre-tonic word et to lean toward the next word;
2) by increasing the intensity of your voice on the accented syllables;
3) by relaxing your voice on the following syllable(s) of each word and lengthening
them enough to allow the energy from the accents to be dissipated. The greatest
dissipation should be reserved for the final syllable of the last word.

The syllabic articulation of consonants already enters into play at the end of a syllable
and not just at the beginning of the next syllable. The present rules for syllabification
frequently stand in contrast to this and therefore are not always to be taken as a model for
singing chant. The typographical rules of the Latin liturgical books give the following
divisions: o-mnes gen-tes; Do-mi-nus. For speaking and singing chant, however, one
should do the following:

In the art of speaking and singing in this manner, as it is also described in the old neumed
manuscripts, lies the secret of legato singing. When the syllables follow one another and
are also chained together, the legato automatically occurs. The movement of the
oratorical rhythm naturally orientates in the direction of the final syllable. The excessive
force that unfortunately is frequently given to the initial syllable, constitutes a major
obstacle to the legato. If one avoids this initial force, all harshness also disappears. The
pronunciation and the singing of the words of the text become easy and supple.

Distinction Cadence
It is good to praise the Lord.

30
1: Accented articulation at the beginning;
2: rhythmic distinction with a new beginning without articulation on the next
syllable or note (= 3);
4,5: rhythmic pivot points;
6: cadence.

Speak the phrase: Bo- num est___ confiteri Domino___.

Make sure that there is enough energy on the word accents to carry the sound to the next
word accent (e.g.: confiteri Domino). Be sure that there is enough energy in the sound to
continue the legato sound to the very end of the dash at the end of the phrase units.

Now sing the melody with the same rhythm as when it was spoken.

2. The hierarchy of the degrees: their function

The declamation degree

The primary degree is that of declamation, the proclamation. We call it the
Dominant, the Tenor, that on which one sings the word. It became of interest in chant
studies only in the 20th century!

The punctuation
The second function is that of the punctuation. When one arrives at the end of a
word, an incise, or a phrase in the language, one usually lets the voice descend. The
Gregorian composers respected this procedure. When one arrives at the end of a phrase
one descends in pitch.
In a particular piece there can be a number of recitation pitches, a number of
dominants of various kinds and a number of punctuations. The same scale degree can at
different times be either the dominant or a punctuation.

Some Syllables Are More Equal Than Others!

English syllabic values have a very wide range. They go from
1) itty-bitty syllabic values like “a” (ugh) and “the” (thugh) (the schwa vowel) to
2) ordinary values as in the word “de-ve-lop-ment” to
3) big fat values like “Lord” and “God.”

The LAST note over a syllable recovers the full syllabic value proper to that syllable. All
the preceding notes on that syllable move rapidly toward that final note.

Each of these syllables then takes on a specific function according to their position in a
word or a phrase:

31
Pretonic tonic post tonic final
de- vé- lop- ment

Use a ‘lazy eight’ figure to draw a line from 6 o’clock to 3 o’clock while slowly saying
de- then move forcefully from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock while saying vé-.
Allow all that energy to swing your hand and voice up to 12 o’clock for saying ‘lop’ as if
now weightless. Then let your hand fall freely to 6 o’clock and drift back up to 3 o’clock
to end the word softly.

The Latins used the phrase mora vocis (literally, the dying away of the voice) to describe
how to sing softly the word and phrase endings. The Solesmes editions use the dot after
final notes to indicate that very same thing.

The neume as a form of hand sign (chironomic) notation

Dom Eugène Cardine has stated “Other than the obvious obligation of paying attention to
the meaning of the words, the singer need only follow the neumes step by step. They
will guide [the singer] along as if ‘by the hand’ [the voice following the gesture of the
choirmaster’s hand, or the copyist’s tracing of the neumes onto the parchment.] The
early notations have been called ‘chironomic,’ [Greek for ‘hand sign’] and the term is
fully justified. … The margin left to the singers for interpreting the chant is really quite
large. However, there can be no authentic expression of the chant if the objective
indications provided in the manuscripts are contradicted.

… The meaning of the words and the character of the musical composition, its length and
range, with the vocal demands it makes on the singers, as well as many other factors,
must all be taken into consideration when choosing the most suitable pitch, tempo and
expression for any given piece.”15

John Stevens tells us that: “the function of the notation was principally to guide the
singers in adapting language to melody, and in giving the right sounds to the melodic
turns. The earliest notation … is directly related to sentence punctuation, the function of
which was to help the reader bring out the sense of a text as he read it aloud. Notation
was similar to punctuation: it did its work by marking off the sense units of the text.”16
Leo Treitler concludes his article on the origins of music writing by saying: “All Western
notations in the beginning represented speech inflection. Either the notational symbols
are the written syllables of speech themselves (as in the Musica enchiriadis, c. 900 AD)
or they are written in the closest coordination with syllables. … the earliest specimens are
notations closely tied to syllables in syllabic or neumatic settings.”17

I would only add a summary sentence: in the beginning was the WORD (spoken, or
sung); and the WORD was made visible — by the nod of the head, the gesture of the
hand, and the flow of the pen.

32
 AN EXERCISE PIECE IN SINGING
THE PES, CLIVIS & PORRECTUS ON AN ACCENTED SYLLABLE

Xvcacv fcv vfcv v gccfv c¯fccfcc¯fc[ expand the accents

O ev- er- last- ing Trin- i- ty

XvcaccDRv cfccFTccfccDRccfccfcc[ quickly to the top note

O ev- er- last- ing Trin- i- ty

Xccdccgccfcchccgcv c˘gccdccf<cc{c
We soon shall see that day of days move to the third note

Xccdccgccfcchccgcc®¢5ccdccf<cc{ of the Porrectus

We soon shall see that day of days

Xvcdcc≥gccgcc≥gcvcfccfcv cdccac[c
When all cre- a- tion, born a- gain,

Xvcdv cFTcvcgccˇtdccfccfvcdcv v˜wac[ lean to the final note

When all cre- a- tion, born a- gain,

Sing the first note of the Pes rapidly and lightly, moving quickly to the second note. Do
the same for the Clivis over the accent of the word creation. (like a portamento).
Sing the first two note of the Porrectus rapidly and lightly, moving quickly to the third
note of the accented word day. (again, a type of portamento).
Sing the first note of the Clivis over the accent of the word again as an appoggiatura
leaning into the second note.

33
 AN EXERCISE PIECE IN SINGING THE PES AND THE CLIVIS
IN DIFFERENT SYLLABIC CONTEXTS

Bcfcchcchcv hccvgccgccvhcchc[v Lean toward the second

note of the Pes over God in
the phrase: O God of truth.
O God of truth, O Lord of Might, Move rapidly through the

Bcfcv v GYcv vhcv vhcvtfccvgccGYccvhc[v

Clivis over O toward the
word Lord. Do the same for
the Pes over the of toward
the word Might.
O God of truth, O Lord of Might,

Bvv cgcv dcv vfccgv v vcfcv v scv v vdcv vdc{v The Clivis over the
word and, and the Pes
over the syllable a- of
Who or- der time and change a- right,
aright, have only

Bvvcgcv v dcv vfcv gccvrdccvsccvv AEcv vdc{v quickly moving

ornamental value as pre-
tonic syllables.
Who or- der time and change a- right,

Bcdccgccchcchccdccfccdccdc[v The Pes over the again

functions as a rapid
pre-tonic syllable.
Who clothe the splen-did morn-ing ray, Two of the Clivis

Bccdcv vgccvvGYccygccescv fcv vescvSEc[c

neumes dissipate the
energy from the
preceding tonic
accents.
Who clothe the splen- did morn- ing ray,

Bcacv v dcv gccdcvsccdcv dcvsc} The Pes over the word

the has the function of
a rapid pretonic
And give the heat at noon of day. syllable. The two

Bcvaccdcz FTcz z dcvwacv SEcv escvsc}

Clivis neumes also
function as rapid
pretonic syllables.

And give the heat at noon of day.

34
 The Last note of a Neume regains full Syllabic Value
When there are two or more notes on a single syllable, they move rapidly to the final note
over that syllable, which regains full syllabic value.

When the horizontal episema (–) is used within a group of two or more notes, it restores
that note to its syllabic value.

When the notes are at the unison, practice repeating the vowel sound for each note.
Draw the neume designs given over each syllable as you sing the word Deus:

9< = = A A
Bcvvfcfcvcvfv¯fcvfv¯fccfvfv¯fcv fvfv¯fcc}
/ _ . / . _ . . / . . _
Dé- us De-é- u-us De-e-é- u-u-us

When the notes are not at the unison, practice smoothly joining the vowel sound of each
note to the next note over that syllable.
Draw the neume designs given over each syllable as you sing the word Deus:

&H % H ( H ` H + H t H
BcF≥Tcv vfc[cr≤dcv fc[cfg¯fccvfc[c‰v¢¯fcv fc[cFTb˘6vccfc[c6b%b¯$vcv v fv}
. / _ .\ _ . . / _ . . / _ . . / _ . . / _
De-é- us Dé-e- us De-e-é- us De-e-é- us De-e-é- us De-e-é- us

Practice smoothly joining the vowel sound of each note to the next note over that syllable
while changing the volume of your voice as you sing the words:

BcF≥Tcv vfc[cr≤dcv fc[cfg¯fccvfc[c‰v¢¯fcv fc[cFTb˘6vccfc[c6b%b¯$vcv v fv}

p< f > p f >p p p<mp<f p p< p<f>p p< p<f>p p< p<f> p
De-é- us Dé- e- us De-e-é- us De-e-é- us De-e-é- us De- e- é- us

35
The value of each of the square notes in the following example is determined by the value
and function of its syllable and the position of that syllable in the structure of the phrase.
Once again, note the perfect Roman arch formed by the melody of the phrase:

Cf. Graduale Triplex, p. 773, line 7.

Speak each of the following three units separately. Expand the syllable in bold type as if
it were an expanding balloon.

First unit: Et u-nam

Second unit: sanc-tam
Third unit: ca-tho-li-cam
Speak the entire phrase by expanding the accents indicated in bold type and then fading
away on the syllable(s) that follow. Make a slight break in sound between each of the
units.

Complete phrase: Et u- nam –– sanc- tam –– ca- tho- li- cam

Now return to sing the melody as given above from the Graduale Triplex, p.773, line 7.
Sing the entire phrase:
1) by making the pre-tonic word et to lean toward the next word;
2) by increasing the intensity of your voice on the accented syllables;
3) by relaxing your voice on the following syllable(s) of each word and lengthening
them enough to allow the energy from the accents to be dissipated. The greatest
dissipation should be reserved for the final syllable of the last word.

36
 Single note Tonics

Pretonics with several notes:

1. 2. 3.

Bvvgcrdcscsc} Bcjcygchcgc} Vcr|scvf|hgcdcvdc}

al- le- lú ia. al- le- lú- ia. al- le- lú- ia.

A modern notation:

\cc gc FvDc wc csc c} \cc cjc cHvGc cyc c cgc c } \cvHFcc cHKJcc ctc cv cgc c c }
al- le- lu- ia. al- le- lú- ia. al- le- lú- ia.

Basic melodic lines:

Bcgcfcscsc} Bcjchchcgcc} Vcfcgcvdcdcc}

al- le lú- ia. al- le- lú- ia. al- le- lú- ia.

In example 1, the second note of the two notes used for the pretonic syllable acts as a
light, smooth passing tone, connecting the F to the E of the accented syllable. Sing the
two notes softly and quickly as you move your hand from 6 to 12 o’clock and then
sweeping around to 9 o’clock for the accented syllable.

In example 2, the two notes of the pretonic syllable act as a swinging upbeat gesture that
builds momentum to the following word accent. Move your hand in a quick circle as you
sing them and end the gesture at 9 o’clock for the word accent.

In example 3, both pretonic syllables have extra notes that act like a “softball windup”
gesture that gains a great of momentum as they build up both speed and volume toward
the accented syllable with the single note. Move your hand from 6 to 12 o’clock for the
“al” and then do a complete circle for the notes of the “le” syllable and then forcefully
from 12 around to 9 o’clock for the word accent itself.

37
Postonic with several notes:

Cf. GT59

\ccfc cGvHc ctc cGchGFcGHGcc

ad- o- rá- re

Basic melodic line:

Bcfchcvgcgcc}
Ad- o- rá- re

The single note for the tonic accent has been given an “x” (expectate = wait!) that gives
the note more time to resonate in the building before moving on to the final syllable with
the seven extra notes! The first of these moves quickly to the second note which has an
episema that gives a delay to the note before plunging quickly through the remaining six
notes. The effect is to give a fully composed trill to dissipate all the momentum released
by the single accented note.

Sing the final syllable by moving your hand (palm down) up quickly from 9 o’clock to 12
for the first note and then delay your hand at 12 for the second note. After the delay,
move your hand a little further up for the next two notes and downward and back up
again for the last three notes. This should give the feel of some gentle ocean swells for
the rhythm of the word.

The Nature of Rhythm

Bernard Maurin, in Bases pour une anthropologie musicale sur le rhythme musical,18
elaborates on the nature of (musical) rhythm as an explosion of a three-phased energy
that has a preparation, a summit or climax and a relaxation or dissipation, a rhythm of
intensity and only then a rhythm of duration, of pitch and of timbre. A fuller excerpt of
his thesis will be found in Appendix 3.

38
 The three-stage flow of chant rhythm

BUILDUP ----à RELEASE ----à DISSIPATION

1. In a single-note accented syllable (oxytone):

The large Laon 239 uncinus is used for words like Rex.
It starts softly, rises quickly and builds up volume, which is then released at the thick
section drawn to the right. All this sound is dissipated into silence by the thin line that
curves upward to end the design. It is a conductor’s gesture to be used to direct the
singing of the word Rex. The thin diagonal that begins the gesture functions like the
portamento at the unison as practiced by bel canto opera singers.

Bccfcz}cccccccc1gfcc}
Rex will sound like: R-e-x

2. The three stages in a multi-syllable word:

––––––––> < / > ––> ––|

be- ne- son- án- ti- bus
The buildup of speed and volume now occurs progessively through the first three
syllables (beneson-). The release occurs on the syllable an. The dissipation is spread out
over the final two syllables (-tibus). The final syllable has the task of absorbing whatever
remains of the energy released by the accented syllable.

3. The three stages in a phrase:

et un-am, sanc-tam, ca-tho-li-cam.

The speed and volume increase through the word unam.
The volume is released on the word sanctam and then dissipated on the word catholicam.

39
This three-stage rhythm forms a Roman arch and is a hallmark of Gregorian chant. This
same rhythmic movement is most appropriate for the English language:
1. God
2. De-vel-op-ment
3. O sing to the LORD our God.

Three exercises to practice this three-stage rhythm:

1. God

Begin the word by swinging your right arm to the left (to 3 o’clock). Then increase the
speed and volume as you swing your arm to the left across your body (to 9 o’clock).
Finally, finish the word by swinging your arm back to the right (to 3 o’clock) as you
decrease the speed and volume of your voice.

2. de-ve-lop-ment = pretonic, tonic, post tonic, final syllable

For the pretonic syllable, “de”, begin softly and swing your right arm to the right (3
o’clock), as your pick up speed.
For the tonic syllable, “ve”, swing your arm to the left (9 o’clock), increasing the
speed and volume.
For the post tonic syllable, “lop”, swing your arm up (up to 12 o’clock), as you
decrease both speed and volume.
For the final syllable, swing your arm down (to 3 o’clock), as you dissipate all the
remaining speed and volume to a stop.

3. O sing to the Lord our God.

For the words, “sing to the”, swing your right arm to the right (to 3 o’clock),
increasing the speed and volume ofyour voice.
For the accented word, “Lord”, swing your arm to the left (to 9 o’clock) as you
reach the cimax of volume for the word accent.
For the post tonic word, “God”, swing your arm down to the right (to 3 o’clock)
as you decrease the speed and volume of your voice.

Practice this exercise with some 4-line stanzas in the New Revised Grail
translation of the psalms:

Praise God in his holy place;

praise him in his mighty firmament.
Praise him for his powerfull deeds;
praise him for his boundless grandeur.
(Psalm 150:1-2)

40
In his writings on the Reader at Mass, Isidore of Seville tells us that “the lector should
know the relative strength of every accent so that he will know toward which principle
syllable his oral proclamation is tending.”19

41
 Part 3: Syllabic Values

Cantillation
Gregorian chant is a particular, stylized, form of heightened speech. It is the
solemn proclamation of a sacred text that, at the same time, presents an interpretation and
a kind of commentary on the text for the listener. For each of the following examples,
read the words out loud as if proclaiming the text to a large group of listeners. Use all the
basic techniques of good public reading for these exercises.

Examples of Cantillation

The Pater Noster

The traditional setting of the Our Father. In the Tridentine Rite, only the Celebrant of the
Mass sang the prayer, to which the people responded with the final phrase: “sed libera
nos a malo.” Since Vatican II, the entire prayer is to be sung by the entire assembly. The
setting is a good example of a “peoples’ chant.”

42
 An English language setting that is based on the original cantillation:

(Recorded on ‘Lauds & Vespers for Christmas at Saint Meinrad,’ track 11, Saint Meinrad 4)

The Sanctus from Mass XVIII:

This Sanctus (transposed to a C clef, instead of the original F clef) is an example of a

cantillation with its reciting pitch on B, with an occasional use of C for a climax note.
The Final is A. The punctuation uses suspended cadences on B (the recitation pitch) and
intermediate cadences on the G below A (the Final as transposed from D).

43
An English language setting of this cantillation:

To avoid the danger of creating a false accent, the original initial pitch (E transposed to
B) has been expanded and an upper inflection (functioning as an escape tone) has been
added to the accented syllable of the first word. The dotted notes over the word glory
should not be simply doubled in length, but should be treated as they were when spoken:
by slowing down and reducing the volume on the second syllable of the word. This same
technique should be applied when these notes are elided over one syllable as in the case
of the word Lord at the end of the third line. As a general norm, move quickly and
smoothly from the first note of a Pes (e.g.: Ho-san-na) or of a Clivis to the final note.

44
 Psalmody
The earliest form of psalmody consisted in the cantor singing the text “straight through” –
in directum. In monastic circles, one person sang the psalm while the rest listened,
usually in a dark church. The Lamentation of Jeremiah is an example of this. It was a
sung reading of scripture during the Office of Vigils during Holy Week.

The three basic melodic structures are: 1) an intonation (F rising to the A); an
intermediate cadence (Bb – A – G – A at the end of the second line) and a final cadence
(A – G – F – GF – F as at the end of the first line). These cadences function as oral
punctuation of the text. Do not double the value of the dotted notes. They simply indicate
a greater or lesser pause in the proclamation. The melismas found on the letters of the
Hebrew alphabet function as punctuation that marks off the major divisions of the text.
This was one of the original uses of the melisma (Cf. the Ambrosian Gloria, GT 793).

An early example of psalmody used for congregational singing of the Gloria is that of
Gloria XV. The following pages contain both the original Latin setting and an English
language setting. First speak the text as if proclaiming it in a large church. Then sing the
settings in the same manner. Lean toward the principle accent of each phrase and then
begin to relax and get softer as you approach the end of the phrase.

45
 Gloria (Mass XV), GT 760/7. Based on Source Mode E

This Gloria has the structure of a Mode IV psalm tone. It is the only congregational
Gloria in the Kyriale Romanum that is proper to the Roman Rite.

46
47
 Gloria XV in English

Text: ICEL
Music: Columba Kelly © Saint Meinrad Archabbey 2011
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The sign for the second note of the Amen, a quilisma, was that of a question mark!
So slide up quickly to the top note and hold it!
NOTE: Chant melodies transcribed in modern notation frequently appear (as above) as
sequences of notes resembling stemless quarter notes and half notes. Do not be misled
into assuming that an ‘equalist’ interpretation is implied!

48
 Responsorial Psalmody
An example of responsorial psalmody:

An English language setting:

The alleluia refrain (after the asterisk) is repeated after the verse. The entire refrain is
then repeated after the doxology. First, speak solemnly the Latin text and then sing it with
the same careful inflection and force. Do the same for the English language setting of this
formula.

49
 Re-tracing the St. Gall Virga and Tractulus
The St. Gall Virga is drawn by moving the hand upward in a diagonal direction from left
to right:

= 7( a TriVirga, used to produce a repeated vowel sound:

<ah> <ah> <ah>.

The St. Gall Tractulus is drawn by moving the hand laterally from left to right:
= (lower pitch!); (quickly); (lengthened).

In the case of both the Virga and The Tractulus, there is a sense of forward motion
produced by these gestures. They give the singer a feeling of an upbeat (i.e.: anacrusis)
rather than that of a modern “down beat.” The St. Gall Virga is a direct descendant of the
acute accent mark (/) used by speakers to call attention to a rising inflection. The St. Gall
Tractulus is a direct descendant of the grave accent mark (\) used by speakers to call
attention to a falling inflection of the voice. Since the medieval singer already knew the
melody, the Virga and Tractulus were useful only as guides that pointed the singer in the
general direction: go up (or, stay up!), or go down.

Where the St. Gall notation uses either a Punctum, a Virga or Tractulus, the Laon 239
notation uses a Punctum ( . ) or an Uncinus.

The Laon 239 Uncinus consists of two elements, a slanted Virga and a hook:

/+~ = ≤ . The Uncinus comes in three basic sizes: ≤ ≤≤ .

The different sizes indicate varying degrees of emphasis and/or intensity for the notes
involved. The St. Gall notation gives only the same size Virga ( // ) or Tractulus ( _ )
when it is used alone over a syllable, while the Laon 239 notation can indicate at least
four different levels of syllabic value for an individual syllable. It does this by using the
Punctum ( . ) for the smallest value and the three sizes of the Uncinus (from small to
medium to large) for the others. For this reason, the Laon 239 notation is very useful in
determining the relative value of the notes in a syllabic style setting of a chant. Examples
of this are to be found in the Communion antiphons Videns Dominus (Graduale Triplex,
p. 124) and Oportet te (Graduale Triplex, p. 95). The act of re-tracing these four neume
designs of Laon 239 gives one a very clear idea of the rhythmic movement of a particular
piece of chant.

50
 Practice in re-tracing repeated notes
Sing a separate “AH” for each repeated note as you re-trace it:

Laon 239 notation: ... (or when used as Tristropha: >>> )

≤≤≤ ( = singing “filii tui, filii tui”, etc.)

≤≤≤ ( = singing “Veni Domine, Veni Domine”, etc.)

≤≤≤ ( = singing “non confundentur”, etc.)

Practice in re-tracing a Clivis neume

The Clivis is a two-note neume in which the second note is lower than the first note. It
often functions at cadences like a Baroque appoggiatura with an emphasis on the first
note and a falling away of intensity into the second note. For this reason, the Laon 239
notation almost always gives the first note with a larger Uncinus in the context of a
cadence. Sing a repeated pattern of SOL-FA (G-F) on the single vowel “AH” while re-
tracing the following neume designs:

### in contrast to the slower: DDD

St. Gall uses a smoother hand gesture for both the fast and the slow versions:
%%% in contrast to the slower PPP the added mark (i.e.: the episema) indicates greater
tension and force in making the gesture).

Practice in re-tracing a Pes neume

The Pes is a two-note neume in which the second note is higher than the first note. In the
square notation, the notes are placed directly on top of each other. The bottom square is
read as the first note. Sing a repeated pattern of FA-SOL (F-G) on the single vowel
“AH” while re-tracing the following neume designs.

The basic Laon 239 designs:

$$$ in contrast to the slower: LLL
The basic St. Gall designs:
&&&in contrast to the slower: YYY

Again, St. Gall uses a smoother hand gesture for both the fast and the slow versions.

51
Practice in re-tracing a Torculus neume
The Torculus is a three-note neume in which the second note is higher than either the first
or the third note of the group. Sing a repeated pattern of FA-SOL-FA (F-G-F) on the
single vowel “AH” while re-tracing the following neume designs.

The two basic Laon 239 designs:

&&& in contrast to the slower: YYY

The two basic St. Gall designs:
((( in contrast to the slower: iii

Again, St. Gall uses a smoother hand gesture for both the fast and the slow versions of
the three-note Torculus neume.

Neumes and the Rules of Rhetoric

By its nature, a Gregorian melody lives by the verbal rhythm; moreover, it assumes from
that text, in exact correspondence, the same rhythmic qualities. A “neume” is all the
notes over a single syllable. In order to avoid confusion, it is preferable to use the term
“value of notes” rather than “duration of notes.”

A neume derives its “note value” from the syllable, considered in its verbal context:
1) The Bivirga on a pre-tonic syllable as an enlargement of the sound (GT.264/2):

2) the Clivis on a non-tonic (atonal) syllable as a light and rapid movement (cf. “fi-li-
us” and “ho-di-e” in the IN. Dominus dixit, GT. 41/3):

52
3) on a final syllable, when it is the arrival point of a melodic movement, the single note
neume is always found to be the augmented form (cf. IN. Dominus dixit above and the
single notes used for the last syllable at the end of each phrase),

Rhythmic characteristics of the basic neume forms

%
The two notes of the Clivis ( ) should be produced with a perfect legato, avoiding the
error of producing an impulse on each one of the notes. The syllabic articulation occurs
naturally on the second note. Therefore, one should avoid putting any emphasis on the
first note. Indeed, the first note, without losing its proper syllabic value, should move
rhythmically toward the second note, where the verbal-melodic articulation is produced.
The same remarks given for the Clivis hold also for the Podatus, or Pes (&).

^
The very manner of writing the Porrectus ( ) shows that the three notes should be
sung in a legato manner and without intermediate impulses and much less at the attack of
the first note. One should give an arsic movement to the neume that leads to the third
note, where the syllabic articulation occurs.

Like the porrectus, the Torculus ( (

) should be sung very legato with an arsic
movement toward the third note. Even when the augmented form is used, the motion is
still toward the third note.

The Bivirga ( ª ) and the Trivirga are not begun with full sonority or with a static
force. Each note is repercussed. They should be sung with a progressively increasing
sonority that gives a sense of forward melodic motion.

≤
The Stropha (bi- or tri-) ( ) are sung with separate repercussions that are light and give
a sense of forward motion. These repeated notes (virga, or stropha) usually occur on one
of the two strong pitches of the pentatonic scale: either C or F. In a resonant space (e.g.:
53
a medieval church), these rapidly repeated notes take on the role of amplifying a sound
by resonant reverberation. Modern electronic music uses a “reverb box” to overcome the
“dry” acoustics of modern buildings to accomplish the same effect!

Õ
The Oriscus ( ) is a grammatical sign for a contraction. Used melodically, it signifies
that a note is to be “pulled” or attracted to the note that immediately follows it (either
higher or lower). That following note is usually at the distance of a semitone. The

Pressus (major and minor) ( Ã) and the Virga Strata ( 9) are examples of melodic
movement being “pulled” to a lower pitch that follows.

‘
The Salicus ( )is an ascending group of three or more notes that uses the Oriscus for
the penultimate note. The top note is the most important note, to which the Oriscus is
“pulled.” The last (top) note of the Salicus marks, among other things: 1) a textual or
melodic accent; 2) an important structural note or 3) the preparation of a verbal/melodic

=
accent. The Pes Quassus ( ) has the same meaning as the Salicus – its last (top) note is
the most important one – the one toward which the melodic motion is tending.

>
The Quilisma (actually, a question mark!) ( ) is a light, quick note of passage between
two notes (usually at the interval of a minor third). Its note value is that of a diminished
syllable (e.g.: filii tui). It too, “leans toward” the top note.

All these neumatic elements can be combined to form a single neume group. Remember,
a neume is all the notes over a single syllable, and that: The last note before a change
of syllable always regains its full syllabic value.

Psalmody with an Antiphon

54
An English language setting of this antiphon:

The antiphon is repeated after the singing of the psalm verses.

(Recorded on ‘Lauds & Vespers for Christmas at Saint Meinrad,’ track 5, Saint Meinrad-4)

First, speak expressively the Latin text, emphasizing the important words and their
accents. Then sing the antiphon and its verse in the same way. Do the same with the
English language setting of this antiphon and its verse.

55
 Letters and abbreviations used in St. Gall and Laon 239

A. WITH A MELODIC MEANING

Letters used in St. Gall:

= high, higher
= higher
= lift up
= do not go higher
= same pitch
= lower
= a little, a small interval
= placed low

Letters used in Laon 239:

= high, higher
= lower, downward
= do not raise
= same pitch
= higher, raise up
= lower

B. INDICATING EXPRESSIVE VALUES

In St. Gall:
= quickly, speeding up
= slow down, broaden
= wait
= melodic climax, ring out!

In Laon 239:
= quickly, speeding up
= slow down, broaden

= broaden, enlarge ( between two notes)

= tightly connected
= do not hold!
= melodic climax, ring out!
Letters and adverbs added to the preceding signs to nuance the meaning:

= moderately
= greatly
= to do well or fully

56
C. SIGNS HAVING BOTH MELODIC AND EXPRESSIVE MEANING IN LAON

= descend quickly
= descend as quickly as possible

= ascend as quickly as possible

D. ABBREVIATIONS IN SAINT GALL

= immediately, strictly united

= close relation between two notes

= same (pitch), at the unison

= quietly
= energetically
= smoothly
= perfectly, completely

= with the throat, throatily

= with a strong voice
= with security, assuredly

57
 Part 4: Two- & Three-Note Designs

The Rhythmic interpretation of Two-note Neume Designs

CLIVIS St. Gall notation Laon 239 notation

BcyTcv %NPM #D
The Clivis neume design can either be a structural Clivis or an ornamental Clivis.

When used as a structural Clivis, the first note has the function of an appoggiatura. In
the case of a structural Clivis, the preceding melodic context needs to be taken into
consideration:

When the preceding note is:

resupinus in apposition

BcvSE4#@dcesccc Bcd†gfvfccrdccc
De- us De- us

In these two cases, the “appoggiatura function” has moved back to the resupinus note in
the first example and to the note in apposition in the second example. In both cases, the
rhythmic energy occurs on the preceding resupinus note, or note in apposition, and then
moves smoothly through the first note of the Clivis into its final note.

When a structural Clivis is not preceded by a resupinus note or a note in apposition, the
first note of the Clivis preserves its function as an appoggiatura and has full syllabic
value.

Simple melodic anticipation is an example:

Bvcygv ctfccc
De- us

In this case, the first note of the Clivis over the accented syllable of Dé-us has the
function of an energetic appoggiatura, while the first note of the Clivis over the final
syllable (Dé-us), indeed functions as an appoggiatura, but now its role is to help dissipate
the rhythmic energy and lead the remainder of that energy to the last note of this Clivis.

58
An ornamental Clivis can function as a melodic anticipation:

Bc8v8cygcvgccc
Do- mi- nus

Here, the first note of the Clivis has modal value, while the second note melodically
anticipates the note for the final post-tonic syllable.

An ornamental Clivis can have either a full structural syllabic value or a lesser one:

a lesser value: a full syllabic value:

Y % ! ª P P
Vvv vcFYccvvc¥yfcchc Vcc6v6ccygccy¥fccc
Mun- da me (GT 113.) li- be- ra (GT 133.2)

Whether the Clivis is structural or ornamental, the rhythmic energy moves smoothly –
without any new impulse – from the first to the second note.

PES or PODATUS St. Gall notation Laon 239 notation

BcccvFTcccc & Y $ L
Syllabic value: less more less more

Gregorian composition often uses the Pes as a neume of accentuation. In contrast, the
Clivis can be considered the preferred cadence neume. The Pes of accentuation generally
coincides with the tonic accent of a word. Sometimes, however, one can find a Pes of
accentuation on the final post-tonic syllable of a word. Examples are:

In. Dominus dixit (GT 41.4) “me-us” (my son!)

In. Clamaverunt (GT 450.2) “exaudivit” (the Lord heard them).

In each of these cases, the added syllabic value of the Pes of accentuation is used to give
emphasis to these key words by producing a rhetorical delay at the end of each of these
words. The melodic pitches of a Pes of accentuation are modally structural pitches in the
composition.

59
The Pes is also used as a neume of ornamentation:

n Of a recitation passage. The first note of the Pes is found on the recitation pitch
(cf. All. Dies sanctificatus [GT 49.4] “sanctificatus illuxit.” The Pes falls on the
tonic accent of the two words.

n Of a quasi-recitation passage in the midst of a composition or in a cadential

formula. The second note of the Pes is found on the quasi-recitation pitch (cf.
Esto mihi [GT 275.1] “esto”). The rhythmic energy moves quickly and smoothly
from the first note to the second note of the Pes. In this context, the Pes is often
found on the intermediate post-tonic and the final syllable of a word. The first
note of such a Pes can be found even on a weak degree of the modal scale (cf.
Dominus firmamentum [GT 290/8] “Dominus.” The intermediate post-tonic
syllable and the anacrusic pretonic syllables are often ornamented with this type
of Pes.

n Of a syllable that anticipates the word accent:

In. In excelso throno (GT 257.1 and 2) “excélso” and “adórat.”

A Pes that either ornaments or anticipates a word accent is interpreted as having only an
ornamental syllabic value:

IN. Ad te levavi (GT 15.1)

C " $ " " Laon 239 notation

Bct®scccSRcccccccGYvcchcv cgccccc
F
Ad
&
te
& vá-! vi$
le- St. Gall notation

ornamentation anticipation

Sometimes, in certain manuscripts, the Pes of ornamentation loses its first note,
especially when it has been anticipated at the same pitch, by the preceding neume:

60
GR. Tollite portas (GT 25.5) Verse: “Quis a-scéndit”

≤ $ $ ≤ L 12

VcfccFYccHUv cjc The note in brackets is not found in the Vat. Edition.

$ & & !
Quis a- scén- dit C 28

Like the Clivis, the first note of the Pes rhythmically tends toward the second note in a
smooth legato, whether it be a structural Pes or only an ornamental one.

The Rhythmic interpretation of Three-note Neume Designs

PORRECTUS St. Gall Laon239 St. Gall Laon 239

Bc¥§Ycc ^ N! G 9
Syllabic value = ornamental structural

Whether ornamental or structural, the Porrectus design demands that it be sung in a

smooth manner without any initial or intermediate impulses. The melodic flow must tend
toward the third note where either a syllabic or a neumatic articulation will occur. The
type of syllabic value (ornamental or structural) will depend upon the verbal context:

CO. Quis dabit (GT 101.5) % %

VchcJ(ccøªOcccøªOcccc
ex- sul-
^ bit^ Ja-
tá- cób,

The verbal context (tonic syllable, intermediate post-tonic syllable, final syllable) and the
modal context will determine the interpretative nuances to be used in singing the melodic
line indicated by the Porrectus design.

61
TORCULUS St. Gall Laon 239 St. Gall Laon 239

Bcfgfcc ( & i Y
Syllabic value = ornamental structural

The Torculus of ornamentation is used in the following verbal contexts:

–– that of a tonic accent syllable moving toward the articulation of the final post-tonic
syllable:

& ≤≤
Vccvv hkjv cjv cjccc
( !!
Audivit Do- mi- nus, (GT 68.1)

–– that of an intermediate post-tonic syllable (cf. Dó-mi-ne):

& ≤ & ≤
Vcvvccchj¥fcv hcchkjcvhccccc
IN. Exaudi nos
O Dó-
! ( $
mi- ne (GT 69.1)

–– that of a final post-tonic syllable as a neume that anticipates an accent:

cf. the neume over the word nos in the previous example.

–– that of a formula of intonation or re-intonation:

& ?
Bvcd†gfcc4v4ccc
IN. Dé-
( ª
us, in nomine tuo (GT 116.5)

62
–– as the ornamentation of a reciting pitch:

≤≤ & /
Bcchv chcvhˆkhccvv\vygv hjhccc
$ $ mé-
IN. Meditatio cor- dis
( %(
i (GT 103.3)

The Torculus of structural syllabic value is found in the following contexts:

–– in that of a cadential formula:

≤ Y ≤
Bvvcfcv fgfcv fccccc
$ i $
–– in a formula that uses structural syllabic values:

[ D
VcccccÁfjhvcygccccccccc
Dominus
i us% no- ster (GT 271.6-7)
Dé-

There are three special contexts in which a Torculus design is found:

1) in an intonation or re-intonation;
2) on the final post-tonic syllable;
3) as an ornamented passage toward a verbal-melodic accent.

For these three contexts, the manuscripts make use of a common element in their designs:
the first note is given a design that indicates an ornament, while the second and the third
note are given a “special” design to indicate a structural value for these notes.

1) Torculus of intonation or re-intonation.

It has the following characteristics:

– there is an interval of a third or a fourth between the first and the second note;
63
– the second note is usually a C or an F;
– the third note descends by a half-step (there are rare cases that use a whole-step) as an
ornamental note of the strong pitch (C or F);
– after the Torculus, the melody moves toward the pitch that is higher than the second
note of the Torculus (e.g.: C to D, or F to G).

≤ccX ≤ & ≤ ≤ L 79/10

Vccdcvdygcvhcchijccjcjcccc
$ % ! ($ $ E 169/11
IN. Ex- spe- cta Do- mi- num (GT 126.4)

In the Liber Hymnarius, the Torculus of intonation is called the “Torculus initio debilis.”
For this reason, many codices leave out the first note (cf. the St. Gall notation above).
The Vatican edition vacillates between using a Torculus and using a Clivis.

Having a diminished value, the first note should be sung lightly and lean toward the
second note. Taken together, the second and third note produce an ornamentation of the
structure pitch (C or F).

3) The Torculus of articulation on the final syllable of a word.

For the most part, it concludes a small melodic-verbal entity. It is usually found on the
melodic step immediately below a descending melody. As in the case of the Torculus of
intonation, some manuscripts of the West do not give the first note, while those of the
East do so. In the following example, taken from the IN. Gaudete, the Vatican edition
omits the first note in both cases:

& D & ] L 11/6

( f ( f E 7/8

Bcvv fcfcvfcvfgfccsdsvcsdscv asaccccccc

Pe- ti- ti- ó- nes ve- strae GT 31.7

In the interpretation of this passage, one has to remember that one is in the presence of a
cadential Clivis that is preceded by a weak sound. That weak sound has the function of
smoothing the attack of the first note. The Torculus design then functions as a kind of
“prepared appoggiatura” at the end of the word and/or the phrase.

64
4) The ornamental Torculus leading to a melodic-verbal accent.

This type of Torculus bridges the gap between the interval of a major third in the melody.

Major third
| |

Bcfcvcghgcvcchcccccc
1st degree 3rd degree

The following example shows the formula used for the word Misereris and then elided
for the word nihil in the same piece:

≤ X ≤ ≤ C ≤6 D L 37/5

$ l ! ! ! E>^ % E 93/4-6

Bcfccghgcv chccgcccccccfcv f©v§hv ctfcc

Mi- se- ré- ris [ . . . . . . . . . ] et ni- hil (GT 62.1)

The interpretation calls for conducting the rhythmic flow forward toward the accent of
the neume that follows the Torculus. The first note is weak and has only an ornamental
value, while the second note has a certain amount of importance as a structure pitch.
However, it must lead the rhythmic flow onward toward the real goal: the word accent
that follows. The entire movement is elided over the accented syllable of the word nihil.
The use of the Quilisma note for the first note of the Torculus design shows that it is a
very weak note.

CLIMACUS Xcc]cVc6v%v$ccc]ccccccccc6v%v#c}
in St. Gall: melodic

* s
In Laon 239:
t uv w y
k e d f g d
As isolated over a single syllable, the Climacus exists in the Gregorian repertory almost
exclusively as a three-note Neume. In the more ancient repertory of the chants for the
Mass, the Climacus is found to be a neume of ornamentation that spans the interval of a
minor third. Occasionally it involves a disjunctive interval between the second and the
third note as seen above in the second example given in square notation.

65
As seen in the St. Gall and Laon 239 notation given above, the neume can vary from
entirely ornamental to entirely structural values for the three descending notes. When the
first note is structural (cf. the second example of the St. Gall & Laon notation), it
coincides with the verbal-melodic accent of a word or phrase.

! #&s 6 E 151/8-9

(cf. GT 115/7 oratiónem). VvvcdcscFYc6v%v$cv6v6c

… o- ra- ti- ó- nem GT 115/7

When all three notes are structural (cf. the fourth example of the St. Gall & Laon
notation), it usually occurs in the context of the final post-tonic syllable and functions as
a cadence (cf. GT 294/7 Christi sui est,).

##& u E 317/13

XccccDR©v 6v%v$cDRcccc4v#v!cccc]c
Christi su- i est GT 294/7

When the Climacus design is used in composition with other neume designs, it can have
any of the five different combinations of ornamental and structural values shown above.
These will be found to correspond to the verbal-melodic context of the piece.

66
 St. Gall: + â | < $> Ô
Laon 239: ( "$ n ™ W :
1. An ornamental Scandicus made up of three quickly moving notes.
2. a Scandicus in which the first note is a structure pitch.
3. A Scandicus in which all three notes are structural pitches.
4. A Salicus neume in which the second note is an Oriscus design that leans toward the
note that follows.
5. A Quilisma-Scandicus in which the second note moves very lightly and quickly to
the final note and is frequently found to be missing in some German manuscripts.
Originally, the design was used as a question mark.
6. A Scandicus-Resupinus-Flexus in which only the third note is structural, the
remaining notes being entirely ornamental in nature.

It should be evident that for the most part, the square notation is unable to adequately
indicate which notes are structural (e.g.: number 3) and which are only ornamental (e.g.:
number 1) and which notes are being drawn to the structural pitch that follows (e.g.:
numbers 4, 5 and 6), or that flow from a structural pitch (e.g.: number 2 and 6). Hucbald
of St. Amand (+930) bears witness to this fact when he states:

Yet the customary notes [such as the St. Gall and Laon 239 notation] are not wholly
unnecessary, since they are deemed quite serviceable in showing the slowness or speed of
the melody, and where the sound demands a tremulous [a ‘soft’?] voice, or how the
sounds are grouped together or separated from each other, also where a cadence is made
upon them, lower or higher, according to the sense of certain letters – things of which
these more scientific signs [letters denoting pitch] can show nothing whatsoever.

Therefore if these little letters which we accept as a musical

notation are placed above or near the customary notes
[neumes], sound by sound, there will clearly be on view a
full and flawless record of the truth, the one set of signs
indicating how much higher or lower each tone is placed,
the other informing one about the afore-mentioned varieties
of performance, without which valid melody is not created.20

67
 Part 5: Melodic Embellishments in Chant
(their modern equivalents)

“The first step in any serious study of the chant consists of distinguishing the important
structural notes from the secondary ones. Only then can one respect their hierarchy or
order of importance.”21

Example 1: The tonic accent of the word (í-) should receive ample sound according to
the Virga with an episema in the St. Gall notation. Both Laon 239 and the St. Gall
notation indicate that the intermediate syllable (-te-) should be sung lightly and quickly.
Laon 239 uses the small dot to show this. The St. Gall notation adds a c (celeriter =
quickly) to the Tractulus. The final syllable (-rum) must now dissipate all the energy that
still remains from the tonic accent. The Bivirga in St. Gall has added episemas and the
two notes in Laon 239 have an “a” (= augete, enlarge) between them. These two notes
must be prolonged enough to absorb all the remaining energy that was generated by the
strong tonic accent on the first syllable of the word. The repetition of the last pitch
functions like a short version of a tremolo (not to be confused with a vibrato!), or those
repeated notes in a Baroque concerto. The effect is that of repeating the last syllable of
the word, like a fading echo. The rhythmic motion is toward the final note over the last
syllable of the word.

Example 2: Here the tonic accent has three notes. The first note in the St. Gall notation is
a Virga with an episema that indicates it should be sung with more than normal energy.
The e that follows it indicates that the flowing form of the Pes that follows it will begin
on the same pitch. The first note of the Pes should be sung very lightly and quickly, while
the second note regains full syllabic value as the last note over that syllable. The effect is
like that of an athlete straining forward and gaining momentum before quickly throwing
the javelin to the target. In this case, that target will be the last syllable of the word. One
can get a feel of this by energetically drawing that first St. Gall Virga and then quickly
drawing the beginning of the Pes shape and releasing that energy as you lift the pen. Try
directing yourself with those motions as you sing the word.
68
Example 3: In this example, the first two notes are sung lightly and quickly. The second
note acts as an upper embroidery of the main reciting pitch, while the first note functions
as a light portamento into that second note. The two notes function as ornaments leading
to the third note. Since this last note is the final note before the change of syllable, it
regains full syllabic value and becomes the goal of the melodic motion. The second
syllable (-ter-) now has two notes instead of just a single note as in the two previous
examples. However, they are notated by the flowing form of the Pes in both Laon 239
and in the St. Gall notation. The first note will be sung very lightly and quickly, while the
second note will regain full syllabic value as the last note before the change of syllable.
The effect will be that of a portamento style of singing, the first note being a light glide
into the second note as the really important note. Once again, the final note of the final
syllable will absorb all the remaining energy that was developed on the first syllable that
functioned as the tonic accent.

According to Guido of Arezzo two repercussed notes that are above a whole step in the
Gregorian correspond to three notes in the Roman, in which the second is an upper
embroidery of the other two notes: AA (Gregorian), ABbA (Roman). Example 3 from the
Graduale Triplex, page 232, line 4 is an illustration of this. Guido says: “… we frequently
produce these [intermediate] notes with a less strong impulsion, to such an extent that it
[the pitch] seems rise or fall when in fact it is the same note that is repercussed.”22 On the
other hand, when two repercussed notes are above a semitone in the Gregorian they
correspond in the Roman to three notes in which the second is a lower embroidery of the
other two notes: FF (Gregorian), FEF (Roman).

It seems that the Gallican cantors failed to hear those light, intermediate notes and
reduced these ornaments to a Bivirga, as seen in the first example above (GT 28/8). John
the Deacon tells us that the Frankish cantors sang like "... bellowing bulls that had the
voices of drunkards who were incapable of the sweet modulation required by the
inflections of the chant."23 On the other hand, Notker of St. Gall insisted that the Roman
cantors were constantly changing the melodies of the chants! Most likely, the Roman
cantors improvised these as embellishments that could be added or not, as the occasion
suggested. Among these embellishments were the frequent oscillations around the
subsemitonal degree, as seen in the following examples:

69
The Saint Denis (Old Roman) tradition oscillates around the subsemitonal degree, while
the Germanic tradition clearly uses the graphic designs that are characteristic of a unison
melody. Notice how the descent from the structure pitch A to the Final D in both
Sacerdotes tui GT 485.1 and in Omnis terra GT 260.5 is filled in with the subsemitonal
degree E around the structure pitch F in the Saint Denis tradition, while the VAT uses
repeated notes.

Besides the ornamental amplification of lengthened notes, the Roman tradition also
presents the habit of filling in disjoint intervals, especially descending ones, of gliding a
lengthened note downwards, often to the interval of a fourth. The last example (Terribilis
est, GT 397.2) shows this tendency to “fill in” from the F to the C over the final syllable
of the word celi. It also shows that the third note is so lightly sung that it could be heard
as either an F (in the VAT) or an E (in the DEN manuscript of the Roman version).

This ornamental amplification also concerns lengthened notes. Indeed the medieval
authors spoke of the fact that a lengthened note often becomes the place of a vibration our
even of a repercussion.

Example A: Example B:

The repetition of the first four notes over the word Tharsis (Thár-si-i-i--s; í--i-i-i--s) will
sound as if it creates an echo from a distant land. This would produce a kind of “word
painting” of the great distance between Bethlehem and the land of Tharsis (at the western
end of the Mediterranean sea). The repetition of the first four notes over the word dixit in
the second example will sound like the regular rhythmic pulsing of a human heart: dí--xi-
70
i-i--; í--i-i--it. Laon 239 indicates the lengthening of the fourth and the final note by the
additition of a t (tenere = hold) to those notes. The St. Gall notation adds an episema to
those notes for the same purpose.

Gregorian chant makes use of a number of techniques for embellishing a chant that grow
out of the types of inflections used in good public speaking. Among these are the
following:

Portamento: GT 30.5. The first note over the accented

syllable (sum-) of the word summo is missing in both the Vatican square notation and in
the St. Gall notation (Cantatorium, page 30). It is present as the first note of the quickly
flowing Pes given in the Laon 239 (p. 45) notation. The note was sung so lightly and
quickly that some cantors and notators did not think they heard a note at that point in the
melody. Today, it is a standard, respected technique of good bel canto singing and of
expressive violin playing (cf. Joshua Bell!).

Escape Tone: GT 37.1. In the square note

notation, the second note over the syllable li functions as an escape tone. The Laon 239
notator gives only a two-note, quickly flowing Clivis for that syllable. Thus the first note
will be sung very lightly and quickly, a forerunner of the modern escape tone. The final
note will regain full syllabic value and be the goal of the melodic motion. In the St. Gall
notation it is prepared by a portamento that produces a three-note neume, the Torculus.

GT 25.8. Here the escape tone is found near

the end of a punctuating melisma as the final C before the descent to the doubled G. It
functions as a delay in the melodic descent from A to G in the melodic line by a quick
return to the previous structure pitch, the note C.

Passing tone: GT 47.6. The second note of the Clivis over the
syllable li of the word filius functions as a passing tone that creates a smoothly
descending melodic line from the Torculus (an ornament of the structure pitch D) over
the first syllable of the word to the note A of the final syllable.

71
The following example shows the use of an ascending passing tone as the first note of the
Torculus over the second syllable of the word Misereris. When the formula is elided, the
passing tone becomes the weak Quilisma note on the first syllable of the word nihil in the
same piece:

≤ X ≤ ≤ C ≤6 D L 37/5

$ l ! ! ! E>^ % E 93/4-6

Bcfccghgcv chccgcccccccfcv f©v§hv ctfcc

Mi- se- ré- ris [ . . . . . . . . . ] et ni- hil (GT 62.1)

Trill: GT 59.2 CO. Vidimus stellam. The notes over the final
syllable of the word adoráre produce a kind of trill, or turn, that creates a rhetorical delay
for the passage to the word Dóminum (adore – the Lord!). It is given an even added
emphasis by the delay on the accented syllable, indicated by the x (= expectare, wait!)
between the accented syllable and the final syllable.

Tremolo: Cf. GT 58.5. Reges Tharsis in Example B as given above. The repetitions over
the word Tharsis produce a pulsing sound that resembles the sound produced by the
tremolo stop on a pipe organ. It adds vibrancy to a sustained pitch. The repetition of the
pattern in this example produces an echo effect, a kind of “word painting.”

Upper Neighbor: The Torculus neume Bcfgfc is often used to produce an upper

neighbor melodic embellishment.

Lower Neighbor: The Porrectus neume Bc®¢fc often functions as a lower neighbor

melodic embellishment.

Double Neighbor: GT 47.6 Puer natus est. Here it is used to highlight an

important word accent.

72
Appoggiatura: GT 88.1 CO. Domine, Deus meus.
The two-note Clivis over the word me functions as an appoggiatura. In both notations the
final two notes are lengthened for the final cadence. Laon 239 shows the first note as
having greater volume/intensity than the final note, since in the context of the cadence,
the smaller size of the final Uncinus would not indicate shorter length but less volume.

The Introit Puer natus est nobis (GT 47-48) provides some examples of embellishing a
basic structure pitch, the Dominant and reciting tone of the 7th mode.

Vvjv jv vjv v hv v hv v v¿kv vjv } Vv¿ijcjc} Vvj¿kjcjc} Vvuhb¿ijcjc}

(Pu-er na- tus est) no- bis no- bis no- bis no- bis

The accented syllable of the word nobis has the structure pitch E. To this is added a
melodic anticipation (the Clivis), a portamento (the Torculus) and finally the double
neighbor ornament (the two Clivis neumes).

The accented syllable of the word eius has the structure pitch C. (nómen) éius uses a
double neighbor turn as a “wind-up” to the accent and adds two notes to fill in to the final
syllable, which now is given an appoggiatura embellishment. (húmerum) éius uses a
lengthened Clivis to add power and a second Clivis to add speed to the accent. It finishes
with the same embellishments as the previous example. The added ornamentation is
appropriate for the phrase: “… whose rule [imperium] is on his (little) shoulders!”

(Recorded on ‘Gregorian Chant for Advent & Christmas in Latin and English,’ track 22, Mei-1-3k)

73
An English language setting of the Puer natus est antiphon with the elaborate
embellishment for the word “shoulder:”

Vvvdv v |34U|v vGYv uhi4jv vhv v jv v{v dv vfv hjhbhv fv |=>Tv gv fv vdv ]v v vA
7. A child is born for us, and a son is giv-en to us;

Vcdb b b bhb b b gb b bhb b |BI|v vjv [b b |FGIv vjv kv vb jb b vIy|fbygbJ6b%b$bNtfv vfv {v v A

his scep-ter of pow- er rests u-pon his should- er,

Vvdv v fv v y|fv v vgv vhv v47bh|kjv [v hjhbhv gv vfv[v hv v f|IhfQhI v vRdfRdv vdv v}
and his name will be called Mess-en-ger of great coun-sel.

Now sing the original Latin antiphon on page 47 of the Graduale Triplex.

74
 Part 6: How to Practice a Chant
The neume as a form of hand sign (chironomic) notation

(Reprinted by permission)

Conductor’s signs for conducting and singing Gregorian Chant

“Other than the obvious obligation of paying attention to the meaning of the words, the
singer need only follow the neumes step by step. They will guide [the singer] along as
if ‘by the hand’ [the voice following the gesture of the choirmaster’s hand, or the
copyist’s tracing of the neumes onto the parchment.] The early notations have been
called ‘chironomic,’ [Greek for ‘hand sign’] and the term is fully justified. … The
margin left to the singers for interpreting the chant is really quite large. However, there
can be no authentic expression of the chant if the objective indications provided in the
manuscripts are contradicted.

… The meaning of the words and the character of the musical composition, its length and
range, with the vocal demands it makes on the singers, as well as many other factors,
must all be taken into consideration when choosing the most suitable pitch, tempo and
expression for any given piece.”24

75
John Stevens tells us that: “the function of the notation was principally to guide the
singers in adapting language to melody, and in giving the right sounds to the melodic
turns. The earliest notation . . . is directly related to sentence punctuation, the function of
which was to help the reader bring out the sense of a text as he read it aloud. Notation
was similar to punctuation: it did its work by marking off the sense units of the text.”25

Leo Treitler concludes his article on the origins of music writing by saying: “All
Western notations in the beginning represented speech inflection. Either the notational
symbols are the written syllables of speech themselves (as in the Musica enchiriadis, c.
900 AD) or they are written in the closest coordination with syllables. … the earliest
specimens are notations closely tied to syllables in syllabic or neumatic settings.”26

I would only add a summary sentence: in the beginning was the WORD (spoken, or
sung); and the WORD was made visible — by the nod of the head, the gesture of the
hand, and the flow of the pen.

Two Examples of How to Practice a Chant

The first task of the singer/conductor is to commit to memory the melody of the piece of
chant in question. The earliest notation shows us in great detail how to perform the
chant, but it does not show us the exact pitches of the melody. At best, these notations
merely give us a hint as to the general direction of the melody. It was presupposed that
the singer knew the melody by heart. To compensate for what we moderns consider a
deficiency, the following transcription in modern notation is given for the Communion
Antiphon Oportet te:

76
-xGxcKxHxgxxHxFxHxgxgx
O- por- tet te fi- li gau- de- re,
It is fitting for you, son to rejoice,

-xGxGccc¥ckccKxKxKxKxcJxHxKxJxhx
qui- a fra- ter tu- us mor- tu- us fu- e- rat,
because brother (of) yours dead was,

-xxHxFxgxgx
et re- vi- xit;
and has come back to life;

-xGcccKccJxgxHx∫cfcc©chccvvHcccgccc}
per i- e- rat, et in- ven- tus est.
he was lost, and has been found.

A late tenth century cantor at the abbey of Einsiedeln would have used the following
notation as a reminder of how the piece went. Some letters and added signs (liquescents
and episemas) have been added by the notator to warn the singer of certain potential
problems:

77
The letter “s” (sursum = higher) warns the singer that the second pitch is higher than one
might have normally expected (the interval of a perfect fourth, (G to C). The loop at the
end of the Virga over the first syllable of the word “gaudere” allows the singer time to
add the “u” of the diphthong before proceeding on to the next syllable. The loop at the
end of the Virga over the word “et” has the letter “a” (altius = high) added to it. It warns
the singer to stay on the same pitch as the singer adds the “t” sound to the end of the word
before going on the next word. The notator has added an episema to the Virga over both
of the final syllables of the word “revixit.” The added time gives emphasis to the word
“revixit” (= he has come back to life!).

Using the three notations as found in the Graduale Triplex, p. 95 for the Communion
antiphon Oportet te, try your hand at choosing which of the two early notations (Laon
239 or Einsiedeln 121) you wish to use at any given point, in interpreting the piece in the
most meaningful and musical manner.

As an aid in getting you started, the following are some observations derived from a
comparison of the two early notations. The Laon 239 notation is written above the notes
on the staff, while the St. Gall family notation (Einsiedeln 121) is written above the text
and below the staff.

• The Laon 239 notation gives carefully nuanced values to each of the syllables for
the phrase “Oportet te.” The accented syllable receives the largest form of the Uncinus
while the final word “te” receives the smallest one. The accented syllable of the word
“fili” also receives the largest form of the Uncinus, while the final syllable receives the
smallest one. In this manner, the two key words “Oportet” (It is fitting) and “fili” (son)
are brought into relief by the rhythmic and intensity nuances given them, while the word
“Oportet” is shown to be the most important of the two words by its melodic position.
The entire opening phrase ends with the verb “gaudere” (to rejoice). Both notations use a
liquescent neume for the diphthong “gau-“ that begins the word. Laon 239, however, uses
a two-note Pes (FA-LA) instead of the single-note liquescent Virga (LA) used by
Einsiedeln 121. The added note of Laon 239 produces a kind of smooth “portamento”
between the two words “fili” and “gaudere.” The Einsiedeln 121 version seems a bit
more abrupt at this point.

• The phrase “quia frater … fuerat,” is set to the traditional Mode 8 psalm tone
formula. As a psalm tone pattern, it should be sung lightly and quickly.

78
• The phrase “et revixit” is set to a simple variation of a Mode 8 cadence. However,
by the use of a liquescent neume for the word “et,” Einsiedeln 121 asks that the “and” be
carefully enunciated and the continuation to the word “revixit” be given a rhetorical
delay. This same notation also adds an episema to the last two syllables of the word
“revixit” (he has been brought back to life!) for added emphasis.

• The setting for the phrase “perierat, et inventus est” is a melodic echo of the
preceding phrase “mortuus fuerat, et revixit.” Laon 239 uses its large version of the
Uncinus for the word “et.” This lengthening of the word “et” produces a very dramatic
rhetorical delay before announcing the good news that the son who was lost –– has been
found.

• As in the case of the word “revixit,” the Einsiedeln 121 notation has given added
emphasis to the word “inventus est” (and he has been found!) by the use of liquescent
neumes and the added letter “t” (hold out) for the first two syllables (in- and ven-).

• The Laon 239 liquescent design over the syllable “in” of the word “inventus”
makes an excellent director’s gesture for getting the singers to add the “n” to that syllable
before moving on to the accented syllable “ven.”

• It should be noted, however, that the first note of the Pes over the syllable “ven”
is a light, quickly moving note in both notations. It provides for a smooth “portamento”
movement from the pitch F at the end of the syllable “in“ through the G to the actual
word accent on the pitch A for the syllable “ven.”

• Laon 239 uses the very small version of its Uncinus for the last word (“est”) of
the piece. In this context it is clear that the small size of the Uncinus indicates that the last
word is to be sung softly, even though it will receive a great deal of lengthening in order
to signal the end of the entire piece.

This Communion antiphon was alternated with the 8th psalm tone:

79
 An English Language setting

The Comedite Communion Antiphon

An introduction to the role of modality in the performance
of Gregorian chant
The Communion antiphon Comedite pinguia, provides an excellent summary of the four
basic modes: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian. By dividing each of these into an
authentic and a plagal mode, one arrives at the Carolingian Octoechos. This antiphon also
shows the crucial role played by each of the four types of cadential thirds.

80
 The Comedite Antiphon as found in Einsiedeln 121

Communion Antiphon for the 3rd Sunday, Cycle C

GT 268/2; Gregorian Missal, p.441

81
Four modes in one

This is an excellent example of the use of modality for setting a specific “mood” for each
phrase of the text:

1st phrase: the Hypolydian mode (Mode VI) = quiet compassion.

2nd phrase: the Hypophrygian mode (Mode IV) = inner longing.
3rd phrase: the Dorian mode (Mode I) = solemn reassurance.
4th phrase: the Hypomixolydian mode (Mode VIII) = confidence and strength.

1st phrase: “Go, eat rich meat, and drink sweet wine, (6th mode)
2nd phrase: and send portions to those
who have prepared nothing for themselves; (4th mode)
3rd phrase: this is a holy day in honor of the Lord; do not be sad; (1st mode)
4th phrase: for the joy of the Lord is our strength.” (8th mode)

The Structural Pitches

of the Comedite Antiphon
The structure pitches of the antiphon:

\vvc sc c cgc c gc c gc c hc c cgc c fc [c cfc chc chc 7cjc c hc c c fc c]c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c

Co- me- di- te pin- gui- a, et bi- bi- te mul- sum, (6th mode)

\vvc c c fc c cfc c gc chc c chc c gc [c hc cgc c fc c cfc c c cfc c cdc c gc c hc c c gvc c c gc cdc {c c
et mit- ti- te par- tes e- is qui non prae- pa- ra- ve- runt si- bi: (4th mode)

\vvc c c c hc c c gc c chc cgc c c hc cgc c chc c cgc cgc c sc ]c c sc cfc cdc c gc c cfc c csc c csc c{c c
sanc- tus e- nim di- es Do- mi- ni est, no- li- te con- tri- sta- ri: (1st mode)

\vvc c c chc c c hc chc c chc cgc c fc c chc c c hc c hc c hc [c chc cgc cgc c gc c cgc c cgc c c c c c c }
gau- di- um et- e- nim Do- mi- ni est for- ti- tu- do no- stra. (8th mode)

The cadential third at the end of each line establishes the mode for that phrase:

82
First line: A to F (múl-sum) establishes the Lydian mode. The use of the B flat
establishes it as the Hypolydian mode (mode VI).
Second line: G to E (sí-bi) establishes the Phrygian mode. The use of A and G as
dominant notes establishes it as the Hypophrygian mode (mode IV).
Third line: F to D (con-tri-stá-ri) establishes the Dorian mode. The use of A as the
dominant pitch establishes it as the authentic Dorian mode (mode I).
Fourth line: B to G (forti-tú-do) establishes the Mixolydian mode. The use of the B
natural as an ornamental note over the accent syllable establishes it as the
Hypomixolydian mode (mode VIII).

As a practice technique, memorize the melody in the following manner:

1) Memorize the melody for each word and/or sense unit (e.g.: “Comedite” –
“pinguia” – “et bibite” – “mulsum”) and conduct yourself singing each unit by retracing
the designs over that word, or word unit, as found in the Einsiedeln 121 manuscript.

2) Combine these memorized words into the four basic units of this piece:

(1) Comedite pinguia et bibite mulsum

(2) Et mittite partes eis qui non preparaverunt sibi

(3) Sanctus enim dies domini est nolite contristari

(4) Gaudium et enim domini est fortitudo nostra.

3) Practice each of the four sections alone until you have a good feel for the mood of
that section. Continue conducting yourself with the Einsiedeln notational designs.

4) Finally, combine the four sections into a single piece while conducting yourself
with the Einsiedeln notational designs.

83
 Part 7: Graphic Separation
Larger Neume groupings
In larger groupings of neume elements, the rhythmically and structurally important notes
are indicated by three basic kinds of graphic separation:

1) Initial separation has the characteristic of being the point of departure for the melodic
movement. It acts like a springboard (cf. GT.20/8):

2) Median separation pinpoints the expressive notes contained in a complex series of

pitches over a single syllable. These notes can be either “pivot” notes or “articulation”
notes that distinguish the secondary phrases of the total neume group (cf. GT.36/7, the
“Ave Maria”):

There are three rhythmically significant separations:

1) in the midst of a melodic ascent (cf. GT.48/6):

2) at the peak of the melodic curve (cf. GT.148/5):

84
3) in the midst of a melodic descent (GT.16/5):

A graphic separation at the base of the melodic curve is neutral.

(Following is the complete Christus factus est Gradual from which the previous example
is taken.)

Christ became obedient unto death, even death on the cross.

Wherefore God has highly exalted him, and given him a name,
Which is above every name.

(Recorded on ‘Gregorian Chant in Latin & English for Lent & Easter,’ track 11, Mei-2-3k)

85
3) Final separation indicates the termination of a melodic movement within an extended
neume group (cf. the “ven-tris tui” in GT.37/2):

The importance that these graphic separations indicate for the note before the break, may
be that of length or of volume, or both. The following examples show how the different
groupings of the same set of pitches produce different rhythms. Use your hand to re-trace
the neume designs as you sing the pitches.

1) In the midst of a melodic ascent:

&( instead of ## (

2) At the peak of the melodic curve:

&( instead of (%

3) In the midst of a melodic descent:

% ( instead of ) %

The following pages present: 1) the original notation, 2) the square notation of the
Graduale Triplex, and 3) a Schenker style analysis of the Intonation of the Offertory Ave
Maria (GT 36.7) that shows how these different types of graphic separation bring to light
the basic structure pitches of this elaborate melodic line. The famous Archangelica trope
is included in order to show how a medieval chant teacher taught the structure pitches of
this melody to his students.

86
The Offertory Ave Maria as found In Einsiedeln 121:

Find the structure pitches of the melody (cf. the structural analysis of the word Ave that is
given below). Then memorize the melody for each sense unit (i.e.: Ave maria – gratia
plena – benedicta tu – in mulieribus – et benedictus – fructus – ventris tui). Then sing
each unit as you trace the Einsiedeln 121 neumes above the words. Finally, sing the entire
piece while directing yourself as you trace the neume designs.

The square notation of the Graduale Triplex

Hail Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with you:
blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

87
1 and 3 = graphic separation at the peak of the melodic curve
2 = graphic separation in the midst of a melodic descent
4 = graphic separation in the midst of a melodic ascent

88
 Melismatic Chants
1) Single-group neumes:

The notion of grouping consists of one or other notes of greater rhythmic value that have
collected other notes around themselves as a group. Such a greater rhythmic value can
draw attention to a rhythmic articulation. It often deals with a slight agogic extension or
an amplification. The following are examples of such groupings. They have been taken
from the Graduale Triplex.

All of these cases are examples of a single-group neume. In 2, the division of the
grouping is brought about by the non-flowing note within the neume, in 3 and 8, by the
two nonflowing notes at the beginning of the neume, in 1, 4, 5 and 9, through the non-
flowing beginning of the neume in 6 and 7. In the case of amplification (10), as a general
rule, it is not just the increased sound coming out of the initial note, which indeed is of
greater value, but the entire increased sound itself, a sound that includes the other notes
as a group.

2) Multiple-group neumes:

Within a multiple-group neume, the notion of neume grouping gives evidence of the
chaining of two or more single-group neumes, which in this connection are called
subgroups, or subordinate units. For the musical understanding and realization of this sort
of neume grouping, it is necessary to recognize the places where concatenation occurs,
that is to say, where the final note of a subgroup leads on into another group.

Normally, a rhythmic articulation is connected to such a place of concatenation, even

though the connection usually occurs at the base of the melodic curve. In this latter case,
the articulation often possesses the function of a rhythmic distinction. Nevertheless, it is a
question of determining if it is a true graphic separation at the base of a curve, and
therefore a musically autonomous subgroup comes to an end, or whether the following
notes are still part of this same subgroup. A distinction can be present only in the first
89
case. This will be illustrated by a concrete example:

In this example, the subgroups indicated by arcs within the two melismas, give the
meaning of musically more or less autonomous units within the whole. As a
consequence, there is no articulation connected with notes 1, 4 and 8. On the contrary, it
is a question in all three places of a rather insignificant agogic at the end of the two Clivis
notes.

The last two subgroups 10 and 11 show slightly different rhythmic patterns in L and SG.
Nevertheless, the context of the two versions suggests an extended final articulation for
the last two notes.

The final notes 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are rhythmically important. While the Resupinus note 2
carries the normal syllabic articulation, note 3 at the bottom of the Pressus major is the
carrier of a distinction articulation. Note 5 and the Resupinus note 7 seem to be at least a
distinction if not also a pivot point. The same seems to be true for note 9 in the SG
version, while this same note in L, because of the Virga (10) that follows it, would have
more the meaning of a preparation for note 10 as the center of a rhythmic pivot. This
Virga in L would then have the meaning of a Resupinus note, according to the notational
practice of Laon. As an ornament and without any articulation, the quickly flowing Clivis
notes (6) move quickly into the following quickly moving Trigon.

3) Single notes as part of neume groups or Melismas:

An isolated note as part of a neume group or a melisma does not have either a graphic or
a musical autonomy. On the contrary it is always classified as part of a group of notes,
whether it be preceding, or following them. Thus in these classifications it takes on a
special position with a relatively large musical importance:

1: Single group neume with separate non-flowing single note at the beginning of the
neume. This note is not autonomous either graphically or musically. It belongs to the
group of following notes. It stands out from them and that doubtless also in the sense of a
rhythmic predominance.

90
2: Here also the single note graphically stands out from the following three notes forms
and all the more does it also form a musical unity.

3. The Virga, as the single note resupinus element, is classified as belonging to the
preceding Climacus. If the preceding note is flowing, then the Resupinus note* is ∗

normally also flowing, unless it is in composition with other neume elements that follow
it. Then the function of being a rhythmically relevant pivot point is confided to it.

4. This part of what seems to be a large Melisma, is made up of two subgroups, the first
of which ends with a rhythmically important sol. The following isolated note in front of
the second subgroup is classified as belonging to it. It is clearly a Virga placed in the
middle of a melodic descent. If this note were to be classified as part of the first subgroup
and therefore its rhythmic conclusion, the notator of SG would have indicated that note,
not by a Virga, but by a Tractulus. Under its rhythmic aspect, the entire passage
represents a rather complex situation, insofar as at first glance there seems to be two
points of articulation that follow one another. In reality, a phenomenon comparable to
rhythmic amplification would seem to be present here without the repetition of the sound.
An important modal degree sol has been reached and then followed by another important
structural degree, the fa.
5. The first of the three notes marked with a star in the melisma, is classified as an initial
articulation followed by a double Clivis at the beginning of the first subgroup. This first
subgroup ends with a lengthened final note. Consequently the following single note
should not be indicated as resupinus, but be classified as the new articulated beginning
and the point of departure of a torculus resupinus as one entity. This interpretation is
supported by the clear spatial distance between the preceding Clivis and the Virga in E.
This second graphic subgroup ends with the non-flowing Resupinus note of the Torculus
Resupinus which is the link to the third graphic subgroup and which receives the function
of the center of an intensifying rhythmic pivot. The example ends with a single stropha
that is classified as being in apposition at the unison with the preceding quickly flowing
Torculus. a somewhat greater agogic tension toward the final note. In L, this type of
agogic rhythm can be presented by a single graphic entity, while SG needs two graphic
units for this.

By the same logic, it follows that an interruption of the writing in the middle of or at the
end of a neume - except in the case of a graphic necessity - indicates a non-flowing note.
Moreover, this should also be applied at the beginning of a neume: if it is seen that
immediately after the first note, the notator interrupts the continuance of the line, as in the
cases 1, 2 and 5 of example 956, then the first note is to be considered a non-flowing
note.

An example of a melismatic chant

*
There is no contradiction in the fact that a Resupinus note in the case of a single group
neume always functions as a rhythmic target. Moreover, it also appears at a syllabic
articulation.
91
The gradual Haec dies for the feast of Easter is given below as an example of the 2nd
mode graduals, sometimes known as the Justus ut palma formula melodies. The formula
is used for the graduals of the days just before Christmas, for Christmas Midnight Mass
and other major solemnities. These graduals were composed for a schola, and the verses
for a well-trained soloist.

Study this gradual for its use of:

1) multiple group neumes;

2) special neume designs;
3) rhythmic nuances indicated by episemas and letters;
4) how the melody and its nuanced rhythm highlight certain words.

92
(Recorded on ‘Gregorian Chant in Latin & English for Lent & Easter,’ track 16, Mei-2-3k)

1) Speak the text as if proclaiming it in a solemn assembly on Easter Sunday.

2) Study how the formula treats important word accents.
3) Study how different modally important pitches are used to punctuate the text.

93
Direct this chant with your hand at the same time as you sing it.
Imitate the designs given above the staff.
How do the neumes help to interpret the English text?

(Refer to Part 9 for a complete analysis of the Haec dies Gradual.)

94
 Part 8: Examples of the 8 Modes

Finding the Rhetorical Elements

In Each of the Eight Carolingian Modes
A text setting in Mode I:

Rorate caeli desuper,

Shower, O heavens, from above,

et nubes pluant iustum

and clouds will rain down the Just One:

aperiatur terra
will open up the earth,

et germinet Salvatorem.
and bud forth the Savior.

95
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation in which all of the ornaments
found in the original have been stripped away:

-xSxHcchccKxHxKxLxkc]ccFxHxGxKxcHcccGcccfcc]
Ro- rá- te caé- li de- sú- per et nú- bes plú- ant iú- stum:

-ccFccGcccHcccKccGccFc˝ccscc]cccFcccFcccGcccSxFxcSxDxsxc}
a- pe- re- á- tur tér- ra, et gér- mi- net Sal- va- tó- rem.

In this example, each of the four lines of the text has its own:

1) intonation,
2) climax point, and
3) concluding cadence.

Each accent is placed on a pitch that is higher than the final syllable of that word. The
accent is also usually higher than the syllable (or syllables) that precede it. In each case, a
“roman arch” effect is produced for the individual word, as well as for each sense unit of
the text. In all eight of these “gregorian” chant settings, the role of rhetoric has
established its rule over the music and finds itself elevated as the custos recte loquendi
(the guardian of good proclamation). This can be seen in the following structural
analysis:

In the first line, the intonation is the frequently used leap of a Perfect Fifth from D (the
Final of the mode) to A (the Dominant of the mode). The climax point is reached over the
word super (above) on the octave pitch above the modal Final. In the second line, the
climax comes over the word pluant (shower, or rain down) on the “super accent” pitch C.
In the third line, the climax again comes on the pitch C. In the fourth line, the melody
descends through the cadential third intervals F, and E to the D, the Final of the mode.

This basic rhetorical structure is gracefully ornamented in the actual composition:

96
As seen below, the addition of the Laon 239 notation helps to clarify certain rhythmic
nuances in this piece. It adds a “t” for the second note over the accented syllable of the
word “Rorate” that confirms the rhythmic importance of the graphic separation given by
both notations. The addition of a “t’ by Laon 239 for the first note over the accented
syllable of the word “pluant” clarifies its function as a “springboard” note. The two notes
that follow are shown to be very quick notes in both notations. The first note of the three-
note Torculus over “et germinet” is to be sung very quickly and lightly. In fact, it is
omitted in the Laon 239 notation. The very large Uncinus in Laon 239 for the second
note of the Torculus over the accented syllable of the word “Salvatorem” indicates that it
is the more important of the three notes.

97
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation:

The new note symbols used for this modern notation system are designed to represent the
three basic differences in notes values that are indicated by the ancient manuscripts. They
are the following:

v v 6cY v v = augmented syllabic value (e.g. non confundentur)

v v6 v v v v
= = average syllabic value (e.g. veni Domine)

cc,cc = diminished syllabic value (e.g. filii tui)

These three stemless notes are used to replace the exclusive use of the eighth note, or the
black dot, used in most modern notation editions of chant. The actual amount of
augmentation or diminution of syllabic value will depend primarily upon the verbal
context in which the notes occur. Even the black dot of average syllabic value can have
its value slightly augmented – or even diminished! Such augmentation is usually
indicated by the use of an added horizontal episema over the note, or notes, in question.
Before performing this piece at a liturgical service, a cantor at the abbey of Einsiedeln in
the latter part of the tenth century would have studied this piece from the small “pocket
size” Codex Einsiedeln 121, with the following musical notation:

98
The notation presupposes that the singer already knows the melody and only needs
reminders about the various kinds of rhythmic flow involved in the piece. It is basically a
chironomic (hand sign) notation. The singer need only follow the flow of the pen to find
the rhythmic flow of the piece that was originally indicated by the flow of the director’s
hand. When the hand stops at the end of a graphic design (e.g. the Podatus over the
accented syllable of the word (Rorate) and then begins again with a new design (e.g. the
Virga over that same syllable), the singers who are following the movement of that hand,
will naturally tend to add some time and emphasis to the second note of that series: D-A-
Bb. The use of the letter “t” in the Laon 239 notation functions as a confirmation of the
rhythmic meaning for that hand gesture. It also adds emphasis to the arrival at the reciting
tone and Dominant (A) of mode I.

99
A text setting in Mode II:

Terribilis est locus iste:

How awesome is place this

Hic domus Dei est, et porta caeli:

This house of God is and gate of heaven

Et vocabitur aula Dei.

And will be called (the) dwelling place of God.
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation in which all of the ornaments
found in the original have been stripped away:

_xJccJccHcccFcccjcccLcccLccLccjcc]ccHcccKcccKccccLcccJccjcc]
Ter- rí- bi- lis est ló- cus í- ste: hic dó- mus Dé- i est,

_ccJccLcccc:ccc:cccchc]cHccJccc:cccLccchc]ccJcccJcccKccjcc}
et pór- ta caé- li: et vo- cá- bi- tur aú- la Dé- i.

100
The following example shows the underlying structure of the composition:

The climax of the piece occurs over the accent of the word caeli (heaven) on the “super
accent” pitch G. The melody touches that pitch once again, but very lightly and quickly
for the accent of the word vocabitur (will be called). It then moves back to the Final of
the mode, the pitch D.

The following example shows the full melodic elaboration of the piece:

101
The piece appears in the Graduale Triplex, p. 397 as follows:

Laon 239 adds its normal clarification of added length for the final note of the Tristropha
over the word locus and the word vocabitur. It also shows a rhythmic variation for the
last three notes of the final syllable of the word caeli. Laon 239 gives a quickly moving
Torculus, while Einsiedeln 121 gives an entirely non-quickly moving Torculus. The
small Puncta of Laon 239 for the first two syllables of the next phrase warns the singers
to begin this last phrase (“et vocabitur”) in a quickly moving manner.

The following is a version of this piece in modern notation:

102
The following is the St. Gall notation for this piece as given in the manuscript Einsiedeln
121, folio 246. Use your directing hand to re-trace the movements of the notator’s hand
when he drew the original notation:

A text setting in Mode III:

Qui meditabitur in lege Domini die ac nocte,

Whoever will meditate on the law of the Lord day and night,

Dabit fructum suum in tempore suo,

Will bear his fruit in due time.

103
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation in which all of the ornaments
found in the original have been stripped away:

-xDcccHcccGcccKcccKccjcccJccKcccJcccJcccKcccgcc
Qui me- di- tá- bi- tur in lé- ge Dó- mi- ni

-cccHccGccHccFcccdccccHcccGcccKcccGccccFcccfccccc
dí- e ac nó- cte, dá- bit frú- ctum sú- um.

-ccDcccHcccGcccFccFccdccc}
in tém- po- re sú- o.

The following example shows the underlying structure of the composition:

The highest melodic accents occur on the key words meditabitur, lege and fructum. The
entire piece forms a well balanced roman arch that rises from the E (the Final of the
mode) through the A (the modern Dominant for Mode IV) on to the climax pitches on C
(the modern Dominant of Mode III) and then back through the A to the Final on E.

104
The following example shows the full melodic elaboration of the piece:

The piece appears in the Graduale Triplex as follows:

The use of the Oriscus in both notations for the syllable immediately following the accent
syllable in the word meditabitur indicates that the melody descends at this point to the
ancient Dominant of mode III, the pitch B. The first note of the Torculus over the last
syllable of the word fructum is clearly given in both Laon 239 and Einsiedeln 121. It
must have been sung so quickly and lightly that it was not heard by later notators.
Following the later notational tradition, the Vatican edition has omitted the note. That
note (an F) has been added at this place in the following modern notation version.

105
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation:

The following is the St. Gall notation for this piece as given in Einsiedeln 121, folio 95.
Use your directing hand to re-trace the movements of the notator’s hand when he drew
the original notation as you sing this piece:

In using the St. Gall notation, practice the piece by breaking it into its basic sense units
and repeating that unit until you are comfortable with it.

Here is a suggested practice sequence:

1) Memorize the pitches, one sense unit at a time, as given in the modern notation
version.

2) Conduct your singing with your hand by re-tracing the St. Gall neumes as seen above
in the Einsiedeln manuscript, but for that sense unit only.

106
3) Break the piece into the following sense units:

Qui meditabitur / in lege Domini / die ac nocte /

Dabit fructum suum / in tempore suo.

4) Practice conducting and singing each one separately.

5) Combine these sense units into larger units:

Qui meditabitur in lege Domini die ac nocte /

Dabit fructum suum in tempore suo.

6) Finally, conduct and sing the entire piece while giving each sense unit an appropriate
emphasis and tempo according to the meaning of the text as you understand it and the
added signs (e.g.: “t”, “c” and episemas) indicate.
A text setting in Mode IV:

Sicut oculi servorum in manibus dominorum suorum

Just as the eyes of servants (are) on the hands of their masters:

Ita oculi nostri ad Dominum Deum nostrum,

So our eyes are on the Lord our God,

Donec misereatur nobis: miserere nobis Domine, miserere nobis.

Until he has mercy on us: have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

107
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation in which all of the ornaments
found in the original have been stripped away:

-cccFccFcccGccGcccGccGccccHcccchc]ccHcccKcccGcccfcccFcccFcccHccGccc
Sic- ut ó- cu- li ser- vór- um in mán- i- bus do- mi- nó- rum

-ccGccFcccdccc]ccFccFccGccGccGccHcccgccccGccHccccGccccGccccHccccHccc
su- ó- rum: i- ta ó- cu- li no- stri ad Dó- mi- num De- um

-ccGcccdcc]ccGcccGccccHcccHccccGcccGccKcccKccchc]cccDcccGcccGcccGccc
no- strum do- nec mi- se- re- á- tur no- bis: mi- se- ré- re

-cccHcccGcccHccccGcccscc]ccGcccGcccGccGccGcccdcc}
no- bis Dó- mi- ne, mi- se- ré- re no- bis

108
The following example gives the structural pitches of the musical setting:

The piece begins on the pitch E (the Final of the mode), but uses the structure pitch F for
the first word accent (Sicut). It then ascends to the ancient Dominant of the mode (G) and
continues to ascend to a climax on the pitch C for the word manibus (hands). Musically,
the piece uses the same initial intonation formula for the next phrase “ita oculi nostri …”
to highlight the “Just as … so also …” comparison in the text. The psalm tone recitation
formula continues for the phrase “donec misereatur nobis” (until he show us mercy) with
a second use of the climax pitch C for the word “nobis.” The first plea for mercy ends
below the Final of mode IV on the note D. In fact, it produces a mode I cadence on the
word “Domine.” The entire phrase seems to be a form of word painting in which the
singer has “bowed over” to make a plea for mercy. The final phrase repeats the plea for
mercy, but now returns to a normal cadence for mode IV on E.

109
The following example shows how the piece has made use of typical mode IV
ornamental figures:

These ornamental figures are either elaborations of the structure pitches, or as

ornamentations of the cadences using the G-F-E minor third that is used to mark off all
but two of the sense units. The elaborate cadence on the modern Dominant A over the
final syllable of the word “servorum,” produces a tension-filled rhetorical delay. It is a
delay that gives us the feel of servants keeping their eyes fastened on the hands of their
masters for a signal to do something. The other tension-filled cadence also ends on A and
closes the phrase: donec misereatur nobis. Like the previous cadence on A, it expresses
the feeling that the singer will continue to look toward the Lord until he shows us mercy.
The use of a mode I cadence for the first plea for mercy (miserere nobis Domine) seems
to give the word Domine an expression of deep reverence. Starting from that pitch (the
D), the final plea for mercy returns to the ancient Dominant G and a typical mode IV
concluding cadence.

110
The conflicting pull between the ancient (G) and the modern (A) Dominant for mode IV
can be seen in the two different rhythmic notations given for the Scandicus neumes used
over the accent syllable of the words oculi and donec. The St. Gall family notation uses a
Quilisma Scandicus neume that gives rhythmic importance to the ancient Dominant G.
On the other hand, the Laon 239 notation uses all quickly moving puncta until the final
lengthened Virga that gives the rhythmic importance to the modern Dominant on the
pitch A. Both notations agree that the recitation pitch for the remaining syllables is G.

The following is a version of this piece in modern notation. Again, break the piece into its
sense units in order to practice it. It is often helpful to break the piece down into its
individual words for the sake of greater confidence. The Einsiedeln manuscript version
that follows this modern notation version can then be of great help in finding the many
rhythmic and interpretative nuances intended by the early notator.

111
The Codex Einsiedeln 121, folio 104 gives the following notation for this piece:

In using the St. Gall notation, practice the piece by breaking it into its basic sense units
and repeating each unit until you are comfortable with it. Here is a suggested practice
sequence:

1) Memorize the pitches, one sense unit at a time.

2) Conduct your singing with your hand by re-tracing the St. Gall neumes as seen above
in the Einsiedeln manuscript, one sense unit at a time.

3) Combine these sense units into larger units.

4) Finally, conduct and sing the entire piece while giving each sense unit an appropriate
emphasis and tempo according to the meaning of the text as you understand it and
according to the indications given by the added signs (e.g.: “t”, “c” and episemas).

112
A text setting in Mode V:

Domine refugium factus es nobis a generatione et progenie:

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next:

A saeculo, et in saeculum tu es.

From age and unto age you are.

113
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation in which all of the ornaments
found in the original have been stripped away:

-ccFcccHcccKcccKccLcccKcccKcccKcccGccccHcccKcchc]c
Dó- mi- ne re- fú- gi- um fá- ctus es nó- bis

-cccFcccGccHcccHccHcccKccHcccGcccHcccLcccLcckc]c
a ge- ne- ra- ti- ó- ne et pro- gé- ni- e:

-cc7JccKcvc7JcccHcccHcc7JccvKcccHcccchc]ccHccfccc}
a saé- cu- lo, et in saé- cu- lum tu es.

This mode V Introit antiphon is a very clear example of the role of psalm tone structure
in the creation and performance of a piece of Gregorian chant. Stripped of its ornaments,
the basic psalm tone formula with its standard intonation formula and median cadence,
stands out very clearly in the first line. The final line introduces the B-flat that avoids the
use of the Tritone (B down to F) as the melody descends for its concluding cadence on
the Final of the mode, the pitch F.

114
The following example shows the underlying structure of the composition:

The piece begins with a typical quickly moving Mode V intonation with a median
cadence formula at the end of the first line. The second line begins with a re-intonation
and concludes with another median cadence at “et in saeculum.” The words “tu es” (you
are) are set apart for the final cadence, with special emphasis reserved for the word “tu”
(you). Two other words, “refugium” (refuge) and “progenie” (the next generation), are
given special emphasis by having their accented syllables placed on the D above the
Dominant /recitation pitch C for mode V. With the exception of the opening word,
Dómine, and the word “tu,” all the other word accents occur on the Dominant, or reciting
tone, of mode V. The Mode V psalm tone formula has determined the melodic shape of
the opening word “Dómine.” The melodic shape of the concluding phrase “tú es,” was
determined by the customary use of the 0 (A > G > F) for the final cadence.

115
The following example shows the full melodic elaboration of the piece:

The piece appears in the Graduale Triplex as follows:

The use of the Puncta in the Laon 239 notation clearly indicates the quickness with which
the intonation is to be sung. The change from B natural to B flat for the final phrase
moves the piece form an authentic Lydian mode to a plagal Lydian mode that uses a
typical Mode VI concluding cadence:

116
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation:

The following is the St. Gall notation for this piece as given in Einsiedeln 121, folio 106:

In re-tracing the St. Gall notation, one should take note of the following things:

The augmentative liquescent Pes over the accent of the word “refúgium” indicates that
the “g” should be used to close off the accented syllable. Thus it would be pronounced as:
re- fúg- i- um.

The word “factus” receives great emphasis by having the first note of the accented
syllable set apart from what follows in order to intensify it. The next two notes (a Clivis
with a “c’) are sung very quickly. Then the final two notes (a Clivis with a “tb” ( tenete
bene = hold well!) produce a vocal crescendo for the accent of the word.

117
A text setting in Mode VI:

Posuisti Domine in capite eius coronam de lapide pretioso,

You placed, O Lord, on his head a crown of precious stone.

The following is a version of this piece in modern notation in which all of the ornaments
found in the original have been stripped away:

-ccAcccSccFccFcccFcccGcccfcc]cFccHccHcccHccKcchcc
Po- su- í- sti Dó- mi- ne in cá- pi- te e- ius

-cccKcccHcccfcc]ccFcccGccDcccacccFcccHccGccfcc}
co- ró- nam de lá- pi- de pre- ti- ó- so.

The following example shows the underlying structure of the composition:

118
The piece begins by centering around the pitch F, as a transposed Source Mode C. By
placing the highest melodic accent on the word “eius” the composer has interpreted the
text to read: “You placed, O Lord, on his head a crown of precious stone.” As a
commentary on the text during the distribution of Communion on the feast of a martyr, it
tells us that the glory of martyrdom is a special gift from the Lord.

The following example shows the full melodic elaboration of the piece:

The piece appears in the Graduale Triplex as follows:

The St. Gall notation places a “c” (celeriter = quickly) between the Tractulus and the
Virga over the first two syllables of the word “Posuisti” in order to insure a quick
ascending movement to the Bivirga used for the accent of this word. The momentum
built up by the Bivirga used for this accent is then dissipated by a five-note ornament
over the final syllable of the word that produces a rhetorical delay before the word
Domine. In English it would be similar to saying: “You have placed –– Lord, on his
head.” On the other hand, the quickly moving five-note ornament over the pretonic
syllable just before the accent of the word “pretióso” helps to build up tension for the
accent of this important modifying word (precious).

119
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation:

The following is the St. Gall notation for this piece as given in Einsiedeln 121, folio 56:

Practice the piece by breaking it into the following sense units:

Posuisti Domine / in capite eius / coronam / de lapide / pretioso.

• Learn the melody for each of these units.

• Re-trace the St. Gall notation as you conduct and sing each unit.

• Combine the units to form a musical whole.

120
A text setting in Mode VII:

Viri Galilaei, quid admiramini aspicientes in caelum? Alleluia.

Men of Galilee, why are you staring, looking up in to heaven? Alleluia!

Quemadmodum vidisti eum ascendentem in caelum, ita veniet,

Just as you have seen him ascending into heaven, so also will he come,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

121
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation in which all of the ornaments
found in the original have been stripped away:

-c`cSccScccGcccGcccJcchcc]cHcccHcccHcccHcccGcccgcc
Vi- ri Ga- li- laé- i, quid ad- mi- rá- mi- ni

-c`cGccFcccHcccHcccFcccGccJcccjccccGcccGcccGcccfc]cc
a- spi- ci- én- tes in cae- lum? al- le- lú- ia:

-c`cDcccccHccccGccccGccccGcccFcccHcccHcccgcc]cFccHccccHccccGccc
quem- ád- mo- dum vi- dí- stis e- um a- scen- dén- tem

-c`cGcccHcccgcc]ccGccGcccGccDcccsc]cDcccHcccKcchcc]c
in caé- lum, i- ta vé- ni- et, al- le- lú- ia,

-c`cDcccDccDcccdcc]cDccGcccDcccscccc}
al- le- lú- ia, al- le- lú- ia.

122
The following example shows the underlying structure of the composition:

The piece is a good example of the use of standard psalm tone formulas, in this case,
those of mode VII. As is typical for mode VII compositions, the structure pitch C has an
important role to play as an alternate recitation pitch. The piece forms a classic Roman
arch. It begins and ends on G, the Final of the mode. Most of the word accents occur on
D, the Dominant and psalm tone reciting pitch of mode VII. Even the melodic accent for
the word “Galilaei” only touches lightly and quickly the E above the D, which is the
Dominant of the mode. On the other hand, the melodic accent for the first of the three
final alleluias is given a strong, ringing sound by the use of the F, a minor third above the
Dominant of the mode. Both the ascent to the Dominant at the beginning of the piece and
the descent from the Dominant to the Final of the mode at the end of the text (... ita
veniet, ...) is done by moving strongly through the structure pitch C.

123
The following example shows the full melodic elaboration of the piece:

124
The piece appears in the Graduale Triplex as follows:

Laon 239 shows the use of the special intonation Torculus with weak first note for the
first syllable of the word Galilaei. The entire melodic setting for the words Viri Galilaei
is a typical mode VII intonation formula with a rhythmically weak initial note for the
intonation Torculus. Most of the cases of melodic ornamentation are to be found over the
accent syllables of important words, such as: Galilaei, admiramini, caelum, alleluia,
quemadmodum and veniet. Another use of melodic ornamentation is to be found over the
pretonic syllable just before a word accent in order to build up tension for the accent.
Examples of this are the two settings for the word alleluia at the end of the piece.

125
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation:

126
The following is the St. Gall notation for this piece as given in Einsiedeln 121, folio 248:

In using the St. Gall notation, practice the piece by breaking it into its basic sense units
and repeating that unit until you are comfortable with it. Here is a suggested practice
sequence:

1) Memorize the pitches, one sense unit at a time, as given above in the modern notation
version.

2) Conduct your singing with your hand by re-tracing the St. Gall neumes as seen above
in the Einsiedeln manuscript, but for that sense unit only.

3) Break the piece into the following sense units:

Viri Galilaei /

quid admiramini /

aspicientes in caelum? /

Alleluia : /

quemadmodum vidistis eum /

Ascendentem in caelum, /

ita veniet, /

alleluia, / alleluia, / alleluia.

127
4) Practice conducting and singing each one separately.

5) Combine these sense units into larger units.

6) Finally, conduct and sing the entire piece while giving each sense unit an appropriate
emphasis and tempo according to the meaning of the text as you understand it and the
added signs (e.g.: “t”, “c” and episemas) indicate.

A text setting Mode VIII:

Invocabit me, et ego exaudiam eum: eripiam eum, et glorificabo eum:

He will call upon me and I will hear him I will rescue him and glorify him:

Longitudine dierum adimplebo eum.

With length of days I will fill him.

The following is a version of this piece in modern notation in which all of the ornaments
found in the original have been stripped away:
Almost every sense unit begins with an adaptation of the intonation formula (G to C)
proper to mode VIII. Each unit also ends with a version of either the final or the median
cadence of the standard mode VIII psalm tone.

128
-ccGcccGcccKcccHcccgcc]c]cGccKccKccKcccKcccHcccKcccJcccgcc]cc
In- vo- cá- bit me, et e- go ex- áu- di- am e- um:

-ccGccKccHcccHcccJccgcc]ccGccGcccKccJccLcccKcccKcchc]ccc
e- rí- pi- am e- um, et glo- ri- fi- cá- bo e- um:

-cccKvv ccKcccLcccKcccKccHcccJccgcc]ccJcccJcccHcccHcccJccgcc}
lon- gi- tú- di- ne di- é- rum a- dim- plé- bo e- um.

The following example shows the underlying structure of the composition:

The major sections of the text are marked off by re-intonation formulas that are
elaborations of the standard mode VIII psalm tone formula: G (the Final of the mode) to
C (the Dominant and recitation note of the mode). The final phrase longitudine dierum
adimplebo eum begins the descent from the Dominant and leads twice to the Final with a
standard mode VIII cadence that outlines the cadential third (B-A-G) to conclude the
piece.

129
This piece is a good illustration of the use of melodic elaboration to provide a musically
artistic preparation for the structure pitches found on certain word accents. Examples of
this are the words: invocabit, ego, exaudiam, eum and eripiam. The notes for these
accented syllables are circled in the following example of the piece. The melodic
elaborations used for these words give the voice time to build toward the word accent and
to do so in a graceful manner. In order to feel the artistic effect they produce, one need
only sing each word or phrase, first in the simplified versions given above, using only
one note for each syllable, and then to sing the elaborated version that follows below.

The following example shows the full melodic elaboration of the piece:

The final note (circled in this example) over the accented syllable of the word “Invocabit”
has been prepared by a combination of compositional techniques. The first note of the
Torculus resupinus figure (G-C-B-C) over the accent of the word “Invocabit” continues
the sound of the G used for the preceding syllable and acts as a kind of portamento for the
voice. The first C acts as a melodic anticipation of the final note C. However, this first C
is then followed by the note B, making a graceful melodic turn that helps the voice to
literally “swing” into the final note C as the goal of the entire melodic movement. These
“swinging” movements are seen over the accents of the words “e-um” (beginning of the
second line, middle of the line and at the end of the piece). In each case, the final syllable
has been prepared by a melodic anticipation.

130
The piece appears in the Graduale Triplex as follows:

The use of liquescent neumes by both notations calls attention to an important role played
by them in this style of chant. That role is to be a guardian of good public speaking
(custos bene loquendi). The first syllable of Invocabit is given a two-note liquescent in
both notations in order to sound out the letter “n.” Laon 239 adds an “a” (augete =
augment, enlarge) in order to give the voice extra time for this complex syllable. The
final syllable of that same word is also given a two-note liquescent neume with its final
note lower than the pitch used for the word “me” that follows it. If this phrase had ended
in a true proparoxyton (e.g.: invocátio) the two notes over the penultimate syllable of a
word like “invocátio,” would have been a quickly moving Clivis A-G, producing the
usual melodic anticipation, rather than the pitches A-F. The reason for this is a rhetorical
one. The phrase needs to be heard as consisting of two words, Invocabit me, not just
a single word. To experience this difference, try singing the word “Invocátio” with the
ordinary Clivis A-G for the syllable “ti” as suggested above, and then the phrase
“Invocabit me” as given above with the liquescent neume A-F for the syllable before the
word “me.”

131
The following is a version of this piece in modern notation:

132
The following is the St. Gall notation for this piece as given in Einsiedeln 121, folio 99:

1) Memorize the pitches, one sense unit at a time, as given above in the modern notation
version.

2) Conduct your singing with your hand by re-tracing the St. Gall neumes as seen above
in the Einsiedeln manuscript, but for that sense unit only.

3) Break the piece into the sense units as shown on page 98.

4) Practice conducting and singing each one separately.

5) Combine these sense units into larger units:

6) Finally, conduct and sing the entire piece while giving each sense unit an appropriate
emphasis and tempo according to the meaning of the text as you understand it and the
added signs (e.g.: “t”, “c” and episemas) indicate.

133
 Part 9: The Haec dies Gradual
The formulas and the structure pitches

The primary structure pitches for recitation and accentuation are A (the Final of
the mode) and C (the Dominant and a universal structure pitch). Punctuation occurs: 1)
on A (the Final); 2) on C (the Dominant and universal structure pitch); 3) on F (the other
universal structure pitch) and 4) on D (as a suspended cadence on the fourth above the
Final).

The first phrase (unique to this gradual):

The structure pitches: -cc6côccc8cccc8ccccccccccc6ccccc

Haec di- es,
The initial structure pitch A is given a great deal of emphasis, both by the large
Uncinus in Laon 239 and by the t (tenete = lengthen, hold) in the Cantatorium of St. Gall.
It is followed by a rapidly moving ornament that circles the A much like the motion of a
softball pitcher, in order to add momentum and intensity to the final A before ascending
to C. The ornament ends with an Oriscus on the final A that builds the intensity even
further until it reaches the C, the climax of the entire melodic line over the word Haec.
The tension continues over the accented syllable of the word di-es by means of the rapid,
triple pulsation of the C, the Dominant of the piece. The melody then descends to A (the
Final of the piece) and becomes a rapid alternation between A and G that swings
forcefully to the last A on that syllable. The A is repeated for the final syllable of the
word to produce a simple redundant cadence. The effect of this melodic setting is to give
great emphasis to the word Haec and to produce the meaning of the phrase as: This (is
the) day! First, sing the text with only the structure pitches and then sing it with the
added ornaments.

134
The second phrase:
$ ≤≤ .. & k ≥
L103

This formula is found only

in this gradual.
VcDRcvchvhcchvhcjkhv6v$v#vfc[c
C103 & ª 11 ()E
Quam fe- cit

The structure pitches: -c6ccccc8cccccc8ccôccccccccc6cccccc

Quam fe- cit

The first note (G) of the Pes leads quickly to the second note (A) as a type of
portamento. Both notations indicate a strongly pulsed C for the accent of the word and
rapid, light pulsations for the C over the final syllable. The C over the final syllable is
decorated by an ornament (D-E) that returns to a repeated C that then descends by a rapid
swinging movement through A-G to the final A that then absorbs the remaining energy of
the melodic movement. Again, first sing the structure pitches with the words and then
sing the ornamented version.

Third phrase:

Do- mi- nus:

The structure pitches: -ccccccc8ccccc8cccccccc8ccôc9cccccc8ccc

Do- mi- nus:

The accent syllable (Do-) uses a Porrectus neume that swings rapidly from the first
two notes (C-A) to the last note C as the goal of the motion. The rhythmic momentum is
sustained through the three pulsed notes of the middle syllable and comes to a temporary
rest on the first note, C, of the final syllable. The melody then becomes a punctuating
melisma with an emphasis on the note D before finally returning to the C (the Dominant
of the piece).

135
Sing the structure pitch versions of these first three phrases as a single phrase.

-c6côccc8ccccc8cccc6ccccc6cccccc8ccccc8côccc6cccccc8cccc8ccccc8côcc9ccc8ccc
Haec di- es quam fe- cit Do- mi- nus

All the word accents occur on C, the recitation pitch and the Dominant of the piece. It has
the feel of a simple cantillation and the first half of a psalm tone.

Then sing the three ornamented versions as a combined unit.

Fourth phrase:

The structure pitches: -c6ccv8cccc8ccccccccccccccc8ccôcccccc5cc4ccccc

Ex- sul- te- mus,

The melody uses a typical psalm tone intonation (A – C) for the two pre-tonic
syllables. Laon 239 gives extra weight to the first syllable ex- since it involves a complex
pronunciation and needs some extra time to accomplish this. Laon 239 also uses a
portamento (A-C) for the second syllable sul-. This allows the sounding of the s on the
lower A before ascending to the C for the full vowel sound. Laon also adds a liquescent
loop to allow for the sounding of the l before moving on to the accented syllable té-. This
is the only case in which Laon uses an Uncinus with a t for the first note instead of using
the usual quickly flowing Clivis neume, just as the Cantatorium does for all the cases of
this formula. Perhaps the notator of Laon wanted to warn the singers to give extra time
and emphasis to the beginning of this syllable in order to bring out the meaning of the
word: “let us exult!” Here, the accented syllable is decorated by an elaborate melisma
around the recitation pitch C. The final syllable is again given an elaborate punctuating
melismas. The final cadence leads the melody into the Final of mode 5 and gives the
feeling of a phrase held in suspense.

136
Fifth phrase (end of refrain):

The structure pitches: -c6ccc6ccc8cccc6cccc6cccc9cccc9cccôcccccc0ccc8ccc6ccc

Et lae- te- mur in e- a.

The first word et (= and) is given a lengthened Pes design in both notations. The
pitches are F and A. This gives a rhetorical delay to the first word that ties it to the
preceding phrase: “let us exult, AND –– be glad in it. The final word (ea) of the refrain
concludes with a punctuating melisma. The accent syllable and the final syllable are
centered on D, a “super accent” above the Dominant C. The melisma then outlines the
triad E-C-A in descending order and returns to the C before a final descent to the Final of
the mode (A). This final interval A – C established the classic cadential third ending used
in Gregorian chant to establish the mode of the piece.

Begin by singing only the structure pitches of the sub-phrase Et laetemur. Then sing it
with all the ornaments. Do the same for the sub-phrase in ea. Finally, sing the entire text
with all of the structure pitches and conclude by singing the ornamented version. Use
your hand to direct yourself as you sing, using first the Laon and then the St. Gall
notation.

137
Sixth phrase (first of the verse):

The structure pitches: -c6ccc6ccc9ccccccccccccccc9ccccccc0cccc0côccccc9ccccc

Con- fi- te- mi- ni Do- mi- no,

In all three cases, the first syllable is given a certain importance. In the first case, the
word Quis needs careful pronunciation. In the case of the Haec dies verse, the syllable
Con- needs some time for its enunciation. In the third case, the first syllable is also the
accent of the verb dí-cant. For the Haec dies verse, both Laon and the Cantatorium place
the second syllable at the same pitch as the first syllable and then allow the melody to rise
toward its reciting pitch D. The direct leap of a third to the accent gives the word an extra
emphasis: “confess to the Lord!” The first note of the Pes is sung lightly and quickly in
the manner of a portamento. The emphasis, therefore, is on the D. In a resonate room,
one will tend to hear only a crescendo to the D by an interval of a perfect fourth, a very
strong melodic interval. The D is then ornamented by a structurally important E and a
cascading F-E-D repeated as an echo effect, to conclude the phrase.

Seventh phrase:

The structure pitches: -c8cccôccccccccc9cccccc0ccc9ccccc9ccô8cccc0ccc9ccc6cccc

Quo- ni- am bo- nus:

138
 The answering phrase quoniam bonus begins with a double ornament on C that then
rises from G to D by deliberate forceful steps. It then leaps to two quickly repeated,
ringing (f = frangor) notes on G and then descends to D to complete the word quoniam
(= because). The word bonus (= he is good) receives one of the strongest
rhythmic/melodic settings of the entire chant repertory. It is really a highly charged
ornament around the D that finally descends by a melodic anticipation (the last note over
the first syllable of bó-nus) to cadence on the Final of the piece.

Thus, the entire phrase unit confitemini Domino quoniam bonus is fundamentally
modeled on 1) a psalm tone intonation, 2) recitation, 3) median cadence, 4) re-intonation
and recitation and 5) a final cadence. First, sing the entire phrase unit with only the
structure pitches. Then sing the entire phrase unit with the elaborate ornamentation.

Eighth phrase:

GT 197/5 = quoniam in sae- cu- lum

The structure pitches: -c8ccccccccccc8ccôccccc9ccccc6cccc8ccôcccccc5cc4ccc

The formula is borrowed from the formulas used for the refrain. Its cadence on F
produces a suspended cadence that demands a resolution in the next formula. The neume
over the first syllable of quo-ni-am is a single group neume with a separate non-flowing
single note at the beginning of the neume that needs to be sung with a certain intensity. It
will serve to launch the re-intonation of the recitation pitch C used for the rest of the
phrase. A melisma is used to ornament the accent of the word sae-cu-lum. A punctuating
melisma that revolves around the C is used for the final syllable of the word.

Sing the phrase with only the structure pitches. Then sing it with the full ornamentation.

139
Ninth phrase (cadential formula):

GT 197/6 = mi- se- ri- cor- di- am e- ius.

The structure pitches:

-ccccc4ccccc6ccc6ccc6cccccc5ccc6ccccccô8cc9cccc9cccôc8ccccccc6ccc
mi- se- ri- cor- di- a e- ius.

This concluding formula picks up from the F of the preceding formula and leads back
to the Final of the piece (A) for a reciting pitch. The pitches G – A, used for the last two
syllables of the word misericor-di-a, lead to the Dominant (C) and on to the super-accent
D for the accent of the last word of the piece. After a properly lengthened note D on the
last syllable that absorbs the rhythmic momentum arriving from the accent syllable, the
formula adds an ornamental flourish around that D. It then proceeds to decorate the
Dominant of the mode (C) and finishes with the classic cadential third C – A to end the
piece.

Sing each phrase with only the structure pitches and then sing them with the added
ornamentation. Sing the complete phrase quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius with
only the structure pitches. Then sing the entire phrase with the added ornamentation
while directing your singing with the Laon and then the St. Gall notation. As you increase
the tempo of your singing to the desired speed, reduce your hand movements to only
those necessary to maintain the forward momentum from one structurally important pitch
to another.

140
Do this for the entire piece in both the original Latin and then in the English version.

141
142
143
 Part 10: The Role of Rhetoric for Chant in English
As a graduate student of Dom Eugène Cardine at Rome and the abbey of Solesmes from
1956 to 1964, I came to appreciate more and more how intimate was the union between
the melody of a Gregorian Chant and the text that it clothed. Again and again, we
students heard him assert that “to respect the verbal rhythm is an absolute necessity of
Gregorian Chant” and that, “This holds true even in the pieces written in melismatic
style.” For him, the “melody and its notation [were] shown in the ancient manuscripts as
being dependent upon the text – ‘informed’ by it and modeled by it.” The conclusion was
clear: a “Gregorian melody is exceedingly co-natural to the Latin text and to its rhythm.
Therefore, one cannot normally adapt texts of another language which ‘animated’ it in the
strict sense. One does violence to that melody and one contradicts the laws which are at
the base of the composition of that melody.”27

When I returned to St. Meinrad Archabbey in 1964, the work of liturgical reform
inaugurated by the Second Vatican Council was just getting underway. English texts
were being selected and edited for use at the daily Conventual Mass and later, for the
antiphons and responsories to be used at the Liturgy of the Hours. In the light of these
facts, my role as choirmaster for the community was clear: I was to continue the tradition
of plainsong for the community’s prayer life, but now in the English language.

The anonymous composers of Gregorian Chant had faced the same challenge. They were
faced with the task of clothing the Word of God, no longer in the biblical languages of
Hebrew and Greek, but in the vernacular of their people, the Latin language. St. Jerome’s
Vulgate translation became the stable foundation upon which they built their melodic
settings for the Word of God. For the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, the Vulgate
translation of St. Jerome remained the common source of inspiration for all liturgical
music composition until after the Second Vatican Council. Under the guidance of Dom
Cardine, we learned first hand that Gregorian chant is basically sung speech. We learned
that even in the most elaborately embellished pieces, in the final analysis, it was always
the text which inspired the melody 28 . For instance, the Communion antiphon for
Christmas Midnight Mass uses melodically and rhythmically weak pitches for the quick
syllables both before and after the accent in the word “splen-do-ri-bus.”29

Regardless of how well one may have absorbed the many and subtle ways in which the
composers of Gregorian chant had successfully clothed the Latin Vulgate of St. Jerome, a
serious challenge remains for the contemporary composer of an English chant. Modern
English, especially as spoken in the United States, is significantly different from the
speech forms of ecclesiastical Latin! Latin used only five pure vowel sounds.

On the other hand, English uses many more vowel sounds (at least twenty-six, plus
regional variants), some of which are not able to support a melodic embellishment. One
of the most common of these is the word “the.” (See Part 1 supra.) Moreover, Latin
psalmodic patterns presuppose that there will always be either one or two weak syllables
for the ending of a phrase or a sentence.

In English, however, two out of three phrases or sentences end with a strong accent!
Moreover, there are frequent cases in which two strong accents are used back-to-back in
a sentence (e.g., “Lord God”)!

144
As Dr. Mary Berry has noted, “The chant has not always been sung in Latin.”30 In fact,
the Gregorian chant repertory itself contains examples of how to handle just such cases.
The Offertory “Precatus est Moyses” shows us how to cloth the proper Hebrew names
“Abr[ah]ám,” “Is[a]ác” and “Jacób” with wonderful melodic and rhythmic flourishes on
the accented final syllable. Something that is not done when these words are treated as
Latin words with weak final syllables!31

The Gregorian composers have even shown us a solution for the case when two accented
syllables occur back-to-back. Dom Cardine’s example was taken from the penultimate
verse of Psalm 13 in which one finds the phrase: “Quoniam Dominus spes e-ius est.”32

In an address given in Rome in 2004, the abbot of Solesmes made the following
statement:

“Today, we measure the thirst of our communities for a liturgical music deserving
of its name. Why not ask Gregorian chant to reveal its secret in the languages and
in the cultures of our time? That which was the fruit of one of the biggest cultural
turnovers in the history of the Church could it not help us to face the challenges of
our time? And to lead finally all peoples to sing the wonderful works of God in
our own tongues?” (Act.2,11)33

There were times when the medieval copyist has also shown us what not to do! A case in
point is the adaptation of the Greek Trisagion to Latin for use in the Good Friday liturgy.
Here, the copyist has left the original melody unchanged while exchanging the Latin
translation for the original Greek. As a result, the proper Latin accentuation is destroyed
by being transferred to the weak final syllables. Something that is never done in Latin!
On the other hand, since strong accents frequently occur at the end of phrases in English,
the original Greek melodic accentuation patterns fit an English text very well:

145
Bvvgv vrdv vfgfvrdv av vsv b Fgv6vyTb<v c] vb v gbcbrdv fgfvrdv avb b vsv b b b Fgv6vygv< v ]
A- gi- ós O The- ós. A- gi- ós is- chy- rós.

Bvvx gv vcvfgfvrdv vx AWv vFgv6vyTbv< c] vb v vgbv v vfgfvrdv v vb xAWvbv vbFgv6vygv< v vbv]

Sánc- tus Dé- us. Sánc- tus fór- tis.

Bvvx gv vcvfgfvrdv vxAWv v Fgv6vyTb<v c] vb v vgbv v vfgfvrdv v xAWvb v bFgv6vygv bgv< v v]

O hó- ly Gód. O hó- ly strong one.

BvvxGYv gv \vygvHUv^%vgv fv gvhv h∆v8&^v jvuh>v ] v gv vHIv8v&^v gv yg˘ygv r‰´sv FTv6vygv,c] b

A- gi- ós a- tha- na- tós, e- lé- i- son i- más.

BvvxGYv v \vygvHUv^%vgv fv gv v hv vh∆v8&^vjvuh>v ] v gv vHIv8v&^v gv v yg˘ygv r‰´sv FTv6vygv,c] b

Sánc- tus immor- tá- lis, mi- se- ré- re nó- bis.

BvvxGYv v\vygvHUv^%vgv fv ≈gv hv v h∆v8&^vjvuh>v v] v vgv v HIv8v&Ç^%v yg˘ygv r‰´sv FTv6vygv,c] b

O hó- ly immórtal óne, have mér- cy on ús.

The composers of the core Gregorian repertory used notes that served as “melodic
anticipations” to the first pitch of an accented syllable or of the final syllable of a word.
These “preparatory” notes often led to what today we would call a type of “appoggiatura”
for the final syllable of a word at an important cadence. What today we call “passing
tones” and “double neighbors” were common elements of an Introit or Communion
antiphon. With few exceptions, the last note before a change of syllable regained a full
syllabic value, even when preceded by a rapidly moving melismatic passage. In a later
age, that rule of rhetoric was carefully observed by such Renaissance composers as
Palestrina. All these stylistic techniques of Gregorian chant helped guarantee its
intelligibility for the listener. The core Gregorian repertory was indeed the “guardian of
good speech” (custos bene loquendi).

146
Armed with this knowledge, I began the task of continuing the plainsong tradition, but
now with the Word of God sounding through the English language as the flowing font
that would inform these new melodic settings. To date, some six volumes of antiphons
and refrains have been produced for the Entrance and Communion Antiphons of the
Liturgical Year: Advent, Christmas-tide, Lent, Easter, Per Annum, Solemnities and Feast
Days. These volumes are now available from OCP (Oregon Catholic Press).
http://www.ocp.org/st-meinrad

Chant settings in English for the Mass are available for free download on the web site
http://www.saintmeinrad.edu/monastery liturgicalmusic.aspx.

Many religious communities and churches have selected and obtained permission to use
items from these collections for their worship needs. The goal has been the same as that
of my medieval ancestors, only the language has changed: “in the beginning was the
sounding WORD, and that WORD, made visible – by the nod of the head, the gesture of
the hand – is to be preserved for others, in the flow of the pen.”34

REV. COLUMBA KELLY, O.S.B.

Version 1.0

01/14/17

147
 Part 11: Bibliography

Agustini, Luigi, and Johanes Berchmans Göschl. "Foundations, A Translation with Notes
by Columba Kelly." In An Introduction to the Interpretation of Gregorian Chant. Vol. I.

ANTIPHONALE MONASTICUM. Solesmes: Abbaye Saint-Pierre-de-Solesmes, 2005.

ISBN 2-85274-266-7.

The newly revised and edited collection of antiphons for the monastic Liturgy of
the Hours. The Preface contains very helpful information concerning the interpretation
and performance of Gregorian chant.

Benedictine Monks of Conception Abbey, trans. The Revised Grail Psalms. Chicago, IL:
GIA Publications, 2010.

Confirmed by decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline
of the Sacraments on March 19, 2010

Berry, Mary. "The Languages of the Chant." In Cantors. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press, 1979.

Cardine, Eugène. "The Latin Word, Shaper of Gregorian Melody." In Beginning Studies
in Gregorian Chant, translated by William Tortolano. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications,
1988.

––––. Gregorian Semiology. Translated by Robert Fowells. Sablé-sur-Sarthe: Abbaye

Saint-Pierre-de-Solesmes, 1982. Also available from Paraclete Press

Extracts from Etudes Gregoriennes, Vol. XI, 1970. A summary of the semiological
discoveries relating to chant rhythm since the 1950s.

––––. An Overview of Gregorian Chant. Translated by Gregory Casprini. Orleans,

MA: Paraclete Press, 1992.

Custer, Gerald, and Blake Henson. From Words to Music. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications,
2014. ISBN: 978-1-62277-078-6

Fowells, Robert M. Chant Made Simple. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2000. ISBN 1-
55725-253-X.

A clear and simple introduction to the singing of Gregorian chant that is based on
the latest scholarly findings.

GRADUALE SIMPLEX. Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1988. ISBN 88-209-1603-7.

The antiphons for the Introit, Offertory and Communion taken from the Roman
Antiphonale. These are chants of a much simpler style that can easily be mastered by
beginning students of the Gregorian Chant repertory and by small parish choirs. The
Responsorial Psalm is given with a simple congregational style chant refrain.

148
GRADUALE TRIPLEX. Solesmes: Abbaye Saint-Pierre-de-Solesmes, 1979. ISBN 2-
95274-094-X.

Above the square notes of the Roman Gradual are given the neumes of Laon 239
(in black) and below are given the neumes of the St. Gall family (in red). A thorough
knowledge and a correct interpretation of the neumes found in these oldest manuscripts
remain the basis for an adequate performance of the Gregorian melodies. An
indispensable tool for choir directors and cantors.

"Guido of Arezzo. Micrologus." In Paris Bibliothèque Nationale, Fonds Latin 10509,

edited by Alma Santosusso. 2003.

Hindemith, Paul. A Composer's World, Horizons and Limitations. Cambridge, MA:

Harvard University Press, 1952.

"Hucbald of St. Amand. De Harmonica Institutione." In Hucbald, Guido and John on

Music: Three Medieval Treatises, translated by Warren Babb, edited by Claude V.
Palisca. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1978.

Isidore of Seville. "De Lectoribus." In De Ecclesiasticis Officiis. Vol. II. Turnhout:

Brepols, 2010. CCSL 113

John the Deacon. Life of Gregory the Great.

Jousse, Marcel. Anthropologie du Geste. Ed. Gallimard, 1976.

Kelly, Columba. Gregorian Chant Intonations and the Role of Rhetoric. Lewiston, NY:
Edwin Mellen Press, 2003. ISBN 0-7734-6872-2.

Contains a study and analysis of a chant piece from each of the eight Gregorian
modes (pp. 127-171).

–––– . "The Role of Semiology." Sacred Music 115, no. 2 (1988).

LIBER CANTUALIS. Sablé-sur-Sarthe: Abbaye Saint-Pierre-de-Solesmes, 1983. ISBN

2-85274-040-0.

Contains a basic repertory of chants for an average schola and congregation.

LIBER HYMNARIUS. Sablé-sur-Sarthe: Abbaye Saint-Pierre-de-Solesmes, 1983. ISBN

2-85274-076-1

Lee, Charlotte I. Oral Reading of the Scriptures. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1974.
ISBN 0-395-18940-3

Maurin, Bernard. Bases pour une anthropologie musicale sur le rhythme musical. In
Études Grégoriennes XXXI (2003): 151-170.

149
Page, Christopher. The Christian West and Its Singers: The First Thousand Years. New
Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010.

Saint Meinrad Gregorian Chant Schola. Gregorian Chant for Advent & Christmas in
Latin & English. Saint Meinrad Liturgical Music, Mei-1-3k, nd, compact disk
–––– . Gregorian Chant in Latin & English for Lent & Easter. Saint Meinrad
Liturgical Music, Mei-2-3k, 2001, compact disk

–––– . Lauds & Vespers for Christmas at Saint Meinrad. Saint Meinrad Liturgical
Music, Saint Meinrad-4, nd, compact disk

Saulnier, Daniel. Études Grégoriennes XXV (1997): 163-65.

–––– . Gregorian Chant a guide, Translated by Mary Berry. Orleans, MA: Paraclete
Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1-55725-554-9.

"Spiritus et Sponsa." www.liberiaditricevaticana.com. Act.2, 11 ISBN 88-209-7561-0

Stevens, John. Words and Music in the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1986.

Treitler, Leo. "Reading and Singing: On the Genesis of Occidental Music-Writing." In

Early Music History. Vol. 4. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Viret, Jacque. Les premières polyphonies. Ed. A Cœur Joie, 2000.

150
 Appendices
APPENDIX 1: UN NOUVEL ANTIPHONAIRE MONASTIQUE

La publication d’un nouveau livre de chant grégorien attendu depuis plusieurs décennies
mérite bien quelques explications.

Origine du projet

Le projet a débuté en novembre 1998, lorsque le Père Abbé de Solesmes confia à

l’Atelier de paléographie l’obédience de mettre en chantier un Antiphonaire monastique
conforme à la tradition bénédictine et aux exigences de la réforme liturgique de Vatican
II.

Le projet ne naissait cependant pas e nihilo. La préparation de ce nouveau livre devait en

effet profiter d’une partie des recherches réalisées entre 1975 et 1996 en vue de
l’Antiphonale romanum1, dont l’approbation est aujourd’hui, malheureusement, toujours
en attente.

Une équipe fut mise en place, une méthode de travail arrêtée, de précieuses
collaborations acquises; elles seront rappelées à la fin de cet article.

Les orientations du projet ont été fixées par une commission présidée par le Père Abbé de
Solesmes et réunissant trois abbés de la Congrégation et trois moines de Solesmes2. Les
travaux ont consisté d’une part à préparer un Ordo cantus Officii cohérent avec la
tradition bénédictine et avec Liturgia horarum; et d’autre part à restituer les mélodies
correspondantes. L’Ordo cantus Officii bénédictin a été approuvé par l’Abbé Primat en
2001 pour les offices de jour et en 2002 pour les vigiles.

Depuis que cette approbation a été confirmée par la Congrégation du Culte divin, le 6
février 2004, la préparation du livre est entrée dans sa phase finale d’édition.

Présentation de l’ouvrage

Présenté sous le titre Antiphonale monasticum, l’ouvrage s’intitule en réalité Liturgia

horarum in cantu gregoriano ad usum Ordinis sancti Benedicti.

Il est édité en deux parties:

– pro diurnis Horis,

– pro vigiliis

Les offices diurnes sont publiés en trois volumes.

Volume I : Proprium de Tempore, Ordinarium, Toni communes.

1
Travail dirigé par dom Jean Claire et qui a bénéficia de deux collaborations
d’importance : celles de dom Raymond Leroux et de fr. Kees Pouderoijen (Vaals).
2
D. Robert Le Gall, D. Jean-Pierre Longeat, D. Cuthbert Johnson, D. Daniel de
Reynal, D. Michel Cagin et D. Patrick Hala.
151
Volume II : Psalterium, Officium defunctorum.
Volume III : Proprium de Sanctis, Communia.

L’ouvrage contient ainsi les antiennes, les répons-brefs, les versets, les psaumes et les
rubriques. Pour les lectures brèves et les oraisons, il renvoie à Liturgia Horarum, pour les
lectures prolixes à Liturgia Horarum ou aux autres lectionnaires approuvés. Les répons
prolixes des Vigiles ne seront disponibles que le jour où un responsorial sera publié, mais
il est déjà possible de donner les répons prolixes des premières Vêpres des solennités. Les
hymnes sont disponibles dans le Liber hymnarius, publié en 1983.

L’Antiphonale monasticum est un livre officiel, en ce sens qu’il est approuvé et confirmé
au plus haut niveau. Il fait donc référence pour toutes les communautés bénédictines qui
recourent intégralement ou partiellement au chant grégorien pour la célébration de l’Opus
Dei.

Son contenu a été étudié de manière à permettre son adaptation à la grande diversité de
modes de célébration de l’Office qui caractérise la Confédération bénédictine.

C’est la raison pour laquelle sa parution sous la forme traditionnelle d’un livre
s’accompagne de la diffusion d’une édition informatique, dans laquelle les antiennes et
les répons-brefs de chaque temps liturgique seront téléchargeables en ligne sur Internet3.

Principes et choix liturgiques

Les principes

Trois principes liturgiques ont guidé l’élaboration du livre, qui constitue essentiellement
une inculturation de la Liturgie des Heures dans la tradition bénédictine et grégorienne de
l’Office.

Liturgia Horarum

Liturgia Horarum fournit le cadre général et fait habituellement référence pour tout ce
qui n’est pas spécifiquement bénédictin: avec toute l’Eglise, la tradition bénédictine
reçoit la réforme liturgique promulguée par Vatican II et exprimée officiellement dans la
Liturgie des Heures.

Par contre, les éléments de Liturgia Horarum relatifs à la nouvelle distribution du

psautier sur quatre semaines ne sont pas pris en compte: ils concernent le bréviaire des
clercs et des personnes engagées dans l’activité apostolique. La tradition monastique,
elle, a toujours prolongé la psalmodie.

Conformément aux prescriptions liturgiques4, les psaumes et les cantiques reprennent le

texte de la Nova Vulgata.

3
Ce service sera progressivement disponible au cours du printemps 2005. Les
informations nécessaires se trouveront sur le site de l’abbaye de Solesmes
(www.solesmes.com) et sur la page web de l’Atelier de paléographie
(http://palmus.free.fr).
152
La tradition bénédictine

Le Thesaurus Liturgiæ Horarum monasticæ publié en 1976 apporte la contribution

bénédictine. Ce document a été élaboré par la Confédération bénédictine pour encadrer la
réforme liturgique de l’Office en milieu bénédictin. Rédigé un peu hâtivement au début
des années 70, il ne connaît pas la 2e édition de Liturgia Horarum, et ignore les
recherches récentes sur la tradition bénédictine.

Après 40 ans d’expériences liturgiques, le cursus psalmique de la Règle des moines se

dégage comme l’un des plus remarquables éléments de l’héritage bénédictin.

La promotion du chant grégorien

La tradition chantée des manuscrits médiévaux de l’Office est bien connue désormais
grâce à la publication du Corpus Antiphonalium Officii de dom René-Jean Hesbert et aux
nombreux fac-similés édités au cours des dernières décennies.

Une attention toute spéciale a été accordée aux mélodies, et la promotion du répertoire
grégorien traditionnel de l’Office a été recherchée de manière systématique.

Plus précisément, cet ouvrage a été conçu comme un livre de chant, et non comme un
bréviaire : il n’est donc pas adapté à la suppléance privée de l’Office.

Les choix

Les Heures

Elles suivent l’ordonnance de Liturgia Horarum.

Les deux Heures majeures sont les offices du matin et du soir, respectivement Laudes et
Vêpres, qui sont désormais célébrées avec le même degré de solennité. Ainsi, les jours de
solennité, le répons-bref est-il doté du ton festif, alors que jusqu’au Concile ce dernier
était réservé aux Vêpres.

Le livre prévoit trois petites Heures : Tierce, Sexte et None, ainsi que les Complies. Par
contre l’heure de Prime n’apparaît plus dans le cursus5.

Les Vigiles conservent le caractère monastique de longue veillée de louange psalmique

que leur prévoit la Règle.

4
Constitution apostolique Scripturarum thesaurus du 25 avril 1979.
5
Conformément au Thesaurus, une communauté bénédictine désirant continuer à
célébrer Prime peut légitimement le faire. Pour cela, il est nécessaire de respecter la vérité
des Heures, c’est-à-dire de ne pas unir Prime à une autre Heure et de garder la
distribution des psaumes prévue par la Règle. Le contenu très simple de Prime permet
d’en retrouver les éléments nécessaires – dispersés, il est vrai – dans les différents livres
liturgiques officiels. Les jours de fête ou de solennité, on fait appel à la première antienne
des Laudes. De cette manière, on parvient à concilier l’observance monastique
traditionnelle de Prime avec une véritable rénovation de l’Office.
153
Leur structure

La structure des petites Heures et des Vigiles est inchangée.

Les Laudes et les Vêpres sont présentées selon la structure qu’elles reçoivent dans la
Liturgie des Heures, c’est-à-dire qu’elles s’ouvrent par l’hymne6. Entre le cantique
évangélique et le Pater, il est loisible d’insérer une litanie, comme le prévoit Liturgia
Horarum, selon une tradition que connaissait déjà la Règle7, tradition tombée en
désuétude au long des siècles.

Le verset de Laudes et Vêpres, laissé de côté par Liturgia Horarum, reste présent dans
l’office bénédictin. Constituant pratiquement la pièce la plus ancienne de l’Office, il
retrouve sa fonction primitive de réponse à la lecture, au choix avec le répons-bref8.

Le Pater est chanté à Laudes et à Vêpres, de préférence par l’Abbé, comme le préconise
la Règle9. Son absence aux petites Heures rappelle l’usage antique de l’Oraison
dominicale solennisée trois fois par jour10. Quand on ne chante pas le Pater, l’oraison
conclusive est précédée de l’invitation traditionnelle Oremus.

La conclusion des offices suit l’ordonnance de Liturgia Horarum, à l’exception du

Benedicamus Domino qui remplit le rôle de renvoi chanté à Laudes, à Vêpres et aux
Vigiles. Se trouve ainsi valorisée la riche collection de mélodies composées par le Moyen
Age pour ce chant de conclusion.

Dans la mesure où de nombreuses communautés en ont adopté l’usage, le nouvel

antiphonaire propose ad libitum le chant du répons-bref In manus tuas et du cantique
Nunc dimittis à Complies.

La distribution des psaumes

Office férial

Les schémas de distribution du psautier approuvés pour l’Ordre bénédictin sont aux
nombre de 4 (A, B, C et D), mais laissent place à de nombreuses variantes, notamment
pour la distribution des psaumes de Prime. La distribution des psaumes proposée dans le
livre représentait donc un choix délicat.

Par ailleurs la tradition musicale est indissolublement liée au cursus bénédictin, et

promouvoir le chant grégorien supposait de respecter autant que possible cette donnée.

6
Les communautés qui souhaitent conserver la place de l’hymne après le répons-bref
peuvent continuer à le faire, comme le prévoient les normes du Thesaurus.
7
Regula monachorum 12,4 ; 13,11 ; 17,8.
8
Les communautés qui conservent l’hymne après le répons-bref chanteront le verset
avant le cantique évangélique, selon les indications de la Règle.
9
Regula monachorum 13, 12.
10
Cf. IGLH 194-195. On sait que l’usage de réciter le Pater silencieusement aux
petites Heures vient précisément de cette « impossibilité » antique de chanter le Pater
plus de trois fois dans la liturgie quotidienne.
154
Le nouvel antiphonaire propose un psautier présenté en conséquence.

Les Laudes, les Vêpres et les Complies sont disposées selon le cursus bénédictin. Les
Vigiles, aussi, avec une variante importante qui consiste à répartir les psaumes sur deux
semaines.

Les anciens psaumes de Prime, le psaume 118 et les psaumes 119 à 127 sont réunis dans
un cahier distinct, accompagnés d’antiennes psalmiques. Ainsi les différentes
communautés pourront disposer cet ensemble de psaumes selon leur convenance. La
commision chargée de préparer les grandes lignes de l’antiphonaire a étudié et tient à
disposition un certain nombre de schémas de répartition.

Office festif

La distribution des psaumes festifs a été revue, conformément aux directives du

Thesaurus et aux orientations de Liturgia Horarum.

L’année liturgique

Temporal

Dans leur grande majorité, les séries d’antiennes prévues aux Laudes des dimanches et
des solennités par l’antiphonaire de 1934 sont traditionnelles depuis le IXe siècle. Ces
séries se retrouvent bien sûr dans le nouvel antiphonaire, et ce d’autant qu’elles ont été
largement reprises par Liturgia horarum.

Comme dans Liturgia Horarum, chaque temps privilégié (Avent11, jours entre l’octave de
Noël et l’Epiphanie, jours entre l’Epiphanie et le Baptême du Seigneur, Carême, Semaine
Sainte, Temps pascal), est caractérisé par une série d’antiennes répétées chaque jour aux
petites Heures, et parfois aussi le dimanche12.

Les solennités comportent des antiennes spéciales pour les petites Heures.

Pendant l’Avent, il y a une série d’antiennes propres pour chaque dimanche, répétées aux
1es Vêpres, à Laudes et aux 2es Vêpres. Puis une série d’antiennes propres pour chaque
jour du 17 au 24 décembre.

La solennité de Noël possède quatre séries d’antiennes propres: une pour les 1es Vêpres,
une pour Laudes, une pour les petites Heures et une pour les 2es Vêpres. L’ensemble (sauf
les 1es Vêpres) est répété pendant l’octave. Le 1er janvier possède ses antiennes propres
répétées à Laudes et à Vêpres, avec un jeu d’antiennes ad libitum pour les petites Heures.

A l’Epiphanie, c’est la même série qui sert à Laudes et aux Vêpres et il y a une série
d’antiennes pour les petites Heures.

11
Du 17 au 24 décembre, cependant, le nouvel antiphonaire conserve l’usage de
reprendre les antiennes de Laudes aux petites Heures.
12
Ce dernier dipose souvent d’antiennes propres, au moins ad libitum comme en
Carême.
155
Le Baptême du Seigneur possède aussi des antiennes propres, d’une musicalité assez
inhabituelle, qui s’explique par leur origine13.

Outre leurs antiennes psalmiques propres de Laudes, les dimanches de Carême reçoivent
ad libitum aux petites Heures des antiennes liées à l’évangile du jour.

Pendant le Triduum sacrum, les archaïsmes propres à ces jours ont été maintenus:
omission des rites initiaux et du renvoi, chant du Christus factus est à la place du répons-
bref. Loin d’être une dramatisation artificielle et tardive, ces archaïsmes constituent un
élément traditionnel qui rappelle de façon très concrète le caractère unique de la Pâque,
un peu à la manière dont les rites spéciaux du repas pascal juif provoquent la question des
convives et la catéchèse appropriée14. Les petites Heures reçoivent des antiennes propres:
la tradition de chanter les psaumes avec antiennes en ces jours-là est en effet rétablie.

La série « de l’Ange » a été conservée aux Laudes du jour de Pâques, mais ce jour
possède une deuxième série d’antiennes pour les Vêpres et des antiennes propres aux
petites Heures. L’ensemble est répété pendant toute l’octave.

Les séries alléluiatiques du Temps pascal sont enrichies par rapport à l’antiphonaire de
1934: trois cycles sont disponibles pour les petites Heures: un pour les dimanches et deux
pour la semaine (paire/impaire). Des jeux d’antiennes pascales propres sont proposées ad
libitum pour la psalmodie de Laudes et Vêpres de chaque dimanche: elles peuvent être
mises en œuvre à la place des antiennes alléluiatiques traditionnelles.

Les dimanches du Temps per annum reçoivent des antiennes à Benedictus et Magnificat
en cohérence avec l’évangile du jour, avec un cycle pour chacune des trois années. Aux
1es Vêpres, on utilise normalement l’antienne de Benedictus ou bien, selon une tradition
monastique médiévale, une antienne biblique en lien avec la lecture des Vigiles (du
dimanche ou de la semaine). Ces antiennes sont présentées selon le cycle de Liturgia
Horarum (sur un an ou sur deux).

Sanctoral

Des principes analogues gouvernent le Propre des Saints qui voit le nombre de ses
antiennes propres notablement augmenté, de telle sorte qu’il y a très peu de répétitions au
cours de l’année liturgique et que la physionomie de chaque saint est mise en valeur de
façon plus spécifique.

13
La série des antiennes Veterem hominem aurait été élaborée à la demande expresse
de Charlemagne. Ayant entendu une légation byzantine chanter l’office pendant l’octave
de l’Epiphanie, Charlemagne aurait demandé qu’on traduise ces pièces et qu’on les
intègre à la liturgie romaine. Depuis le Xe s. tous les manuscrits de l’Office connaissent
ces antiennes. J. LEMARIÉ, « Les antiennes “Veterem hominem” du jour octave de
l’Epiphanie et les antiennes d’origine grecque de l’Epiphanie », Ephemerides liturgicæ
72 (1958), 3-38. J. HANDSCHIN, « Sur quelques tropaires grecs traduits en latin ». Annales
musicologiques 2 (1954), 27-60. J. POTHIER, « Sept antiennes pour l’Octave de
l’Epiphanie », Revue du Chant Grégorien 10 (1902), 81-85.
14
Cf. Ex 12, 25-26.
156
De nombreuses solennités du sanctoral disposent d’un jeu spécial d’antiennes aux 1es
Vêpres.

Les Communs ont été révisés selon les orientations de Liturgia Horarum, avec en plus un
commun des saints moines et moniales. A la fin de chaque commun est proposée une liste
d’antiennes ad libitum pour le cantique évangélique.

Psautier et office des Défunts

L’office férial est enrichi de quatre semaines pour les cantiques vétéro-testamentaires de
Laudes, en conformité avec Liturgia Horarum et selon l’intention de saint Benoît qui
prévoit en cette matière de suivre l’usage de la liturgie romaine15.

L’office des Défunts est désormais structuré comme un office ordinaire, mais avec des
psaumes propres. Son caractère pascal a été renforcé par l’introduction d’un jeu spécial
d’antiennes pour le Temps pascal.

Le texte des psaumes et des cantiques est tiré de la Nova Vulgata. Dans quelques cas, la
division en stiques de certains psaumes a été précisée (flexe et médiante) pour
correspondre plus étroitement au rythme traditionnel des versets hébraïques16.

Le degré des célébrations

Dispositions générales

Conformément au calendrier de la Confédération bénédictine et à Liturgia Horarum, il y

a quatre degrés de célébration: férie du Temps, mémoire, fête et solennité. Certaines
mémoires sont facultatives.

La vocation propre des communautés contemplatives, qui amène leurs membres à passer
de longues heures de célébration au chœur, et la richesse du répertoire médiéval ont
souvent invité à proposer des choix plus larges et un peu moins systématiques que ceux
de la liturgie romaine.

Pour cette raison, les fêtes sont dotées, ad libitum, d’antiennes propres pour les petites
Heures, à moins qu’on ne renvoie aux Communs17.

De même les mémoires qui ont un caractère spécifiquement bénédictin ou pour lesquelles
la tradition musicale de l’Eglise s’est révélée particulièrement riche, se voient attribuer
des antiennes propres à Laudes et à Vêpres, voire aux petites Heures selon les cas. Elles
sont toujours proposées ad libitum et se chantent normalement avec les psaumes de la
férie, à moins qu’on ne souhaite élever le degré de la célébration, auquel cas il est loisible
de les utiliser avec des psaumes festifs. C’est le cas, par exemple, des mémoires de sainte

15
Regula monachorum, 13, 10.
16
L’avantage de cette mesure est aussi de donner une meilleure correspondance avec
les traductions du Psautier en langue vernaculaire.
17
Dans Liturgia Horarum, les fêtes ont le plus souvent les antiennes de la férie aux
petites Heures.
157
Agnès, des saints Abbés de Cluny, de sainte Marie-Madeleine, sainte Gertrude, sainte
Cécile, etc.

Les jours de mémoire, s’il n’y a pas d’antiennes propres, il est possible de reprendre les
antiennes du Commun aux petites Heures.

Pour les célébrations des saints inscrites au Calendrier Général depuis l’approbation du
Calendrier de la Confédération (22 juin 1972), l’antiphonaire indique des choix et des
pièces spécifiques, afin de permettre aux communautés qui le désirent de prendre en
compte ces célébrations selon l’esprit de la liturgie romaine.

La célébration des fêtes

Dans Liturgia Horarum, la célébration des fêtes (festum) a été notablement modifiée en
ce qui concerne l’Office des lectures (équivalent de l’ancien office nocturne). Cet office
est en effet célébré comme celui d’une mémoire qui disposerait d’antiennes propres et
auquel on ajouterait le chant du Te Deum.

Dans la tradition bénédictine, fêtes (festum) et solennités sont célébrées selon le même
rite, avec trois nocturnes18, ce qui représente une charge assez lourde en certaines
occasions comme l’octave de Noël ou certaines semaines chargées du sanctoral,
lorsqu’on prend en compte les calendriers propres19. Cette disposition empêche
pratiquement la célébration chantée de la totalité de l’office, ce qui n’est conforme ni à
l’intention de saint Benoît ni aux dispositions du renouveau liturgique voulu par Vatican
II.

A l’époque où saint Benoît rédigeait le code liturgique de sa Règle, les circonstances

étaient bien différentes: le nombre des célébrations festives était notablement moindre
qu’aujourd’hui. En outre, la messe n’était pas célébrée tous les jours et ne possédait pas
des riches pièces du répertoire de la schola. Le pensum servitutis était notablement
moindre.

C’est pourquoi le nouvel antiphonaire propose des dispositions nouvelles pour la

célébration des fêtes (festum) :

« Au 1er et au 2e Nocturnes, l’office est célébré comme

les dimanches et jours de solennité. Après le dernier répons
du 2e Nocturne, on ajoute l’hymne Te Deum laudamus,
l’oraison conclusive et l’acclamation Benedicamus Domino.

« Aux fêtes du Seigneur inscrites au Calendrier Général

et à certaines autres fêtes, selon le jugement de l’Abbé, les

18
Regula monachorum, 14.
19
Ainsi, en Europe, une semaine comme celle du 15 août comporte au moins 4
célébrations à trois nocturnes : le dimanche, la fête de sainte Thérèse-Bénédicte de la
Croix (9 août), la fête de saint Laurent (10 août) et la solennité de l’Assomption (15
août).
158
 Vigiles sont prolongées, ce qui se fait comme le dimanche
et les jours de solennité, par l’addition d’un 3e Nocturne. »20

Les fêtes sont désormais célébrées selon un rite à deux nocturnes avec additions du Te
Deum en conclusion. La prolongation de la veillée, par l’addition d’un 3e nocturne et du
chant de l’évangile, revient à équiparer la fête à un dimanche ou à une solennité.

Les genres musicaux

Les antiennes

Lorsqu’on réunit les antiennes disponibles dans les différents livres disponibles avant le
Concile (AM 1934, AR 1912 et divers Propres) on atteint un total d’environ 1000
antiennes disponibles.

L’ordonnance de Liturgia Horarum demandait le maintien de la plupart des antiennes

disponibles en usage et la « production » d’environ 1000 antiennes supplémentaires,
inédites.

Le travail supposait donc de rechercher dans les manuscrits médiévaux des mélodies
d’antiennes correspondant aux textes de Liturgia Horarum.

Trois cas se sont présentés.

1. Le texte de Liturgia Horarum a été chanté dans la tradition médiévale

Et il se trouve dans les manuscrits avec une mélodie qui respecte les normes de la
composition grégorienne.

Dans cette hypothèse, l’antienne a été acceptée purement et simplement. Ce cas s’est
présenté de nombreuses fois, car les compilateurs de Liturgia Horarum connaissaient
bien la tradition médiévale, principalement à travers la publication récente du Corpus
Antiphonalium Officii de Dom R.-J. Hesbert21.

2. Un texte équipollent a été chanté dans la tradition médiévale

Le texte prévu par Liturgia Horarum n’a pas été chanté dans la tradition médiévale, ou
bien la mélodie qui lui a été attribuée ne soutient pas la critique. Dans ce cas, on a
cherché dans les manuscrits médiévaux une antienne dont le texte, bien que différent de
celui de Liturgia Horarum, se rapprochait de celui-ci ou pouvait lui être substitué.

20
Pro I et II Nocturnis, officium peragitur ut in dominicis et sollemnitatibus. Post
ultimum responsorium II Nocturni, additur hymnum Te Deum laudamus, oratio
conclusiva et acclamatio Benedicamus Domino.
In festis Domini in Calendario Generali inscriptis et in aliquibus festis, secundum
iudicium abbatis, protrahendæ sunt Vigiliæ, quod fit ut supra, in dominicis et
sollemnitatibus, cum III Nocturnis (Ordinaire de l’office nocturne).
21
R.-J. Hesbert, Corpus Antiphonalium Officii III, Invitatoriæ, antiphonæ, Rome,
1968.
159
Parfois, il a été nécessaire de modifier légèrement le texte de l’antienne pour obtenir
finalement une antienne adaptée à la circonstance liturgique et cohérente avec les
principes de la composition grégorienne.

3. Quelques compositions « néo-grégoriennes »

Lorsque les deux recherches précédentes ont échoué, il est apparu nécessaire de
« composer » une antienne, tirée du texte de Liturgia Horarum et reprenant des formules
traditionnelles du répertoire grégorien.

Ce cas s’est présenté une cinquantaine de fois (sur un total d’environ 2000 antiennes), en
particulier pour les évangiles des dimanches per annum de l’année B: l’évangile selon
saint Marc n’a en effet pratiquement jamais été chanté dans la liturgie avant Vatican II.

Dans la mouvance des études grégoriennes de la seconde moitié du XXe siècle, la

composition de pièces « néo-grégoriennes » est habituellement reçue comme peu critique
et contraire aux principes d’authenticité historique. Il faut cependant reconnaître que
depuis le VIIIe siècle, ce genre de composition a été pratiqué dans toutes les régions et à
toutes les époques.

Selon les centres (germaniques, français, aquitains ou italiens), ces adaptations ont été
reçues avec un bonheur parfois discutable: il suffit d’étudier l’office et la messe de la
Sainte Trinité pour constater que, très tôt, les lois les plus élémentaires de l’adaptation de
la mélodie au texte liturgique ont été oubliées.

Les lois de la composition grégorienne étant aujourd’hui bien connues, il est possible de
« composer » une mélodie qui permette au texte retenu de « sonner » comme une
antienne traditionnelle et de s’intégrer dans l’ensemble du répertoire.

Ces adaptations – que le nouvel antiphonaire a tenu à réduire au strict minimum –

témoignent paradoxalement de la vitalité de la mélodie grégorienne et de sa capacité à
nourrir la prière liturgique de tous les temps.

Les tons psalmodiques

L’ensemble des tons psalmodiques avait commencé à faire l’objet d’une révision lors de
la publication du Psalterium monasticum de 1981. Cette révision a été achevée.

Parmi les huit tons traditionnels, il faut noter le 3e, dont l’unique teneur est désormais
fixée à si.

Et le 5e, qui reçoit dans certains cas une terminaison avec si bémol, selon la composition
de l’antienne, conformément à la pratique de nombreux manuscrits médiévaux, et
spécialement de la tradition germanique. Des transitions particulièrement disgracieuses,
comme celle du Magnificat après l’antienne O sacrum convivium de la Fête-Dieu, seront
ainsi désormais évitées.

Certaines communautés éprouveront peut-être une difficulté à mettre en œuvre ces deux
terminaisons du 5e ton, dont la proximité mélodique peut paraître trop subtile. Si c’est le

160
cas, il sera possible de continuer à utiliser systématiquement la formule reçue par l’usage
actuel (avec si bécarre).

Le 5e ton reçoit aussi un médiante solennelle mieux adaptée, distincte de celle du 2e et du

8e ton: on n’y entend plus le si.

Le ton II* déjà proposé dans le Psalterium monasticum de 1981, recouvre désormais les
antiennes du ton IVA de AM 1934.

Les tons archaïques C, D et E, ainsi que le ton IV* voient leur application quasiment
limitée à l’office férial, conformément aux données des sources médiévales.

La terminaison du ton E (tonus irregularis de AM 1934) a été revue et calée sur une
formule à deux accents. Dans la tradition médiévale, ce ton s’adaptait en effet aux
dernières syllabes du verset d’une façon trop subtile pour la psalmodie chorale.
L’adaptation systématique et atone aux quatre dernières syllabes, prévue par AM 1934,
outre qu’elle ne reposait sur aucun fondement, suscitait de fréquentes confusions avec le
3e ton et faisait échapper cette mélodie aux lois de l’accentuation.

Le ton « pérégrin » est employé un peu plus souvent, en particulier dans le Sanctoral: la
solennité de la Toussaint et la plupart des Communs font appel à une antienne du type
Sancti Domini qui se chante à Laudes avec le cantique Benedicite. Proposé ad libitum
pour deux antiennes des dimanches per annum, construites sur la seule quinte grave d’un
8e ton, il permettra aussi de chanter ces antiennes avec plus de confort.

Le ton appelé ton « pascal » dans AR 1912 est proposé ad libitum pour la psalmodie
directe de Complies, au moins pour les octaves de Noël et de Pâques22.

Les répons-brefs

Les textes sont en très grande majorité ceux de Liturgia Horarum, sauf dans les cas où
l’adaptation des mélodies s’est révélée difficile en raison de l’extrême brièveté ou de la
longueur excessive de la réponse.

Avent

Il y a un ton unique, celui de l’AM de 1934. Sa mélodie a été revue. La teneur a été
ramenée de fa à mi, et l’ornementation de la médiante légèrement modifiée. Toutefois,
l’adaptation proposée par les plus anciens manuscrits étant particulièrement subtile, il a
paru préférable, pour des raisons pratiques, d’unifier l’ornementation des quatre répons.

Noël

Le temps de Noël n’a pas de ton propre pour les répons-brefs. Selon les circonstances, on
renvoie aux tons alléluiatiques (Noël et son octave), au ton du dimanche (Sainte Famille,
Baptême) ou au ton simple du sanctoral (férial avec versets à l’aigu).

22
Bien qu’absent d’AM 1934, ce n’est pas une nouveauté : de nombreuses
communautés bénédictines l’ont adopté pour les Complies du dimanche.
161
Carême

Il y a un ton principal, celui de l’AM de 1934. Sa mélodie a été légèrement revue: le si est
bémol, conformément aux usages retenus dans l’ensemble de l’antiphonaire pour le 4e
mode.

Le dimanche, aux 2e vêpres, un ton spécial est proposé, celui qui se trouvait dans l’AM
1934 pour le Sacré-Cœur: son texte est parfait pour la circonstance. La mélodie retrouve
ainsi sa vraie place, puisqu’elle apparaît dans les manuscrits pour la Septuagésime, c’est-
à-dire le début d’un temps de préparation à Pâques.

Semaine Sainte

Les études récentes23 ont montré que le ton proposé par AM 1934 était une reconstruction
erronée. Une fois retranscrite exactement à partir des manuscrits bénéventains, sa
mélodie apparaît beaucoup moins « intéressante ». Elle est cependant proposée ad libitum
pour le dimanche, mais c’est le ton du Carême qui reste indiqué en premier lieu.

Selon l’usage de la liturgie romaine ancienne, que la tradition bénédictine a toujours suivi
en ces jours, le répons-bref est remplacé par le Christus factus est à Laudes et à Vêpres
des Jeudi, Vendredi et Samedi saints.

Temps pascal

Pour ce temps, on a restauré la psalmodie alléluiatique, qui respecte l’antique manière de

chanter le psaume responsorial et la forme native du répons-bref.

Il y a deux tons, l’un festif, pour l’octave et les solennités, l’autre férial, pour les autres
jours. L’un et l’autre se trouvaient déjà dans AM 1934.

Bien que pendant l’octave, l’usage traditionnel soit de chanter le Hæc dies comme à la
messe, on a proposé ad libitum un répons-bref alléluiatique sur le même texte.

Temps per annum

Il comporte trois tons.

Un pour le dimanche et un pour les solennités, qui se trouvaient déjà dans AM 1934.

Le répons-bref des féries se distingue de celui proposé dans AM 1934 par le fait qu’il
reste en modalité archaïque, même pour le Gloria Patri.

Sanctoral

Les mémoires et les fêtes reprennent le ton ordinaire de AM 1934, c’est-à-dire répons sur
fa et versets sur la, avec ornementation simple.

23
D. SAULNIER, « La mélodie du répons-bref De ore leonis », Etudes grégoriennes 28
(2000), 167-170.
162
Pour les solennités, on propose le ton solennel déjà connu dans AM 1934, et commun
avec le sanctoral24.

Office des Défunts

L’office des Défunts étant désormais célébré comme un office ordinaire, il comporte des
répons-brefs à Laudes et à Vêpres. La mélodie spéciale qui leur est appliquée est une
adaptation de formules du mode archaïque de RE.

Les répons prolixes

La tradition médiévale chantait un répons prolixe à la place du répons-bref aux 1es Vêpres
des solennités. Cet usage est étendu aux fêtes qui tombent un dimanche.

La plupart des répons prolixes édités dans AM 1934 sont conservés dans le nouvel
antiphonaire, mais leur mélodie a été revue selon les exigences de la critique actuelle.

Les répons néo-grégoriens et les pièces tardives ou de musicalité contestable (Trinité,

Fête-Dieu, Sacré-Cœur, S. Joseph, S. Benoît, Immaculée Conception) ont été remplacés
par des compositions médiévales de qualité, dont le texte correspond bien au mystère
célébré.

Les versets

L’antiphonaire a tenu à maintenir l’usage du verset aux Heures majeures en raison de sa

valeur musicale et de sa haute antiquité: il constitue dans la liturgie actuelle le plus ancien
témoin du chant de réponse à la lecture. Le verset est donc proposé ad libitum au lieu du
répons-bref après la lecture brève de Laudes et de Vêpres.

Il y a trois mélodies pour les versets.

Deux sont déjà connues de l’AM 1934: la mélodie simple des petites Heures et la mélodie
mélismatique commune aux Laudes, aux Vêpres et aux Vigiles.

Une mélodie nouvelle est introduite, qui ne se trouve que dans un petit nombre de
manuscrits. Son caractère archaïque a invité à la réserver à l’octave de Pâques et aux
solennités du Temps pascal. Il est loisible de l’utiliser aussi pour la Fête-Dieu, où l’usage
de la psalmodie alléluiatique est traditionnel.

La mélodie proposée par les livres du XXe siècle pour la Semaine Sainte et l’office des
Défunts, ainsi que le ton solennel contenu dans AM 1934 sont des adaptations tardives
très étrangères à la tradition grégorienne. Elles n’ont pas été retenues.

24
Les tableaux de l’Atelier paléographique montrent qu’au Moyen Age, cette mélodie,
artistiquement retouchée par dom Gajard, était réservée à la psalmodie pascale.
163
Principes de restitution musicale

Les difficultés

L’édition d’un livre de chant liturgique fondé sur le répertoire grégorien amène à poser de
nombreuses questions qu’ont dû affronter, plus ou moins consciemment, tous les éditeurs
depuis le moyen âge25. Mais aujourd’hui, la connaissance que nous avons du répertoire,
de son histoire et des lois de sa composition, tend à rendre ces questions plus aiguës.

La première difficulté qui s’est présentée venait de la confrontation entre les restitutions
proposées par l’AM 1934 et près de 1000 antiennes nouvelles sorties directement des
sources médiévales: celles de 1934 avaient été restituées selon les principes de l’époque,
les nouvelles ne pouvaient ignorer la critique actuelle.

Il était donc nécessaire de reprendre l’ensemble des antiennes, les anciennes et les
nouvelles, pour les soumettre à un processus homogène de restitution.

La deuxième difficulté venait de l’extrême variété entre les époques de composition de

toutes ces antiennes.

Certaines se trouvent dans les premiers manuscrits médiévaux, y compris les manuscrits
sans notation musicale qui remontent au IXe siècle. D’autres ont été composées au cours
des siècles qui suivent immédiatement (Xe et XIe s.). Ce sont des antiennes locales ou
régionales qui ont parfois reçu une diffusion plus large. D’autres encore ont été
composées au XIIe siècle, dans un centre particulier. Ensuite, un petit nombre d’antiennes
ont été composées plus tardivement: ce sont des compositions purement locales, qui
constituent généralement le patrimoine d’un centre unique. Enfin, les Propres diocésains
ou religieux élaborés dans le cadre de la revalorisation du chant grégorien dans la
première moitié du XXe siècle, donc très marqués par la composition « néo-grégorienne »,
fournissent à notre projet un nombre notable d’antiennes. Un apport important qui assure
d’ailleurs la connexion entre le nouveau livre et la tradition vivante.

Il est nécessaire d’ajouter que le monde des praticiens du chant grégorien se divise, quant
à lui, assez spontanément selon deux orientations dominantes: ceux qui souhaitent une
continuité matérielle avec ce qui se chantait avant le Concile, et ceux qui demandent une
restitution et une édition de textes et de mélodies plus conformes aux exigences de la
critique contemporaine. Les deux orientations sont légitimes: la première parce qu’elle
répond à un souci pastoral lié à la mémorisation du répertoire par les communautés et les
chorales, l’autre parce qu’elle s’appuie sur la demande explicite de Vatican II de proposer
une édition plus critique des livres de chant grégorien publiés depuis la restauration de
saint Pie X26.

Les choix de restitution

Devant ces difficultés, l’Atelier de paléographie musicale a effectué les choix suivants.

25
On pourrait évoquer, par exemple, les compilateurs de l’office des Chartreux, la
réforme de Guillaume de Volpiano, ou bien la préparation de l’antiphonier de Paris par
l’abbé Lebeuf.
26
Sacrosanctum concilium, n. 117.
164
Les antiennes qui se trouvent dans les plus anciens manuscrits

Ici, la référence a été choisie dans le manuscrit dit « de Hartker », c’est-à-dire

l’antiphonaire de l’office contenu dans le manuscrit 390-391 de la Stiftsbibliothek de
Saint-Gall. Copié aux alentours de l’an 1000, il constitue pratiquement le plus ancien
témoin neumé du répertoire de l’office.

A quelques rares incertitudes près, la comparaison avec plusieurs autres manuscrits a

permis d’établir la mélodie consignée par les neumes de ce manuscrit, reconnu par
l’ensemble de la critique pour sa richesse en compositions, sa cohérence dans le
vocabulaire grégorien, sa régularité et sa précision dans l’édition.

D’autres choix auraient été possibles. Celui-ci s’inscrit dans la ligne des choix effectués
depuis quarante ans par les amateurs comme par les spécialistes pour les chants du Propre
de la messe.

Dans quelques cas très rares (moins de 1%), la version probable de ce manuscrit a été
modifiée en raison de la difficulté d’intonation qu’une formule pouvait présenter pour
une oreille contemporaine27.

Les antiennes de la tradition postérieure

Ces antiennes se répartissent facilement en deux catégories.

Celles qui respectent spontanément l’esthétique traditionnelle de la composition

grégorienne ont été introduites sans modification.

Les autres, qui présentent une irrégularité de composition surmontable, ont été corrigées
selon les lois que « Hartker » applique aux formules de l’office.

Les antiennes tardives ou « néo-grégoriennes »

Ces antiennes, qui souffrent de profondes irrégularités dans leur composition

(essentiellement des incohérences entre texte et mélodie ou dans le vocabulaire modal),
ou dans lesquelles se rencontrent des passages d’intonation difficile ou disgracieuse, ont
été corrigées, voire partiellement recomposées, pour entrer, sinon dans le style exact des
compositions de « Hartker », au moins dans le vocabulaire des antiennes de l’AM 1934,
bien connu des chanteurs de la tradition vivante.

Les nouveautés musicales du projet

La qualité du si.

Lorsqu’on compare l’AR 1912 et l’AM 1934, on est frappé du nombre de si bémol qui ont
été transformés en si bécarre. En étudiant les tableaux réalisés sous la direction de Dom

27
Ces quelques exceptions n’ont pas été arrêtées sur la base du goût des éditeurs, mais
sur le conseil et l’expérience de chanteurs et de maîtres de choeur de monastères
bénédictins. Voir, par exemple : A/ Quid mihi et tibi, A/ Ultimo festivitatis die, A/ Vobis
datum.
165
Gajard, on peut se rendre compte que c’est lui qui, au dernier moment, c’est-à-dire sur les
épreuves de l’AM 1934, a biffé de sa main de nombreux si bémol pour les « transformer »
en si bécarre.

Pourquoi a-t-il fait cela?

Il y a plusieurs raisons.

La première consiste en une interprétation erronée des manuscrits italiens et surtout

bénéventains. Ces manuscrits ne font pas de différence entre si bémol et si bécarre. Ne
connaissant pas le signe du bémol, ils écrivent si sans autre précision et font confiance
pour le reste à la mémoire des chanteurs. Comme par ailleurs ce sont des manuscrits très
fiables pour les teneurs si et mi des 3e et 4e modes28, Dom Gajard a cru que l’absence du
signe bémol était pour eux une manière de témoigner en faveur du si bécarre.

La deuxième semble correspondre à un goût de l’époque: pour affirmer le caractère

original du chant médiéval, certains ont été tentés de lui donner une couleur exotique,
inouïe.

Mais la comparaison des manuscrits médiévaux montre que c’est souvent l’édition
Vaticane due à Dom Pothier (1912) qui avait raison sur ce point, en accord avec la
tradition monastique (Saint-Denis, Saint-Maur des Fossés, Metz) et une partie de la
tradition germanique (Saint-Georges de Willingen, Aix-la-Chapelle, Utrecht) et les
antiphonaires de Solesmes, de Dom Guéranger jusqu’en 1934.

De nombreuses antiennes du nouvel antiphonaire retrouveront donc le si bémol

traditionnel, surtout dans le 1er et le 4e modes, mais aussi, parfois de façon un peu plus
inattendue, en 8e mode et même exceptionnellement dans quelques antiennes du 3e mode,
où il contraste avec le si bécarre architectural.

Les deux terminaisons du 5e mode

Dans la plupart des manuscrits germaniques, le 5e ton est donné avec un si bémol dans sa
terminaison. Selon les antiennes de ce mode, c’est soi le si bécarre soit le si bémol qui
domine dans la composition. Pour respecter cette donnée, la terminaison est indiquée soit
avec le si bécarre (terminaison a) soit avec le si bémol (terminaison a2).

Une mélodie pascale pour les versets

La mélodie reçue pour le verset de Vêpres ou de Laudes récite sur fa et se termine sur ré.
Les études montrent qu’historiquement a existé pour ce verset une mélodie plus
archaïque, dans laquel la récitation était elle aussi sur ré. Cette mélodie archaïque a été
restaurée et choisie pour les versets de l’octave de Pâques et des solennités du Temps
pascal.

28
J. GAJARD, « Les récitations modales des 3e et 4e modes dans les manuscrits
bénéventains et aquitains », Etudes grégoriennes 1 (1954), p. 9-46.
166
Le chant des répons-brefs

L’enracinement du répons-bref, c’est la psalmodie responsoriale, presque totalement

dissimulée par l’exécution donnée de nos jours au répons-bref. A l’origine du répons-
bref, le soliste ne chantait pas la réponse, mais la suscitait directement de l’assemblée qui
« répondait » ainsi à son chant. Il a paru opportun de restaurer cette exécution
traditionnelle. Mais, vu le nombre important de répons-brefs chantés dans l’office actuel,
était-il raisonnable de demander aux communautés de mémoriser toutes les réponses et de
savoir les rendre spontanément à la première invitation du chantre? Par ailleurs, certains
enchaînements imprévus entre le Gloria Patri et la réponse sont susceptibles de gêner les
fidèles, par exemple:

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto R/ Quia peccavi tibi.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto R/ Iniquitas terræ

Aussi a-t-on choisi un compromis: la manière native de chanter le répons-bref a été

restaurée pour la psalmodie alléluiatique du Temps pascal, et la manière plus récente
conservée le reste de l’année.

Une nouvelle forme musicale : le tropaire

Le soir de Pâques, à Vêpres, et pendant toute l’octave, le nouvel antiphonaire propose

une nouvelle forme musicale pour le psaume pascal 113A. Après l’antienne Ite nuntiate,
du 4e mode, le psaume est chanté sur une psalmodie à 4 teneurs, avec réponse
alléluiatique à chaque verset, et reprise de l’antienne à la fin. La mélodie de ce chant nous
est transmise par les livres de l’Eglise de Rouen. La forme musicale du tropaire,
traditionnel en Orient, a été choisie par Liturgia Horarum pour le cantique du Nouveau
Testament de Vêpres.

La régularisation du ton irrégulier

Cette nouveauté a été présentée plus haut, à propos des tons psalmodiques.

Quelques accentuations inédites

Il arrive parfois que la mélodie grégorienne semble contredire l’accentation du mot latin.
Cela se produit lorsque l’accentation « officielle » d’un mot a changé au cours de
l’histoire.

C’est le cas, par exemple, du mot mulieres ou de ses dérivés, accentué par les
grammairiens sur sa deuxième syllabe li. Lorsque le compositeur grégorien met ce mot en
musique, il l’accentue clairement sur la 3e syllabe, comme dans les antiennes Mulieres
sedentes ad monumentum (Samedi Saint), ou Inter natos mulierum (saint Jean Baptiste).

Selon un principe qui a déjà été mis en œuvre partiellement dans l’édition vaticane du
chant de la Passion (1989), nous avons alors omis de préciser l’accent grammatical du

167
mot. Cet usage permet d’éviter une opposition entre texte et mélodie, toujours étrangère à
l’esprit de la composition grégorienne.29

Voici les principaux cas où l’antiphonaire omet ainsi de préciser l’accent grammatical du
mot: De sub pede Agni… emanat, Dum steteritis, Eloi Eloi lama sabachtani, Exortum...
tenebris, Inter natos mulierum, Intravi… cathedras, Ioseph ab Arimathaea, Mulieres
sedentes, Nemini dixeritis, Nolite iudicare… iudicaveritis, Nuptiae quidem… inveneritis,
Occidit autem Iacobum, Oculis ac manibus… intentus, Sacerdos Dei Martine30, Si
manseritis in me, Vidi supra montem… emanat.

Edition et principes de lecture musicale

Le contexte

Le XXe siècle marque un épanouissement du mouvement de renouveau du chant grégorien

préparé par les recherches du XIXe siècle. De fait, il a été dominé par les principes
éditoriaux de Solesmes: une notation carrée sur quatre lignes, héritée des notations
françaises des manuscrits du XIVe siècle, dessinée par dom Pothier, ornée par la suite de
« signes rythmiques » liés à la théorie exposée par dom Mocquereau dans Le nombre
musical grégorien, signes progressivement revus sous l’influence des recherches de dom
Cardine.

Les dernières décennies du XXe siècle ont vu l’apparition et le succès d’éditions

simplifiées: la notation carrée, dépourvue des « signes rythmiques », est surmontée d’une
reproduction des neumes des manuscrits médiévaux les plus anciens31.

29
« Au sujet de l’accent à écrire sur les mots hébreux, on ne peut pas toujours
l’imprimer sans risquer de mettre en opposition l’accent du texte littéraire et celui de la
mélodie. Loin d’introduire une divergence gênante, notre manière de faire montre
nettement le rapport des deux accentuations, qui doivent être respectées l’une et l’autre,
suivant le génie d’une langue et le choix des compositeurs, transmis par les manuscrits.
Trois cas sont à envisager.
Lorsque le mot hébreu passe à l’unisson, on ne met pas d’accent sur les disyllabes,
selon l’usage courant. Le chantre averti sait néanmoins qu’il doit accentuer Iesús (et
même Iesúm), comme il le fait pour Ioséph et Cedrón. Sur les trisyllabes et au delà, on
écrit l’accent originel et authentique sur la dernière syllabe.
Si le mot hébreu se rencontre sur une formule mélodique de cadence, et si cette
formule s’accommode de l’accentuation sur la dernière syllabe, on écrit l’accent sur la
dernière syllabe.
Si la formule mélodique n’admet pas cette accentuation, on ne la déforme pas. La
mélodie fait accentuer à la manière latine, et on n’écrit aucun accent sur le mot hébreu,
quel qu’il soit.
Ainsi, il n’y a jamais de contradiction entre l’accentuation écrite et l’accentuation
imposée par les formules mélodiques. » B. ANDRY, « Le chant liturgique de la Passion »,
Etudes grégoriennes 29 (2001), p. 123.
30
Les antiennes de l’office de saint Martin comportent de nombreuses « erreurs »
d’accentuation, phénomène rare dans les offices anciens.
31
L’édition du Graduale triplex de 1979, universellement répandue, en fournit un
exemple emblématique.
168
Comment positionner le nouvel antiphonaire face à cette dualité?

Nous avons choisi un parti qui demande quelques explications.

Les choix éditoriaux de l’antiphonaire

Le parti éditorial retenu a été celui d’une édition analogue à l’Edition vaticane de 1912
(notes carrées sur quatre lignes, avec quilisma, quart de barres, demi-barres et barres),
mais enrichie des signes neumatiques introduits progressivement par dom Gajard et dom
Claire dans les éditions de l’AM 1934 et de LH 1983, c’est-à-dire:

– l’oriscus et ses dérivés,

– la stropha,
– la bivirga et la trivirga,
– le trigon,
– les liquescences augmentative et diminutive,
– les graphies initio debilis.

L’usage de la virgule de phrasé (d’un calibre inférieur au quart de barre) a été

notablement étendu. Le principe éditorial de la coupure neumatique a été conservé.

Les répons prolixes, les graduels Christus factus est et Haec dies sont surmontés d’une
reproduction en fac-similé des neumes des premiers manuscrits de Saint-Gall
(Stiftsbibliothek 390-391 et 359).

Neumes et « signes rythmiques »32

On a pris l’habitude d’appeler ainsi trois signes ajoutés par les éditions de Solesmes aux
livres de chant du XXe siècle: le point mora, l’épisème vertical et l’épisème horizontal.

Ces trois signes ont été abandonnés dans notre édition pour les raisons suivantes.

Le point mora et l’épisème vertical ne correspondent à aucune donnée traditionnelle du

chant grégorien. Ils n’apparaissent dans aucun manuscrit médiéval et n’ont été introduits
dans les éditions de Solesmes que pour promouvoir une théorie rythmique du chant
grégorien (basée sur les considérations du Nombre musical grégorien), dont le caractère
obsolète a été depuis longtemps démontré. Bien plus, ils se sont révélés en contradiction
avec les principes élémentaires de lecture des neumes médiévaux. Plus précisément, cette
théorie rythmique, dans la mesure où elle inflige une distorsion rythmique aux mots et
aux phrases chantées, apparaît en contradiction avec les principes élémentaires de
composition de la musique liturgique, qui repose fondamentalement sur le service du
texte sacré.

32
L’expression, attribuée aux épisèmes et au point-mora, est gravement ambiguë : elle
semble signifier que ces signes indiqueraient le rythme. Or, ces signes ne le font pas. Le
rythme fondamental du chant grégorien est donné par la déclamation du texte et la
marche de la mélodie. Les signes ajoutés aux neumes médiévaux n’indiquent pas le
rythme mais d’infimes nuances d’agogique, voire des ornements vocaux, accessibles
seulement à des spécialistes chevronnés.
169
L’épisème horizontal n’apparaît que dans deux ou trois manuscrits médiévaux de l’office
sur les quelques centaines de documents qui nous sont parvenus. Ce n’est pas un signe
rythmique, mais un signe expressif. Il n’informe pas le chanteur sur le rythme
élémentaire; il précise seulement – et encore de façon très ambiguë pour un chanteur du
e 33
XX siècle – une nuance infime du rythme (ce que les musiciens appellent depuis un
siècle l’agogique).

La plupart des chœurs amateurs sont dans l’incapacité de produire des nuances aussi
subtiles, réservées à des solistes exercés; et l’interprétation exagérée qu’ils en donnent les
amène finalement à une déformation du rythme fondamental de pièces grégoriennes aussi
simples que les antiennes, basé sur la déclamation du texte et la marche de la mélodie.

C’est pour cette raison que nous avons choisi d’y renoncer, conformément au principe
exposé à la fin de la préface du Liber hymnarius:

« Les principes exposés ici découlent de la parfaite

adéquation du texte sacré et de la mélodie grégorienne.
C’est pourquoi ceux qui chantent en s’efforçant de respecter
la diction latine, possèdent par le fait même la plus grande
partie de ce qui est requis pour bien exécuter le chant
grégorien. »34

Avant d’arrêter ces choix, nombre de pièces ont été expérimentées auprès de diverses
communautés et chorales, et au cours de sessions réunissant des maîtres et maîtresses de
chœur de monastères. Cette démarche a permis de maintenir un contact constant entre les
exigences de la pratique, les requêtes de la critique musicologique et celles de la pastorale
liturgique.

Il apparaît immédiatement à tous ceux qui l’expérimentent que l’essentiel de ces petites
antiennes se trouve, selon l’intuition de dom Gajard, dans « la ligne ».

« Une ligne très pure de sons syllabiques, juste ce qu’il

faut pour que le texte soit prononcé… Une petite montée,
suivie de sa détente, une toute petite protase, suivie de son

33
La logique des scribes médiévaux diffère profondément de celle des modernes
éditeurs de partition. Le signe ajouté (épisème) par un copiste médiéval n’est pas destiné
à être lu par le chanteur et encore moins interprété par lui. Attibuer aujourd’hui à un tel
signe une valeur prescriptive, c’est entrer directement en contradiction avec l’intention
des compositeurs et des scribes. Malheureusement, tout, dans l’éducation musicale
classique nous y pousse…
34
Huius proœmii dispositiones ex perfecta adæquatione textus sacri cum melodia
gregoriana defluunt. Propterera qui cantando dictioni latinæ sedulam dat operam, ipso
facto iam potitur requisitis plurimis ad cantilenam gregorianam recte exsequendam.
Liber hymnarius, Solesmes 1983, p. xvi. Il est savoureux de penser que c’est dom
Cardine, le fondateur de la sémiologie grégorienne, qui a expressément demandé
l’insertion de ce texte dans la préface !
170
 apodose, et c’est tout; quelques notes ont suffi. Aucune
fioriture, aucune recherche d’effet. Rien que de la ligne. »35

Ligne de la parole, d’abord, ligne de la musique ensuite. Il n’est pas plus besoin de
signes rythmiques que de neumes paléographiques pour donner une juste interprétation
de ces antiennes.

On ne pourrait raisonner ainsi dans les pièces ornées, comme les répons prolixes et les
graduels de l’office36. Là, le style mélismatique et la complexité des developpements
mélodiques exigent des repères. A peu près partout dans le monde aujourd’hui, ceux qui
pratiquent ce répertoire orné se réfèrent au Graduale Triplex, dans lequel l’écriture
mélodique de la Vaticane est éclairée par les neumes des plus anciens manuscrits. C’est
pourquoi les pièces les plus ornées de notre édition de l’antiphonaire (répons prolixes,
Christus factus est et Hæc dies pascal) sont ornées de neumes médiévaux.

Ces neumes ne sont pas destinés à tous les chanteurs, dont beaucoup dans les monastères
pratiquent le chant par mémorisation et par imitation. Par contre, ils seront utiles aux
chefs de chœur et aux amateurs avertis en leur fournissant des indications objectives sur
lesquelles fonder leur interprétation.

Adaptations et pédagogie

Un livre de cette importance, destiné à de multiples et diverses adaptations, mériterait

d’amples prænotanda. Nous n’avons pas voulu alourdir l’ouvrage, ni surtout en retarder
la publication: ces mélodies étaient attendues depuis trente ans. Il importait de les mettre
à la disposition et des communautés.

Aussi les « Prænotanda » se limitent-ils aux textes législatifs promulgués pour la

Confédération bénédictine dans le cadre du Thesaurus de 1976. Ces textes se
recommandent par une doctrine qui puise abondamment aux deux sources de la Sainte
Règle et de Liturgia Horarum, même si leur latinité se ressent parfois du contexte un peu
urgent dans lequel ils ont été publiés.

L’AM dont la publication commence en 2005 représente une innovation considérable à

bien des points de vue:

– liturgiquement, par la rencontre entre Liturgia Horarum et la tradition bénédictine

grégorienne,
– musicalement, par l’introduction de près de 1000 antiennes nouvelles et par un parti
rénové de la restitution des mélodies,
– esthétiquement, par les modifications mélodique et l’allure plus spontanée du rythme.

Sa mise en œuvre supposera donc des adaptations, en fonction de chaque communauté,

et une pédagogie progressive.

35
Les plus belles mélodies grégoriennes commentées par Dom Gajard, Solesmes,
1985, p. 25.
36
Les hymnes constituent encore une autre catégorie. Certains signes sont nécessaire
pour y traduire le rôle essentiel joué par la quantité.
171
Les adaptations

Il s’agit essentiellement de choix. Dans de nombreuses circonstances, l’antiphonaire

laisse une large initiative aux communautés:

– la distribution des psaumes de Prime,

– le choix entre répons-bref et verset,
– la place de l’hymne,
– les antiennes propres aux petites Heures des jours de fête (et même pour les
mémoires),
– les antiennes évangéliques des dimanches de Carême,
– les antiennes propres des dimanches du Temps pascal,
– les antiennes bibliques des 1es Vêpres des dimanches per annum.

Autant de choix qui nécessiteront et stimuleront la réflexion des communautés, et

pourront être à l’origine d’un véritable renouveau de la célébration chantée de l’Opus
Dei.

La pédagogie

L’adoption du nouvel antiphonaire gagnera aussi à être progressive. L’échelonnement de

la publication en trois volumes sur deux ans et demi ira dans ce sens.

Ce ne sont pas tant les antiennes nouvelles qui feront difficulté, mais les minimes
variantes mélodiques par rapport aux versions reçues depuis 70 ans. Un délai sera
nécessaire pour les mémoriser et se les approprier.

Souvent, il sera prudent de n’adopter que progressivement les choix proposés.

Par exemple, on pourra retarder l’adoption des antiennes propres des petites Heures des
solennités ou des dimanches de Carême, jusqu’au jour où les antiennes des Heures
majeures seront bien connues.

Si nécessaire, on pourra aussi différer l’adoption des deux terminaisons du 5e mode:

avec l’habitude des différences de sonorités, le besoin s’en fera sentir progressivement37.

Surtout, il sera nécessaire d’effectuer une catéchèse approfondie à partir des nouveaux
textes introduits, en montrant leur connexion avec le temps liturgique et le mystère
célébré. Autant de tâches qui reviennent aux maîtres et maîtresses de chœur, mais aussi à
ceux qui, dans l’enseignement ou dans la prédication, ont reçu la charge de transmettre
les valeurs de la liturgie.

Ce sera l’occasion de promouvoir une catéchèse renouvelée de la Liturgie des Heures et

de l’année liturgique.

37
La nuance entre les deux terminaisons est tout le contraire d’un “luxe”, car elle est
fondée dans la composition de l’antienne. Il y aurait peut-être plus de risque à l’ignorer
qu’à affronter résolument les difficultés de l’apprentissage.
172
Remerciements

Il y aurait de nombreuses personnes à remercier au moment de livrer ce nouveau livre au

chant et… à la critique.

Au premier rang, se trouve bien sûr le père abbé de Saint-Pierre de Solesmes dont
l’engagement personnel, aux heures stratégiques, a été garant de l’issue finale du projet.
La communauté a consenti pour ce travail un investissement qui ne se mesure pas
seulement en termes de budget. Plusieurs moines de Solesmes ont apporté une
contribution directe à l’une ou l’autre des phases du travail38.

Mais la plus élémentaire reconnaissance recommande de mentionner spécialement:

Le T.R.P. dom Notker Wolf, Abbé Primat, qui a apporté un soutien enthousiaste et
décisif à l’entreprise.

Le R.P. Jean Evenou, pour ses conseils et sa relecture bienveillante et efficace.

Dom Claude Gay, dont la compétence garantit une révision de qualité pour plusieurs
centaines d’antiennes tardives.

Le fr. André Payelle, pour la saisie informatique et le calibrage de près de 2000 pièces.

Dom Jacques de Préville, pour sa contribution à l’édition du psautier.

M. Sarunas Visockis39, pour sa collaboration quotidienne et compétente depuis 1998.

Le regretté Dom Rupert Fischer († 2001), le Professeur Heinrich Rumphorst, et M.

Dominique Crochu pour leur aide concrète et leurs conseils musicologiques.

Le T.R.P. Jean Pierre Longeat (Ligugé), S. Mikael Ramonet (Kergonan), S. Isabelle de

la Source (Dourgne), M. Giedrius Gapsys et Mme Asta Timukaite-Lemiesle, pour leurs
relectures attentives.

Les personnes et les communautés qui ont accepté de « tester » les nouvelles versions
mélodiques, et spécialement la Communauté Saint-Martin et M. l’abbé Thomas
Diradourian.

Enfin, c’est grâce à l’ingéniosité de M. Gilles Couderc, de Normandie-Roto, que ce long

travail a pu aboutir jusqu’aux plaques des rotatives.

38
Notamment les frères Dominique Croizé et Xavier Battlo, pour la confection de
tableaux comparatifs ; le fr. Olivier Guillou, pour la copie manuscrite d’antiennes et de
répons et le contrôle des timbres du « IVA » et du 8e mode ; dom Marcel Burlat, dom
Jean Mallet, dom Paul Debout et le fr. Jean Meunier, pour diverses relectures.
39
C’est à M. Sarunas Visockis qu’on doit notamment l’exceptionnelle qualité de
reproduction des neumes de Saint-Gall dans les répons prolixes, la plus grande part de la
mise en page, ainsi que les orientations fondamentales de l’édition informatique.
173
 Que tous soient remerciés d’avoir contribué généreusement à la venue au jour d’un
« chant nouveau pour le Seigneur »!

fr. Daniel Saulnier

Ces pages sont une partie d’un dossier sur l’antiphonaire, destiné à être publié dans les
Etudes grégoriennes de 2005. Elles sont aussi disponibles sur la page web de l’Atelier de
paléographie: http://palmus.free.fr

Abréviations

AR: Antiphonale Sacrosanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ, Rome, 1912.

AM: Antiphonale monasticum pro diurnis Horis, Tournai, 1934.

174
 APPENDIX 2: Un nouvel antiphonaire monastique
by
Daniel Saulnier
Études grégoriennes, Vol. XXXIII (2005), pp.153-180
(Excerpt tr. by Columba Kelly)

[p. 174] The 20th century marked a flowering of the movement for the renewal of
Gregorian chant prepared for by the research of the 19th century. In fact, it was dominated
by the editorial principles of Solesmes: a square note notation on four lines, inherited
from the French notations of the manuscripts of the 14th century, designed by Dom
Pothier, then decorated by a number of “rhythmic signs” that were tied to the theory
presented by Dom Mocquereau in Le nombre musical grégorien.

The last decades of the 20th century have seen the appearance and the success of
simplified editions, always with square notes, lacking the “rhythmic signs” and
supplemented by the reproduction of neumes from the most ancient manuscripts.
[footnote 30: The edition of the Graduale triplex of 1979, universally recognized, is an
example]

How does one position the new antiphonal in the face of this duality?
We have chosen a position that demands some explanations.

The editorial choice for the antiphonal

The editorial part that has been retained is that of an edition that is analogous to
the Vatican edition of 1912 (square notes on four lines, with the Quilisma, quarter bars,
half bars and full bars), but enriched with the neume designs introduced progressively by
Dom Gajard and Dom Claire in the editions of the Antiphonale monasticum, 1934 and the
Liber hymnarius, 1983, that is to say:
- the orsiscus and its derivatives,
- the stropha,
- the bivirga and the trivirga,
- the trigon,
- the augmentative and diminutive liquescentes,
- the graphics called initio debilis.

Neumes and “rhythmic signs”

[footnote 31: the expression, attributed to episemas and the point-mora, is gravely
ambivalent: it seems to signify that these signs indicate the rhythm. However, these signs
do not do so. The fundamental rhythm of Gregorian chant is given by the declamation of
the text the movement of the melody. The signs added to the medieval neumes do not
indicate the rhythm, but the tiny agogic nuances. They are vocal ornaments, accessible
only to the experienced professional singer.]

One has developed the habit of also calling “rhythmic signs” the three signs added
by the Solesmes editions to the chant books of the 19th century: the point-mora, the
vertical episema and the horizontal episema.

These three signs have been abandoned in our edition for the following reasons.

175
 The point-mora and the vertical episema do not correspond to any traditional
given of Gregorian chant. They do not appear in any medieval manuscript. They were
only introduced in the Solesmes editions for the sake of promoting a rhythmic theory of
Gregorian chant (that of the Nombre musical grégorien), whose obsolete character has
been demonstrated for quite some time now. Moreover, it has been shown to be in
contradiction to an elementary reading of the medieval neumes. More precisely, this
rhythmic theory, in the measure that it inflicts a rhythmic distortion on the sung words
[p.176] and phrases, shows itself to be in contradiction with the basic principles of
composition for liturgical music. These principles rest fundamentally on their being at the
service of the sacred text.

The horizontal episema only appears in two or three medieval manuscripts of the
Divine Office of the several hundred that we have investigated. It is not a rhythmic sign,
a sign that would inform the singer about the basic rhythm. It precisions only a tiny
nuance of the rhythm, and even that it does in a very ambiguous manner for a singer of
the 20th century. [footnote 32: The logic of medieval scribes differs profoundly from that
of modern editors of a music score. The sign (episema) added by a medieval copyist was
not destined to be read by the singer and even less interpreted by him. To attribute such a
prescriptive value to such a thing today, is to enter directly into contradiction with the
intention of the composers and of the scribes; mais toute notre formation musicale nous y
pousse :…] It is a nuance that musicians today call agogic.

The majority of amateur choirs are incapable of producing these ever so subtle
nuances, nuances reserved for experienced soloists. The exaggerated interpretation these
groups give to the signs, in the end, leads to a deformation of the fundamental rhythm of
Gregorian chant pieces that are quite simple, such as the Office antiphons that are based
on the declamation of the text and the movement of the melody.

It is for this reason that we have chosen to renounce them, in conformity with the
principle given by Dom Cardine at the end of the preface to the Liber hymnarius:

“The principles given here flow from the perfect correspondence of the sacred
text with the Gregorian melody. It is for this reason that whoever sings by making oneself
respect the Latin diction, by that very fact, possesses most of what is required to perform
well a Gregorian chant.” [footnote 33: the Latin text taken from the Liber hymnarius,
Solesmes 1983, p. xvi. It was the founder of Semiology himself who insisted on the
insertion of this text in the preface!]

[p.177]: It will become immediately apparent to those [who sing these antiphons]
that what is essential in these little antiphons is found, according to the intuition of Dom
Gajard, in “the [melodic] line.”

“A very pure line of syllabic sounds, just what is necessary for pronouncing the
text … a little intensification [montée], followed by its relaxation, a little protasis,
followed by its apodosis, and that is all; a few notes suffice. No embellishment, no
searching for effect. Nothing but the line.” [footnote 34: Le plus belle melodies
grégoriennes commentées par Dom Gajard, Solesmes, 1985, p.25]

[All that is necessary is] the line of the [spoken] word, first of all, followed by the
line of the music. There is no longer a need for rhythmic signs, nor for the paleographic

176
neumes, in order to interpret these antiphons. One cannot also reason in the same way for
the prolix responses and the graduals of the Divine Office. There, the melismatic style
and the complexity of the melodic developments demand some reference marks. Today,
in almost every place in the world, those who sing this ornate repertory refer to the
Graduale Triplex, in which the melodic writing of the Vatican edition is clarified by the
neumes from the ancient manuscripts. It is for this reason that the more ornate pieces of
our edition of antiphonal (the prolix responses, the Christus factus est and the Haec dies
pascal) are provided with the medieval neumes.

These neumes are not for the use of all the singers, since many in monasteries
sing the chant from memory or by imitation. On the other hand, these will be useful for
choirmasters and informed amateurs in furnishing them with objective indications on
which to base their interpretation.

177
 APPENDIX 3: The Nature of Rhythm

Excerpts from Maurin, Bernard, (2003). “Bases pour une anthropologie musicale sur le
rhythme musical.” Études Grégoriennes XXXI: 151-170.

(p.155): To lay the foundation for an anthropology of rhythm, one must start from
anthropology itself, that is to say, from how the human brain functions. The
anthropologist Father Marcel Jousse (1886-1961) has given us the key for resolving these
difficult problems. It was only from him that I found the solution to the problem of
rhythm, and he wasn’t even a musician! The first chapter (pp.41-200), entitled
“Rhythm,” of the first volume of his work anthropologie du Geste (Ed. Gallimard, 1976)
gives incontrovertable proof.

(p.158): Following Jousse, one can affirm that the nature of rhythm (e.g. musical rhythm)
is an explosion of a three-phased energy that has a preparation, a summit/climax and a
relaxation, or dissipation. Rhythm in all the languages of the world is also, first of all, a
rhythm of intensity, only then is it a rhythm of duration, of height (pitch) and of timbre.

(p.161): … rhythm has always presented itself, not as an “élan/repos”, but as an élan-
preparation of an energy that is springing toward a summit and then progressively
dissipating itself in a “repos.” This energy curve necessarily includes an implied
dynamism, tied to the energy.

(p.162): … rhythm is basically an energy in three phases, of the which the second
expresses the climax [the “exploding’ of the energy].

(p.168): This view of rhythm is not compatible with the method of Dom Mocqereau. …
The so-called “Method of Solesmes” is in fact only that of Dom Mocqereau and Dom
Gajard. … Almost from the moment of its foundation in 1833 and before the beginning
of the research in 1856, the monks of Dom Guéranger have always, to this day, sung the
Latin accent with intensity, something that was very new at that time. Volume VII of the
Paleographie musicale, which contains the rhythmic synthesis of Dom Mocqereau (a
synthesis that was not accepted by Father de Santi, Dom Pothier and Peter Wagner) dates
from 1901. The first volume of the “Nombre musical grégorien” dates from 1908, the
year the Vatican edition of the chants was published. Later, Dom Cardine will express the
incompatibility between this (Mocqereau’s) conception of the basic unit of time and what
he had learned from his paleographic studies (Sémiologie grégorienne, pp. 10 and 12).
Above all, Cardine restored to the Latin accent the essential role of being the rhythmic
pole. He did this without a direct confrontation with his predecessor (cf. Première année
de chant grégorien, pp. 34-35). At present, all chant specialists, since 1970, including
those at Solesmes, have abandoned the rhythmic method of Dom Mocqereau. At the
same time, it is surprising to see the prestige that Dom Mocqereau enjoys to this day
among such important musicians as Messiaen (Traité du Rhythme, vol. IV) and in
bibliographies dedicated to rhythm (Pacznski, ed. Zurfluh 1988).

(p.169): … From the beginning of the twentieth century (d’Indy, Emmanuel) there ruled
a thorough dislike of a strong pulse and very great depreciation for the measure. One
wanted an absolute independence of the rhythm from an accent of intensity. Moreover,
one especially did not want any lengthening [of the notes] to be the result of an accent of
intensity. Dom Mocqereau wanted the tonic accent to be brief and light. … The first stage
178
in refuting this method concerns the misunderstood terminology relating to the term
“arsis/thesis,” especially in its relationship to the accent. The greatest ambiguity resides
in the expression “élan/repose,” which should be corrected to: “élan, summit then
repose.” This is because common sense wants that summit of musical energy to
correspond to the high point of the textual energy, better known as the tonic accent.
Certainly, Mozart, like other composers, puts the tonic accent, whether in German, Italian
or Latin, always on the strong beat! One may object that in Gregorian chant, there are
very long pretonic or post-tonic ornaments. Jacque Viret (La modalité grégorienne, ed. A
Coeur Joie, 1987, pp.39ff) and others have shown well that these ornaments participate in
the unfolding of the energy, some by [rhetorical] delay, by preparation, by progressive
tension (the pretonic ornaments) and the others by relaxation [“katalectique”] of the
strong tonic energy (post-tonic ornaments). We find the same phenomenon among
classical musicians, even though they express themselves within the framework of a
measure.

(p.170): How was Gregorian chant performed?

A recent work of Jacque Viret (Les premières polyphonies, ed. A Coeur Joie, 2000,
pp.103-111) gives as certain that there existed in Gregorian chant and later in the first
polyphonies before the School of Notre Dame, a tactus “at the same time free and pulsed”
and that it “is identified with what modern folklorists –notably Bela Bartok – called
parlando rubato and that it is to be distinguished from tempo giusto meter” (p.111).

Without wanting to liken this rather elastic tactus to that of the much more “metronomic”
one of the sequences and the proses of the XI-XIIth centuries, the proposition of Viret
seems, from the anthropological point of view, to be very probable, with an imprecise
tactus [with respect to the distance of time between them] leading to a rigorously time-
controled tactus and that itself, leading to the cycle of repetitions (our modern meter
signatures).

179
Part 12: Practice Exercises

Latin Chants

Pater noster

180
Sanctus (Mass XVIII)

181
Gloria (Mass XV)

182
Genuit puerpera Regem (antiphon)

183
Oportet te (Communion)

184
Comedite (Communion)

185
The Archangelica Trope

186
English Chants

Our Father

187
Holy

188
Glory XV

189
Antiphon: A new wonder appears

190
Communion Antiphon: It was fitting my son

191
 Antiphon: A child is born

Vvvdv v |34U|v vGYv uhi4jv vhv v jv v{v dv vfv hjhbhv fv |=>Tv gv fv vdv ]v v vA
7. A child is born for us, and a son is giv-en to us;

Vcdb b b bhb b b gb b bhb b |BI|v vjv [b b |FGIv vjv kv vb jb b vIy|fbygbJ6b%b$bNtfv vfv {v v A

his scep-ter of pow- er rests u-pon his should- er,

Vvdv v fv v y|fv v vgv vhv v47bh|kjv [v hjhbhv gv vfv[v hv v f|IhfQhI v vRdfRdv vdv v}
and his name will be called Mess-en-ger of great coun-sel.

192
 AN EXERCISE PIECE IN SINGING
THE PES, CLIVIS & PORRECTUS ON AN ACCENTED SYLLABLE

Xvcacv fcv vfcv v gccfv c¯fccfcc¯fc[ expand the accents

O ev- er- last- ing Trin- i- ty

XvcaccDRv cfccFTccfccDRccfccfcc[ quickly to the top note

O ev- er- last- ing Trin- i- ty

Xccdccgccfcchccgcv c˘gccdccf<cc{c
We soon shall see that day of days move to the third note

Xccdccgccfcchccgcc®¢5ccdccf<cc{ of the Porrectus

We soon shall see that day of days

Xvcdcc≥gccgcc≥gcvcfccfcv cdccac[c
When all cre- a- tion, born a- gain,

Xvcdv cFTcvcgccˇtdccfccfvcdcv v˜wac[ lean to the final note

When all cre- a- tion, born a- gain,

193
 AN EXERCISE PIECE IN SINGING THE PES AND THE CLIVIS
IN DIFFERENT SYLLABIC CONTEXTS

Bcfcchcchcv hccvgccgccvhcchc[v Lean toward the second

note of the Pes over God in
the phrase: O God of truth.
O God of truth, O Lord of Might, Move rapidly through the

Bcfcv v GYcv vhcv vhcvtfccvgccGYccvhc[v

Clivis over O toward the
word Lord. Do the same for
the Pes over the of toward
the word Might.
O God of truth, O Lord of Might,

Bvv cgcv dcv vfccgv v vcfcv v scv v vdcv vdc{v The Clivis over the
word and, and the Pes
over the syllable a- of
Who or- der time and change a- right,
aright, have only

Bvvcgcv v dcv vfcv gccvrdccvsccvv AEcv vdc{v quickly moving

ornamental value as pre-
tonic syllables.
Who or- der time and change a- right,

Bcdccgccchcchccdccfccdccdc[v The Pes over the again

functions as a rapid
pre-tonic syllable.
Who clothe the splen-did morn-ing ray, Two of the Clivis

Bccdcv vgccvvGYccygccescv fcv vescvSEc[c

neumes dissipate the
energy from the
preceding tonic
accents.
Who clothe the splen- did morn- ing ray,

Bcacv v dcv gccdcvsccdcv dcvsc} The Pes over the word

the has the function of
a rapid pretonic
And give the heat at noon of day. syllable. The two

BcvaccdccFTccdcv wacv SEcv escvsc}

Clivis neumes also
function as rapid
pretonic syllables.

And give the heat at noon of day.

194
 Single note Tonics

Pretonics with several notes:

1. 2. 3.

Bvvgcrdcscsc} Bcjcygchcgc} Vcr|scvf|hgcdcvdc}

al- le- lú ia. al- le- lú- ia. al- le- lú- ia.

A modern notation:

\cc gc FvDc wc csc c} \cc cjc cHvGc cyc c cgc c } \cvHFcc cHKJcc ctc cv cgc c c }
al- le- lu- ia. al- le- lú- ia. al- le- lú- ia.

Basic melodic lines:

Bcgcfcscsc} Bcjchchcgcc} Vcfcgcvdcdcc}

al- le lú- ia. al- le- lú- ia. al- le- lú- ia.

In example 1, the second note of the two notes used for the pretonic syllable acts as a
light, smooth passing tone, connecting the F to the E of the accented syllable. Sing the
two notes softly and quickly as you move your hand from 6 to 12 o’clock and then
sweeping around to 9 o’clock for the accented syllable.

In example 2, the two notes of the pretonic syllable act as a swinging upbeat gesture that
builds momentum to the following word accent. Move your hand in a quick circle as you
sing them and end the gesture at 9 o’clock for the word accent.

In example 3, both pretonic syllables have extra notes that act like a “softball windup”
gesture that gains a great of momentum as they build up both speed and volume toward
the accented syllable with the single note. Move your hand from 6 to 12 o’clock for the
“al” and then do a complete circle for the notes of the “le” syllable and then forcefully
from 12 around to 9 o’clock for the word accent itself.

195
Postonic with several notes:

Cf. GT59

\ccfc cGvHc ctc cGchGFcGHGcc

ad- o- rá- re

Basic melodic line:

Bcfchcvgcgcc}
Ad- o- rá- re

The single note for the tonic accent has been given an “x” (expectate = wait!) that gives
the note more time to resonate in the building before moving on to the final syllable with
the seven extra notes! The first of these moves quickly to the second note which has an
episema that gives a delay to the note before plunging quickly through the remaining six
notes. The effect is to give a fully composed trill to dissipate all the momentum released
by the single accented note.

Sing the final syllable while moving your hand (palm down) up quickly from 9 o’clock to
12 for the first note and then delay your hand at 12 for the second note. After the delay,
move your hand a little further up for the next two notes and downward and back up
again for the last three notes. This should give the feel of some gentle ocean swells for
the rhythm of the word.

196
 Endnotes
1
Isidore of Seville. “De Lectoribus.” De Ecclesiasticis Officiis II. xi [CCSI. 113] (2010):
70-72.
2
Lee, Charlotte I. Oral Reading of the Scriptures. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1974.
32, 41, 77. ISBN 0-395-18940-3.
3
Saulnier, Daniel. Gregorian Chant a Guide. Translated by Edward Schaefer. Solesmes:
Abbaye Saint-Pierre-de-Solesmes, 2003. ISBN 2-85274-241-1. P. 33-34.
4
Études Grégoriennes XXV (1997): 163-65.
5
LIBER HYMNARIUS, Sablé-sur-Sarthe: Abbaye Saint-Pierre-de-Solesmes, 1983.
ISBN 2-85274-076-1.
6
Cicero, Marcus Tullius (106 BCE-46 BCE), influential Roman orator and philosopher.
7
Études Grégoriennes XXV (1997): 163-65.
8
Hindemith, Paul, A Composer’s World, Horizons and Limitations. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press, 1952.
9
LIBER HYMNARIUS.
10
Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, MA: G & C Merriam, 1974.
11
“Prænotanda.” In ANTIPHONALE MONASTICUM. Solesmes: Abbaye Saint-Pierre-
de-Solesmes, 2005. ISBN 2-85274-266-7.
12
LIBER HYMNARIUS. Prænotanda, xvi.
13
Saulnier, Daniel. Gregorian Chant a Guide.
14
GRADUALE TRIPLEX. Solesmes: Abbaye Saint-Pierre-de-Solesmes, 1979. ISBN 2-
95274-094-X.
15
Cardine, Eugène, and Gregory Casprini. An Overview of Gregorian Chant. Orleans,
MA: Paraclete Press, 1992. 46-47.
16
Stevens, John. Words and Music in the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1986. 273.
17
Treitler, Leo. “Reading and Singing: On the Genesis of Occidental Music-writing.” In
Early Music History, 135-208. Vol. 4. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1984.
18
Maurin, Bernard. Bases pour une anthropologie musicale sur le rhythme musical.
Études Grégoriennes XXXI: (2003) 151-170
19
Isidore of Seville. “De Lectoribus.”
20
Hucbald of St. Amand. De Harmonica Institutione. c.930.
21
Cardine, Eugène. An Overview of Gregorian Chant. Translated by Gregory Casprini.
Orleans, MA: Paraclete Press, 1992. 45.
22
Guido of Arezzo. Micrologus, Ch. 15.
23
John the Deacon. Life of Gregory the Great. 073-875.
24
Cardine, Eugène. An Overview of Gregorian Chant. 46-47.
25
Stevens, John. Words and Music in the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1986. 273.
26
Treitler, Leo. “Reading and Singing: On the Genesis of Occidental Music-Writing.”
27
Cardine, Eugène. “The Latin Word, Shaper of Gregorian Melody.” In Beginning
Studies in Gregorian Chant, translated by William Tortolano, 39 ff. Chicago, IL: G.I.A.
Publications, 1988.
28
Ibid, p.33 ff.
29
GRADUALE TRIPLEX. 44, line 4.
30
Berry, Mary. “The Languages of the Chant.” In Cantors, 19 ff. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
31
GRADUALE TRIPLEX. 318, line 5.
197
32
Cardine, Eugène. Beginning Studies in Gregorian Chant.
33
“Spiritus Et Sponsa.” www.liberiaeditricevaticana.com. ACT.2,B11 ISBN 88-209-
7561-0.
34
Kelly, Columba. “The Role of Semiology.” Sacred Music 115, no. 2 (1988): 5-11.

198