Plainsong and Gregorian Chant

Note  to students:   You will find  these listening examples  unusual in mode, sound and melody. Allow yourself to become use to hear this style.  Take the time to  listen to and become familiar with  this style.   

http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMINBig.ASP?size=big&IllID=40503Queen with four women

Art  typical of the Middle ages –  distinguished by being in  one dimension and generic facial expressions.

Plainsong and Gregorian chant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plainsong  or plainchant  is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the  Western Church.  It represents the first revival of musical notation after knowledge of the ancient Greek system was lost. It differs from from our  modern system in having only four lines to the staff and a system of note shapes called  neumes.
 Earliest forms  of plainsong are  monophonic in texture  consisting of a single, unaccompanied melodic line.  As it follows the flow of the words it  does  not  conform to the metered rhythm which evolves in  later Western music.

A sample of plain chant is above  from  the Kýrie Eléison (Orbis Factor) from the Liber Usualis, in neume notation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plainsong#cite_note-1

Look for Example below in middle of Wikipedia page.

The Jewish synagogue and Greek modal system influenced Plainsong.  Two methods of singing psalms or other chants are  responsorial and  antiphonal.  In responsorial singing, the soloist (or choir) sings a series of verses, each one followed by a response from the choir (or congregation). In antiphonal singing, the verses are sung alternately by soloist and choir, or by choir and congregation.

A large body of plainsong, called Gregorian chant,  was  standardized by Pope Gregory (6th century A.D.).  Gregory  is codified this large body of chants. I He did not write them.

Attribution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plainsong#History
Listen to this  more melodic style of plain chant:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Epistle_for_the_Solemn_Mass_of_Easter_Day.ogg

The Introit  Gaudeamus omnes, scripted in square notation in the 14th–15th century Graduale Aboense, honors  Henry, patron saint of Finland

Click on Guademus  omnes link below to listen to  this chant.
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Introit for the Mass in honor of Henry, patron saint of Finland
Problems playing this file? See media help.

 Gregorian chant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  

Syllabic vs. Melismatic
Syllabic  chant  is represented having a single pitch for each syllable  of the text .Simple chants are often syllabic. In a few instances two or more pitches are sung on a syllable. In this case the chant becomes   melismatic  characterized by more than one pitch sung per syllable. Melismatic  chants may  range from five or six notes per syllable or more.  This style of is more expressive giving  emphasis to  syllables which  have   numerous pitches

 Listen to this example of syllabic chant:  Epistle for the Solemn Mass of Easter  Day.
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Example of liturgical recitative in Gregorian chant

 

Most psalmodic chants are antiphonal and responsorial, sung to free melodies of varying complexity. Listen to these more “song like”  chants:
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Example of antiphonal psalmody in Gregorian chant
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Example of responsorial psalmody in Gregorian chant

Gregorian chant  developed mainly in western and central Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries.   It   evolved to fulfill various functions in the Roman Catholic liturgy. Liturgical recitatives are used for texts intoned by deacons or priests. Antiphonal chants accompany liturgical actions: the entrance of the officiant, the collection of offerings, and the distribution of sanctified bread and wine. Responsorial chants expand on readings and lessons.

Those who traditionally  performed Gregorian chant were  choirs of men and boys in churches, or men and women of religious orders in their chapels. It is the music of the Roman Rite, performed in the Mass and the monastic Office.  During the 20th century, Gregorian chant underwent a musicological and popular resurgence.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1649._%D0%9F%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%9E.jpg

Listen and view this beautiful video of  Ave mundi, spes, Maria.

Note the emphasis some of the words are given in the singing. Note the  expression and emotion in this work. You can perceive it even if you are not sure of the  the translation. The English translation is also included below. It  follows the Latin in the information accompanying the video.

Latin  text – Ave mundi spes Maria
Ave mundi spes Maria, ave mitis,
ave pia, ave plena gratia.
Ave virgo singularis, quć per rubum designaris non passus incendia.

Ave rosa speciosa, ave Jesse virgula:
Cujus fructus nostri luctus relaxavit vincula.
|Ave cujus viscera contra mortis foedera ediderunt filium.
Ave carens simili, mundo diu flebili reparasti gaudium.
Ave virginum lucerna, per quam fulsit lux superna his quos umbra tenuit.
Ave virgo de qua nasci, et de cujus lacte pasci res cćlorum voluit.

Ave gemma coeli luminarium.
Ave Sancti Spiritus sacrarium.

Oh, quam mirabilis, et quam laudabilis hćc est virginitas!
In qua per spiritum facta paraclitum fulsit foecunditas.

Oh, quam sancta, quam serena, quam benigna, quam amoena esse virgo creditur!
Per quam servitus finitur, posta coeli aperitur, et libertas redditur.
Oh, castitatis lilium, tuum precare filium, qui salus est humilium:
Ne nos pro nostro vitio, in flebili judicio subjiciat supplicio.

Sed nos tua sancta prece mundans a peccati fćce collocet in lucis domo.
Amen dicat omnis homo.

Ave mundi spes Maria – English

Hail, hope of the world, Mary, hail, meek one, hail, loving one, hail, full of grace
Hail O singular virgin, who wast chosen to not suffer flames through brambles
Hail, beautiful rose, hail, staff of Jesse:
Whose fruit loosened the chains of our weeping
Hail whose womb bore a son against the law of death
Hail, O one lacking comparison, still tearfully renewing joy for the world
Hail, lamp of virgins, through whom the heavenly light shone on these whom shadow holds.
Hail, O virgin from whom a thing of heaven wished to be born, and from whose milk feed.
Hail, gem of the lamps of heaven
Hail, sanctuary of the Holy Ghost
O, how wonderful, and how praiseworthy is this virginity!
In whom, made through the spirit, the paraclete, shone fruitfulness.
O how holy, how serene, how kind, how pleasant the virgin is believed to be!
Through whom slavery is finished, a place of heaven is opened, and liberty is returned.
O, lily of chastity, pray to thy son, who is the salvation of the humble:
Lest we through our fault, in the tearful judgment suffer punishment.
But may she, by her holy prayer, purifying from the dregs of sin, place us in a home of light
Amen let every man say.

Attribution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_chant