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May 05, 2006
An Idiot's Guide to Square Notes
An article in Crisis (pdf format - but good for getting the visuals, which are important here. Obviously) It's very interesting, if you've never explored the why's, what's and how's of chant in a serious way before. (like me). Good for a print-out.
It's by Arlene Oost-Zinner and Jeffrey Tucker.
And....
!!!!
Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink
Comments
Arlene and Jeffrey are tireless evangelists for chant - and I hope that all of us in the church music business let them know how much their efforts are appreciated. We can keep them in our prayers as well.
Posted by: Mary Jane at May 5, 2006 5:10:02 PM
And for those readers who would like some tools to understand the fundamental idiom of Catholic liturgical music -- plainsong, an important part of which has been systemized into what are known as "psalm tones"* on which more elaborate Gregorian chant is built, you might like to explore the attached link from the Benedictines, who have been the primary and faithful custodians of this idiom for many centuries.
All Catholic music directors should have some working knowledge of this foundational idiom -- even if they don't use chant that much -- in order to consider ourselves literate in liturgical music.
THis is the vital link that was broken when an increasing number of church musicians, amateur and professional, were no longer familiar with the Liber Usualis or some basics in it like its exposition of the psalm tones.
http://www.osb.org/gen/topics/psalmtones.html
* Tone 8 (or VIII) is the tone American Catholics are probably most familiar with and can sing with ease. Tone 7c and the Tonus Peregrinus are my personal favs.
Posted by: Liam at May 5, 2006 5:23:53 PM
And a link to the public domain version of Jubilate Deo, the collection of basic liturgical chant for congregations published by Rome in 1974 to assist the conciliar renewal.
Print and use freely, per the instructions. Public domain and liturgical music go well together.
http://www.ceciliaschola.org/notes/jubilatedeo.html
Posted by: Liam at May 5, 2006 5:39:58 PM
Well, I read Gregorian Chant notation every day. Really. The "square note" neumes on 4 line staff. Have done so for a few years now.
One thing I have grown to appreciate during that time is:
- the "notes" are a schematic
I actually cringe now when people try to "translate" chant notation into modern musical notation. I realize this might be a necessary baby step for people who have never seen anything but modern notation, but...it can lead to problems.
Real chant notation has no meter.
Real chant notation has no fixed pitch.
Real chant notation is a schematic description of relative pitch changes over syllables. (Yikes...sounds like Chinese!)
See Graduale Triplex.
You can't just plug it into a computer, or into your "ancient to modern notation translator."
It depends on the mood of the liturgy, right now.
It depends on the season.
It depends on the architecture, the local acoustics, the people present.
It depends on the weather.
It depends on who died last week, or who is coming to visit next week.
It is much more like "suggestions for prayer" than performance instructions.
There are almost no "absolutes" in Chant, in spite of pretty books with printed music in "Chant notation."
It is from the heart, through the voice, while the mind contemplates the words.
(And if the people don't understand the words, well, its just like listening to Chanticleer in concert. Not much worship.)
The whole point of chant is the words, the prayer. The music is just a (highly variable) assistant to these.
Posted by: Old Zhou at May 5, 2006 5:48:40 PM
To second one of Old Zhou's points:
At our house we sing the Regina Coeli every night before dinner during Eastertide. Last night, for some reason (maybe everyone was tired), it sounded like something in 3/4 time. It was awful. One of the wonderful aspects of chant is the free flow.
Posted by: Alfredo at May 5, 2006 7:06:02 PM
OZ
Yes, in skilled hands, chant notation suggests more than modern notation. You can have two adjoining notes that appear to be on the same line, but the most skilled practice would be to sing the second note slightly higher.
That being said, I think modern notation should not be a bar to singing at all; it's not nearly as mysterious as many things people take for granted in modern notation.
Patience, People.
Posted by: Liam at May 5, 2006 7:21:44 PM
As someone who sings without knowing hardly any music theory, I appreciate any and all "very basic" explanations. (Chant for Dummies?)
Question: Where do the Gelineau psalm chants (the only ones I'm familiar with) fit into the Tones of Liam's post?
Posted by: Mary Kay at May 5, 2006 7:44:20 PM
The description of chant notation really sounds a lot like a visual record of knowing a song by ear. I mean, you know the tune, but you don't think of it as being in a certain key; and you sing it however fast or slow you want.
However, I think most folks are not quite so freeform about time signature. Even when you add a lot of ornamentation to a tune, you usually make it all fit into the same time signature.
Posted by: Maureen at May 5, 2006 8:19:38 PM
Maureen,
They are different. The old tones are easier to sing and sound more 'Gregorian'. The osb website does not explain how they are to be applied but you can see them at work in the Liber Usualis, which groups the psalms under the various tones. Once you understand the principles you can apply them to the Psalms in English, or to other texts.
Posted by: reluctant penitent at May 7, 2006 6:09:27 PM
well these "neumes" are actually just square music notes, as anyone knows.
Posted by: mari & lacey at Jan 9, 2007 2:07:02 AM
