Rebecca Maloy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195315172
- eISBN:
- 9780199776252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315172.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, History, Western
This chapter explores the origins of the ornate, stepwise melodic style that is often associated with Italian chant dialects. Comparative study of the Gregorian, Roman, and Milanese melodies also ...
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This chapter explores the origins of the ornate, stepwise melodic style that is often associated with Italian chant dialects. Comparative study of the Gregorian, Roman, and Milanese melodies also sheds further light on the questions surrounding Gregorian and Old Roman chant. The evidence suggests that most of the Gregorian offertories in the Milanese repertory entered Milan through Frankish contact. The Milanese versions are closer to the Gregorian melodies but occasionally resemble the Roman melodies. These patterns suggest that the Milanese singers learned the pieces in a form that was structurally closer to the Gregorian versions but with certain stylistic traits typically associated with Old Roman chant. After examining some similarities between Roman and Old Beneventan chant, the chapter argues that a certain tendency toward melodic formulaicism and ornateness is indeed a native trait, minimized or deemphasized by the Franks.Less
This chapter explores the origins of the ornate, stepwise melodic style that is often associated with Italian chant dialects. Comparative study of the Gregorian, Roman, and Milanese melodies also sheds further light on the questions surrounding Gregorian and Old Roman chant. The evidence suggests that most of the Gregorian offertories in the Milanese repertory entered Milan through Frankish contact. The Milanese versions are closer to the Gregorian melodies but occasionally resemble the Roman melodies. These patterns suggest that the Milanese singers learned the pieces in a form that was structurally closer to the Gregorian versions but with certain stylistic traits typically associated with Old Roman chant. After examining some similarities between Roman and Old Beneventan chant, the chapter argues that a certain tendency toward melodic formulaicism and ornateness is indeed a native trait, minimized or deemphasized by the Franks.
Rebecca Maloy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195315172
- eISBN:
- 9780199776252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315172.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, History, Western
This chapter draws a synthesis and conclusions from the evidence presented in previous chapters. The textual and liturgical evidence suggests that a full repertory of offertories had been assimilated ...
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This chapter draws a synthesis and conclusions from the evidence presented in previous chapters. The textual and liturgical evidence suggests that a full repertory of offertories had been assimilated in Rome by the beginning of the seventh century, most likely3 a mixture of native and imported pieces. The stylistic traits of offertories outside the Franco‐Roman repertory suggest that there was a substantial non‐Roman influence on the pieces' melodic style. The differences between the Gregorian and Roman versions are likely the result of4 in both dialects, but particularly on the Roman side, where the continued oral transmission reinforced a trend toward formulas and melodic economy.Less
This chapter draws a synthesis and conclusions from the evidence presented in previous chapters. The textual and liturgical evidence suggests that a full repertory of offertories had been assimilated in Rome by the beginning of the seventh century, most likely3 a mixture of native and imported pieces. The stylistic traits of offertories outside the Franco‐Roman repertory suggest that there was a substantial non‐Roman influence on the pieces' melodic style. The differences between the Gregorian and Roman versions are likely the result of4 in both dialects, but particularly on the Roman side, where the continued oral transmission reinforced a trend toward formulas and melodic economy.
Rebecca Maloy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195315172
- eISBN:
- 9780199776252
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315172.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, History, Western
The offertory has played a crucial role in recent vigorous debates about the origins of Gregorian chant. Its elaborate solo verses are among the most splendid of chant melodies, yet the verses ceased ...
More
The offertory has played a crucial role in recent vigorous debates about the origins of Gregorian chant. Its elaborate solo verses are among the most splendid of chant melodies, yet the verses ceased to be performed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, making them among the least known and studied chants of the repertory. This study draws on the music, lyrics, and liturgical history of the offertory to shed new light on its origins and chronology. The book addresses issues that are at the heart of chant scholarship, such as the relationship between the Gregorian and Old Roman melodies, the nature of oral transmission, the presence of non‐Roman pieces in the Gregorian repertory, and the influence of theoretical thought on the transmission of the melodies. In contrast to the view that the Roman chant versions closely reflect the eighth‐century state of the melodies, this book argues that the prolonged period of oral transmission from the eighth to the eleventh centuries instead enforced a formulaic trend. Demonstrating that certain musical and textual traits of the offertory are distributed in distinct patterns by liturgical season, this study outlines new chronological layers within the repertory and explores the presence and implications of foreign imports into the Roman and Gregorian repertories. Available for the first time as a complete critical edition, ninety‐four Gregorian and Old Roman offertories are presented here in side‐by‐side transcriptions. A companion website provides music examples and essays that elucidate these transcriptions and the variants between manuscripts.Less
The offertory has played a crucial role in recent vigorous debates about the origins of Gregorian chant. Its elaborate solo verses are among the most splendid of chant melodies, yet the verses ceased to be performed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, making them among the least known and studied chants of the repertory. This study draws on the music, lyrics, and liturgical history of the offertory to shed new light on its origins and chronology. The book addresses issues that are at the heart of chant scholarship, such as the relationship between the Gregorian and Old Roman melodies, the nature of oral transmission, the presence of non‐Roman pieces in the Gregorian repertory, and the influence of theoretical thought on the transmission of the melodies. In contrast to the view that the Roman chant versions closely reflect the eighth‐century state of the melodies, this book argues that the prolonged period of oral transmission from the eighth to the eleventh centuries instead enforced a formulaic trend. Demonstrating that certain musical and textual traits of the offertory are distributed in distinct patterns by liturgical season, this study outlines new chronological layers within the repertory and explores the presence and implications of foreign imports into the Roman and Gregorian repertories. Available for the first time as a complete critical edition, ninety‐four Gregorian and Old Roman offertories are presented here in side‐by‐side transcriptions. A companion website provides music examples and essays that elucidate these transcriptions and the variants between manuscripts.
Rebecca Maloy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195315172
- eISBN:
- 9780199776252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315172.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, History, Western
This chapter explores the origin and chronology of the offertories through examination of their lyrics. Many offertory lyrics depart from the Roman psalter, perhaps suggesting an origin outside Rome. ...
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This chapter explores the origin and chronology of the offertories through examination of their lyrics. Many offertory lyrics depart from the Roman psalter, perhaps suggesting an origin outside Rome. An examination the psalmic lyrics indicates that they are extensively modified from the biblical sources. The centonization suggests that the respond lyrics were created to be sung with verses and that verses were, in many cases, part of their original conception. An examination of certain nonpsalmic offertories in the context of the Old Hispanic and Milanese repertories yields new evidence of non‐Roman origin. Most nonpsalmic lyrics are based on Old Latin sources rather than the Vulgate, suggesting a pre‐seventh‐century origin. Finally, the chapter considers the nonpsalmic offertories outside of the core Romano‐Frankish repertory. Most are based on Old Latin sources, suggesting a pre‐Carolingian origin.Less
This chapter explores the origin and chronology of the offertories through examination of their lyrics. Many offertory lyrics depart from the Roman psalter, perhaps suggesting an origin outside Rome. An examination the psalmic lyrics indicates that they are extensively modified from the biblical sources. The centonization suggests that the respond lyrics were created to be sung with verses and that verses were, in many cases, part of their original conception. An examination of certain nonpsalmic offertories in the context of the Old Hispanic and Milanese repertories yields new evidence of non‐Roman origin. Most nonpsalmic lyrics are based on Old Latin sources rather than the Vulgate, suggesting a pre‐seventh‐century origin. Finally, the chapter considers the nonpsalmic offertories outside of the core Romano‐Frankish repertory. Most are based on Old Latin sources, suggesting a pre‐Carolingian origin.
Rebecca Maloy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195315172
- eISBN:
- 9780199776252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315172.003.0003
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, History, Western
This chapter addresses the historical problem of Gregorian and Old Roman chant by means of musical analysis. Comparative study sheds new light on the relationship between the two dialects and the ...
More
This chapter addresses the historical problem of Gregorian and Old Roman chant by means of musical analysis. Comparative study sheds new light on the relationship between the two dialects and the nature of oral transmission. The Roman verses exhibit a pervasive formulaicism that is lacking in the Gregorian readings. A close analysis of the melodic formulas reveals that the Roman singers respond in consistent ways to features of the text, such as accent pattern and clause length. The close correlation between words and music suggests a reconstructive modal of oral transmission. The findings of this chapter are inconsistent with the traditional view that the Roman versions more closely reflect the eighth‐century state of the repertory. Rather, the evidence suggests that the Roman melodies underwent substantial change during their prolonged period of oral transmission between the eighth and eleventh centuries, becoming increasingly formulaic.Less
This chapter addresses the historical problem of Gregorian and Old Roman chant by means of musical analysis. Comparative study sheds new light on the relationship between the two dialects and the nature of oral transmission. The Roman verses exhibit a pervasive formulaicism that is lacking in the Gregorian readings. A close analysis of the melodic formulas reveals that the Roman singers respond in consistent ways to features of the text, such as accent pattern and clause length. The close correlation between words and music suggests a reconstructive modal of oral transmission. The findings of this chapter are inconsistent with the traditional view that the Roman versions more closely reflect the eighth‐century state of the repertory. Rather, the evidence suggests that the Roman melodies underwent substantial change during their prolonged period of oral transmission between the eighth and eleventh centuries, becoming increasingly formulaic.
David Hiley
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195124538
- eISBN:
- 9780199868421
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195124538.003.0020
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
A century ago, Walter Howard Frere, in his seminal work on chant, identified typical melodies and phrases across the Office repertoire. The question remains, however, how one is to deal with the ...
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A century ago, Walter Howard Frere, in his seminal work on chant, identified typical melodies and phrases across the Office repertoire. The question remains, however, how one is to deal with the other musical material; that is, the chants that do not employ those stock turns of phrase. This chapter examines the 11th-century Office of St. Julian of Le Mans by Letaldus of Micy, identifying musical elements that are either traditional or new. One result is a new threefold distinction to replace Frere's two broad categories of “typical” and “original”. This chapter proposes 1) passages or complete chants that made more of less literal use of traditional turns of phrase; 2) passages that behave following certain orthodox modes of range, tonal structures, and ways of expansion; and 3) unorthodox or eccentric passages in chants that are outside the norms. What is defined as orthodox, of course, will change with the times.Less
A century ago, Walter Howard Frere, in his seminal work on chant, identified typical melodies and phrases across the Office repertoire. The question remains, however, how one is to deal with the other musical material; that is, the chants that do not employ those stock turns of phrase. This chapter examines the 11th-century Office of St. Julian of Le Mans by Letaldus of Micy, identifying musical elements that are either traditional or new. One result is a new threefold distinction to replace Frere's two broad categories of “typical” and “original”. This chapter proposes 1) passages or complete chants that made more of less literal use of traditional turns of phrase; 2) passages that behave following certain orthodox modes of range, tonal structures, and ways of expansion; and 3) unorthodox or eccentric passages in chants that are outside the norms. What is defined as orthodox, of course, will change with the times.
Lora Matthews and Paul Merkley
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195124538
- eISBN:
- 9780199868421
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195124538.003.0024
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
One of the results of extensive research on Northern European tonaries was a database of this material. This database is similar to CANTUS, the large and growing on-line database for Gregorian chant ...
More
One of the results of extensive research on Northern European tonaries was a database of this material. This database is similar to CANTUS, the large and growing on-line database for Gregorian chant that contains indexes of all the chants in selected MSS and early printed sources of the Divine Office. Using both databases, this chapter compares modal assignments of certain antiphons. The results of these comparisons have implications for the study of both tonaries and antiphoners, two very different kinds of documents that include common information concerning chant melodies. This pilot study suggests that further comparisons hold great promise.Less
One of the results of extensive research on Northern European tonaries was a database of this material. This database is similar to CANTUS, the large and growing on-line database for Gregorian chant that contains indexes of all the chants in selected MSS and early printed sources of the Divine Office. Using both databases, this chapter compares modal assignments of certain antiphons. The results of these comparisons have implications for the study of both tonaries and antiphoners, two very different kinds of documents that include common information concerning chant melodies. This pilot study suggests that further comparisons hold great promise.
David Brown
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199231836
- eISBN:
- 9780191716201
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199231836.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter explores the tradition of liturgical and choral music. It begins by considering the medieval situation and the ideals on which it operated. It then examines the attempt to reform the ...
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This chapter explores the tradition of liturgical and choral music. It begins by considering the medieval situation and the ideals on which it operated. It then examines the attempt to reform the principles under which Gregorian chant and polyphony were sung (the latter in the 16th century, both in the 19th), before going on to examine how Protestant and Catholic traditions interacted to produce the situation we now find ourselves in. Finally, it considers what kind of contribution the Church might expect from such music today.Less
This chapter explores the tradition of liturgical and choral music. It begins by considering the medieval situation and the ideals on which it operated. It then examines the attempt to reform the principles under which Gregorian chant and polyphony were sung (the latter in the 16th century, both in the 19th), before going on to examine how Protestant and Catholic traditions interacted to produce the situation we now find ourselves in. Finally, it considers what kind of contribution the Church might expect from such music today.
Betty Booth Donohue
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780813037370
- eISBN:
- 9780813042336
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813037370.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This preface states the book's thesis that American Indians influenced American literature, and delineates the author's methodologies employed to support this claim. To illustrate Of Plimoth ...
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This preface states the book's thesis that American Indians influenced American literature, and delineates the author's methodologies employed to support this claim. To illustrate Of Plimoth Plantation's Native influence, the author reads the history from a Native point of view; analyzes the impact of Indianization upon the colonists; and uses close reading and theories of narratology to shed light upon Bradford's text. She also compares Bradford's text to extant works in the American Indian oral tradition, such as Navajo healing chants and Black Elk's vision recitation. The author evaluates Native–colonial social contact, explains pan-tribal metaphysics and intellectual systems operating in the seventeenth-century New World, and utilizes Native interpretative techniques in reaching her conclusions. In addition to Of Plimoth Plantation, she also discusses Mourt's Relation and Edward Winslow's Good Newes from New England.Less
This preface states the book's thesis that American Indians influenced American literature, and delineates the author's methodologies employed to support this claim. To illustrate Of Plimoth Plantation's Native influence, the author reads the history from a Native point of view; analyzes the impact of Indianization upon the colonists; and uses close reading and theories of narratology to shed light upon Bradford's text. She also compares Bradford's text to extant works in the American Indian oral tradition, such as Navajo healing chants and Black Elk's vision recitation. The author evaluates Native–colonial social contact, explains pan-tribal metaphysics and intellectual systems operating in the seventeenth-century New World, and utilizes Native interpretative techniques in reaching her conclusions. In addition to Of Plimoth Plantation, she also discusses Mourt's Relation and Edward Winslow's Good Newes from New England.
Lila Collamore
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195124538
- eISBN:
- 9780199868421
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195124538.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This Prelude provides an introduction to the daily round of the Divine Office, with an outline of the structure of each service (Matins, Lauds, Vespers, and the little hours), and offers descriptions ...
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This Prelude provides an introduction to the daily round of the Divine Office, with an outline of the structure of each service (Matins, Lauds, Vespers, and the little hours), and offers descriptions of special forms for high feast days of the liturgical year. The Prelude is based on knowledge of manuscripts in the CANTUS database.Less
This Prelude provides an introduction to the daily round of the Divine Office, with an outline of the structure of each service (Matins, Lauds, Vespers, and the little hours), and offers descriptions of special forms for high feast days of the liturgical year. The Prelude is based on knowledge of manuscripts in the CANTUS database.
László Dobszay
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195124538
- eISBN:
- 9780199868421
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195124538.003.0003
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
If the primary agents of chant history are the communities that performed, preserved, transmitted, enriched, or modified a tradition, the sources must be regarded not only as elements in a textual ...
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If the primary agents of chant history are the communities that performed, preserved, transmitted, enriched, or modified a tradition, the sources must be regarded not only as elements in a textual stemma, products of scribal activity, but also as views of particular everyday practices. Single MSS, however, can often mislead, because of deceptive omissions, missing items, multiple or surplus items, problems of redaction (format and method of compilation), changes in the course of time, and differences between ritus (fixed local liturgy) and consuetudo (written or unwritten customs). In the end, only description and comparison of local traditions themselves, arrived at through the comparative study of sources, produce satisfying conclusions. This chapter references the author's own data base for the study of liturgical sources, which is different in nature from CANTUS, founded by Ruth Steiner.Less
If the primary agents of chant history are the communities that performed, preserved, transmitted, enriched, or modified a tradition, the sources must be regarded not only as elements in a textual stemma, products of scribal activity, but also as views of particular everyday practices. Single MSS, however, can often mislead, because of deceptive omissions, missing items, multiple or surplus items, problems of redaction (format and method of compilation), changes in the course of time, and differences between ritus (fixed local liturgy) and consuetudo (written or unwritten customs). In the end, only description and comparison of local traditions themselves, arrived at through the comparative study of sources, produce satisfying conclusions. This chapter references the author's own data base for the study of liturgical sources, which is different in nature from CANTUS, founded by Ruth Steiner.
Leo Treitler
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199214761
- eISBN:
- 9780191713897
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214761.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter discusses improvisation in medieval music-making. It argues that the etymological roots of the word ‘improvisation’ and that its wide usage in the 19th and 20th centuries could have ...
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This chapter discusses improvisation in medieval music-making. It argues that the etymological roots of the word ‘improvisation’ and that its wide usage in the 19th and 20th centuries could have negative and even pejorative connotations when it is held up against the value-norm of through-composed, well-structured, unified music. Bruno Nettl's reflections on the cultural meaning of those connotations are considered. Examples of medieval music are presented.Less
This chapter discusses improvisation in medieval music-making. It argues that the etymological roots of the word ‘improvisation’ and that its wide usage in the 19th and 20th centuries could have negative and even pejorative connotations when it is held up against the value-norm of through-composed, well-structured, unified music. Bruno Nettl's reflections on the cultural meaning of those connotations are considered. Examples of medieval music are presented.
Leo Treitler
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199214761
- eISBN:
- 9780191713897
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214761.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter aims to present a concept of Western music as a standard for the evaluation of all music. It argues that rationality, order, and the unity of integrated form that is the counterpart of ...
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This chapter aims to present a concept of Western music as a standard for the evaluation of all music. It argues that rationality, order, and the unity of integrated form that is the counterpart of strong central government, become the defining properties of Western music. Any music that lacks these virtues risks being perceived not only as foreign, but as deficient and not worthy of close analysis. It analyzes the alleluia Dies sanctificatus, focusing on the materials, procedures, conventions and constraints, and aims that seem to inform it.Less
This chapter aims to present a concept of Western music as a standard for the evaluation of all music. It argues that rationality, order, and the unity of integrated form that is the counterpart of strong central government, become the defining properties of Western music. Any music that lacks these virtues risks being perceived not only as foreign, but as deficient and not worthy of close analysis. It analyzes the alleluia Dies sanctificatus, focusing on the materials, procedures, conventions and constraints, and aims that seem to inform it.
Leo Treitler
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199214761
- eISBN:
- 9780191713897
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214761.003.0006
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter develops a plausible representation of the way that chants might have been made that would be a way into a critical account of them as sung language. Its objective is genetic criticism — ...
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This chapter develops a plausible representation of the way that chants might have been made that would be a way into a critical account of them as sung language. Its objective is genetic criticism — an objective well suited to the study of a tradition whose products are not appropriately regarded as autonomous works. It discusses a phenomenon that is more symptomatic than instrumental: the identification of Gregory the Great as the author of the plainchant. It describes the important points of Frederic C. Bartlett's theory on remembering, especially as they might illuminate the problem about oral transmission.Less
This chapter develops a plausible representation of the way that chants might have been made that would be a way into a critical account of them as sung language. Its objective is genetic criticism — an objective well suited to the study of a tradition whose products are not appropriately regarded as autonomous works. It discusses a phenomenon that is more symptomatic than instrumental: the identification of Gregory the Great as the author of the plainchant. It describes the important points of Frederic C. Bartlett's theory on remembering, especially as they might illuminate the problem about oral transmission.
Leo Treitler
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199214761
- eISBN:
- 9780191713897
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214761.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter argues that the theory of centonization misrepresents both the practice that it is meant to explain and the criteria of value on which its products would have been judged in its time. It ...
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This chapter argues that the theory of centonization misrepresents both the practice that it is meant to explain and the criteria of value on which its products would have been judged in its time. It presents a static view of melodies and their component segments as objects, conceived as though fixed in writing, whereas they had to be made or remembered and apprehended in the flow of performance. Conceiving formulae as though they were stones in a mosaic, the theory cannot take account of their functions in the progression of melodic formulae. That constitutes not only a misrepresentation, but marks an inadequacy of the theory as an analytical theory. In its practice of labelling and classifying formulae it also falls short, for it raises but fails to resolve the problem of how formulae are to be recognized, identified, and compared. The chapter reinforces the demonstration of the preceding one that historical understanding must come from the analysis both of the evidence about the past and of the history of interpretation into the present.Less
This chapter argues that the theory of centonization misrepresents both the practice that it is meant to explain and the criteria of value on which its products would have been judged in its time. It presents a static view of melodies and their component segments as objects, conceived as though fixed in writing, whereas they had to be made or remembered and apprehended in the flow of performance. Conceiving formulae as though they were stones in a mosaic, the theory cannot take account of their functions in the progression of melodic formulae. That constitutes not only a misrepresentation, but marks an inadequacy of the theory as an analytical theory. In its practice of labelling and classifying formulae it also falls short, for it raises but fails to resolve the problem of how formulae are to be recognized, identified, and compared. The chapter reinforces the demonstration of the preceding one that historical understanding must come from the analysis both of the evidence about the past and of the history of interpretation into the present.
Leo Treitler
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199214761
- eISBN:
- 9780191713897
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214761.003.0009
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Much of what has been written thus far reveals that coming to know medieval song has been more a matter of its appropriation to the familiar — placing our distant objects under the control of modern ...
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Much of what has been written thus far reveals that coming to know medieval song has been more a matter of its appropriation to the familiar — placing our distant objects under the control of modern language, concepts, and values — than is consistent with the goal of hearing them in their own voices. This chapter pursues the history of a seemingly opposite strategy of knowing that nevertheless works a similarly constraining effect on our objects: conjuring an ancient unfamiliar, an other, with which they are contrasted to show their match to what we regard as ours, and to reveal in them the roots of what we value in our own music. It is a strategy whose paradoxical character — justifying the past with the present and the present with the past — is meant to be reflected in the chapter's title.Less
Much of what has been written thus far reveals that coming to know medieval song has been more a matter of its appropriation to the familiar — placing our distant objects under the control of modern language, concepts, and values — than is consistent with the goal of hearing them in their own voices. This chapter pursues the history of a seemingly opposite strategy of knowing that nevertheless works a similarly constraining effect on our objects: conjuring an ancient unfamiliar, an other, with which they are contrasted to show their match to what we regard as ours, and to reveal in them the roots of what we value in our own music. It is a strategy whose paradoxical character — justifying the past with the present and the present with the past — is meant to be reflected in the chapter's title.
Peter van der Merwe
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198166474
- eISBN:
- 9780191713880
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198166474.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter shows how the pentatonic scale develops out of the children's chant, either by transference and superimposition (e.g., a–g–e + d–c–a) or by the addition of a note at either end (a–g–e + ...
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This chapter shows how the pentatonic scale develops out of the children's chant, either by transference and superimposition (e.g., a–g–e + d–c–a) or by the addition of a note at either end (a–g–e + b + d). It also examines the paradoxical nature of this scale, which both maximizes melodic consonance and depends on the major second, an interval intermediate between consonance and dissonance. (Triadic melodies are in a sense pentatonic, since the major triad forms part of the pentatonic scale, but they are not fully pentatonic in effect.) By filling in the gaps, the pentatonic can be developed into the seven-note diatonic scale, but will still be present as a framework. Such frameworks fall into the three pentatonic species of ‘natural’ (c–d–e–g–a), ‘hard’ (e–g–a–b–d), or ‘soft’ (f–g–a–c–d).Less
This chapter shows how the pentatonic scale develops out of the children's chant, either by transference and superimposition (e.g., a–g–e + d–c–a) or by the addition of a note at either end (a–g–e + b + d). It also examines the paradoxical nature of this scale, which both maximizes melodic consonance and depends on the major second, an interval intermediate between consonance and dissonance. (Triadic melodies are in a sense pentatonic, since the major triad forms part of the pentatonic scale, but they are not fully pentatonic in effect.) By filling in the gaps, the pentatonic can be developed into the seven-note diatonic scale, but will still be present as a framework. Such frameworks fall into the three pentatonic species of ‘natural’ (c–d–e–g–a), ‘hard’ (e–g–a–b–d), or ‘soft’ (f–g–a–c–d).
Jonathan E. Glixon
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195134896
- eISBN:
- 9780199868049
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195134896.003.0003
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter treats the beginnings of musical practice at the scuole grandi. It begins with a discussion of the use of chant, in particular a 1365 collection of mass propers and ordinaries for the ...
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This chapter treats the beginnings of musical practice at the scuole grandi. It begins with a discussion of the use of chant, in particular a 1365 collection of mass propers and ordinaries for the Scuola di Santa Maria della Carità. Also discussed are organs and organists, and the use of brothers of the confraternities to sing laude and at funerals. Finally, the evidence for occasional use of instruments, both winds and strings, in processions is examined.Less
This chapter treats the beginnings of musical practice at the scuole grandi. It begins with a discussion of the use of chant, in particular a 1365 collection of mass propers and ordinaries for the Scuola di Santa Maria della Carità. Also discussed are organs and organists, and the use of brothers of the confraternities to sing laude and at funerals. Finally, the evidence for occasional use of instruments, both winds and strings, in processions is examined.
Craig H. Russell
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195343274
- eISBN:
- 9780199867745
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195343274.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western, History, American
This chapter delves into aspects of music style and performance practice in the California missions, including canto llano (plainchant), canto figurado (accompanied homophony in a steady meter), ...
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This chapter delves into aspects of music style and performance practice in the California missions, including canto llano (plainchant), canto figurado (accompanied homophony in a steady meter), canto de órgano (vocal polyphony in a steady meter), and música moderna or estilo moderno (roughly equivalent in style to Baroque or Classical music). In discussing plainchant, a comparison is made between Gregorian chant and the Mozarabic tradition emanating from Toledo, paying particular attention to chant books in the friars' possession. The chapter explains how Narciso Durán attempted to reduce the chant repertoire to a handful of reusable tunes. The choice of instruments and type of accompaniments that the friars employed are discussed in detail. Ultimately, the chapter explores the characteristics of the mission style—not only as seen in California but also as it developed in the Jesuit and Franciscan missions throughout the Americas.Less
This chapter delves into aspects of music style and performance practice in the California missions, including canto llano (plainchant), canto figurado (accompanied homophony in a steady meter), canto de órgano (vocal polyphony in a steady meter), and música moderna or estilo moderno (roughly equivalent in style to Baroque or Classical music). In discussing plainchant, a comparison is made between Gregorian chant and the Mozarabic tradition emanating from Toledo, paying particular attention to chant books in the friars' possession. The chapter explains how Narciso Durán attempted to reduce the chant repertoire to a handful of reusable tunes. The choice of instruments and type of accompaniments that the friars employed are discussed in detail. Ultimately, the chapter explores the characteristics of the mission style—not only as seen in California but also as it developed in the Jesuit and Franciscan missions throughout the Americas.
Charles M. Atkinson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195148886
- eISBN:
- 9780199852185
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195148886.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine Pseudo-Odo's statement, in his Dialogus de musica (ca. 1000 ad), regarding the effect that the placement of tones ...
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This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine Pseudo-Odo's statement, in his Dialogus de musica (ca. 1000 ad), regarding the effect that the placement of tones and semitones in a chant has on the determination of its mode. An overview of the subsequent chapters is then presented.Less
This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine Pseudo-Odo's statement, in his Dialogus de musica (ca. 1000 ad), regarding the effect that the placement of tones and semitones in a chant has on the determination of its mode. An overview of the subsequent chapters is then presented.
