Pointed Music
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,152
    What is pointed music? And how do you read it?
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    It is a way of giving you music that is sung to a psalm tone without having to fully notate every syllable.

    For example:
    image
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    A further explanation of Ben's examples above is that "pointing" a text refers to using marks, or in the examples above, using bold alterations, italics or the "dagger" symbol, to indicate when the chanter sings the intermediate and median notes at the end of the phrase, or the shift to the final note of a cadence.
    In the case of chanting texts not actually set to psalm tones as above such as the lessons, the cantor (lector) would actually mark that text according to some basic and fairly simple rules with short, diagonal or flat lines according to some basic rules for each lesson.
  • WendiWendi
    Posts: 638
    Thank you Dearest...I was hoping you'd weigh in. I know how to read it... but am not nearly as articulate as you at explaining it.

    And thanks Ben, the picture was also a great help.
    Thanked by 1melofluent
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,152
    Can you show me an example from the Revised Grail Psalms? It's what we use at my church and I all I see in it are diacritical marks.
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    You'd probably want to post a specific picture of what you're looking at so we can help specifically.
  • IanWIanW
    Posts: 756
    The ictus may also be given over stressed syllables.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    Systems of pointing aren't standardized.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Adam Wood Liam
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,150
    Systems of pointing aren't standardized.

    And pointing Anglican chant (according to varying schools of thought) is vastly different from pointing Gregorian Psalms (according to varying schools of thought).
    Thanked by 2Adam Wood Liam
  • Grail Psalms 1-10 pointed for AC.

    I sort of stalled out about halfway through - but plan to complete this eventually.

    As CHG has put it so well, if two people agree on Anglican Psalm pointing, one of them's probably lying to be polite.

    [I'm in the middle of something and have not checked this file - of it is a mess, let me know!]
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,150
    As CHG has put it so well, if two people agree on Anglican Psalm pointing, one of them's probably lying to be polite.

    How true!!!
    Thanked by 2Adam Wood Liam
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,464
    What is the point of all this?
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,150
    What is the point of all this?

    Point - counterpoint.