The Divine Office as musicianship teaching tool?
  • Given that the psalter can be chanted
    a) recto tono
    b) using the Gregorian mode

    What does the readership think of the following idea:

    Can we use, to good effect, the Divine Office to teach intervallic relations, unison singing among various voices, tone quality?

    Does anyone have experience doing this?

    [I would appreciate it if we skipped the usual diversions about recto tono ... only helpful comments will be appreciated. How, for example, to avoid dissonance at the unison, or how teach various timbres in unison singing]
  • Do you imagine actually praying the Office while paying attention to intonation and blending at the same time? Or just using psalm texts instead of something else as a text while rehearsing?

    I'd wonder if a choir would consist of singers who want to pray and rehearse at th same time. I've not belonged to a choir like that myself. However, I've sat (with other laymen) in the nave of a church to be praying the Office with monastics (who sat in the stalls). They sing the Office of Readings recto tono, and generally drop about a tone and a half by the end of each psalm. The weekly cantor would then have to decide, on taking up the antiphon, whether to return to the the first pitch or keep the final one. I found anticipating the decision rather distracting. But it's anecdotal evidence that praying and rehearsing aren't compatible.

    On the other hand, using a psalm text, especially with italianate (Church) Latin, as a text for practicing recitation, intervals, and blending, seems like an excellent idea to me.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • I use the office, specifically vespers on sunday afternoon, with the children i teach. we start recto tono, then they gradualy learn different psalm tones. We sing the magnificat on do mi so, alternating verses between boys and girls, this is very simplistic but it is one of the first things they learn which is not unison. Being allowed to sing vespers is a mark of achievement for them, and we do it once a month. On the other sundays we sing it with parishioners. They have not so far reached the same level as the six year olds ;-)
  • Bonnie,

    Thank you for the very practical suggestions I saw (start recto tono, move to learning the psalm tones, split boys and girls, setting the goal of singing at the service of the Church).

    Andrew,

    It's quite true that far too few musicians actually think of praying the Office (or the Mass) and singing as compatible, even though many will want their work called "liturgical service" or "ministry" or some-such.

    Both (all),

    Before one can sing Miserere by Allegri, convincingly chanting together on different notes, one should chant together on the same note. It seems logical that using the Office to teach 'staying together' can be a good use of it ...... and eventually, as Bonnie suggests, we get to pray the Office in song, as well as other benefits which will accrue to polyphonic singing.

    Thanked by 2CHGiffen bonniebede
  • Yes, The Office is probably the best way to begin learning sacred music because but only mostly only if it is sung in it's more traditional format, in latin or anglican translation settings. The Royal School of Church Music did not come up with the idea out of nowhere, it is a time proven method for centuries...