help reading chant what is this neume?
  • bonniebede
    Posts: 756
    A have a very basic question, if someone could help please.

    i'm trying to learn the ash wednesday music that was posted here (yahoo! I have permission to sing the chants on ash wednesday, somnething i have never heard done in any parish here in my whole life!)

    Anyway, there are towo neumes for the word you in the first line of the introit. As far as i can understand they look like a virga, so that is two virga's (virgi?) put clost together and seemingly both for the same one syllable word you.

    first what is the name for this? is it like a bipunctum - is it a bivirga? or something like that.

    Also how is it to be sung? does it indicate hold the note for twice as long fpr that word, or is there some double nopte thing (you-hoo?).

    ok as you can see I need help!

    Anybody?
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    Which chant book are you referring to? Simple English Propers?
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,156
    I see this in the SEP or Lumen Christi cantor score introit for Ash Wednesday.

    I'd call it a bivirga and sing that note for two pulses. Some singers pulse repeated notes on the same syllable; some don't.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    There are different schools of thought. Some people pulse or "rearticulate" repeated notes, whilst others sing them as one long note. I am personally in favour of the pulse since it helps to keep time and rhythm.
  • bonniebede
    Posts: 756
    thanks!
  • ScottKChicago
    Posts: 349
    I think a more pronounced pulsing works best in a resonant acoustic with a few seconds of reverb. The acoustics help connect the sound; the pulsing sort of enlivens the syllable of text. In a deader acoustic, I'd go more for connecting the notes.
    Thanked by 1bonniebede
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