Concerning where to place half, quarter bars, and double bars for chant: HELP PLEASE!!
  • achoyce91
    Posts: 174
    Hello!

    I need help with using half, quarter, and double bar lines in modern chant notation. I did a bit at the beginning of the score, but that's because I was going off of a sample of another Gloria.

    Here's the link to the score: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tfsv8i2ie70sww4/Missa Sancti Ioannis a Cruce - Gloria - Score.pdf?dl=0

    Let me know if there are any documents that discuss these matters.

    Thanks!
    - Alex
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 1,034
    For existing texts, you can always look at an example from an authentic piece of chant, for example https://gregobase.selapa.net/chant.php?id=10798.

    As a general rule, I would say:
    - put a quarter bar at a point in a sentence, where there is a clear comma and where the singer can take a short breath
    - put a half bar at a semicolon or semicolon-like place in the sentence
    - put a single bar at the end of a sentence (or, in a psalm verse, at the end of the first half verse)
    - put a double bar at the end of a piece or whenever the congregation takes over from the choir or vice versa.
  • achoyce91
    Posts: 174
    The example you provided uses double bars a lot. I'm trying to use modern notation for the new Mass I'm writing.
  • Here's a routine reminder: Remember who we are.
  • achoyce91
    Posts: 174
    Thank you for coming to my aid, fellow believer! It's exciting there's an organization like this one. : D
  • achoyce91
    Posts: 174
    But yeah, the example didn't help too much. A lot of double bars and quarter bars.
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 1,034
    You can also look at these modern mass settings; they're mostly chant based, but in modern notation. There's some variety in the use of bars, but you can certainly find a system that suits your composition: https://www.ccwatershed.org/mass/
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,999
    In the case of the example that you don’t find overly helpful, I suspect the double bars are due to smvanroode’s 4th rule: whenever you switch between cantor/schola and congregation.
  • achoyce91
    Posts: 174
    https://media.musicasacra.com/books/chantsofchurch_modern.pdf

    I'll use this. I'll have to redo the whole score but I like the system.
  • achoyce91
    Posts: 174
    Hmm.... It'll fill the staves with eighth note flags disconnected due to the syllabic nature of the music and text. I'll just follow your guide, @smvanroode.
  • achoyce91
    Posts: 174
    Here's what I did: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s6bpghaprtqp4g0/Missa Sancti Ioannis a Cruce - Score.pdf?dl=0

    Let me know if that looks kosher to y'all.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,867
    I don't see why you would want to use half and quarter bars in modern 5-line notation. Certainly a double bar after the priest's intonation would make sense, though.