B-flat in Good Friday “Improperia”
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    In the original chant notation for this piece, the B-flat in the “Hagios Athanatos” (and the Latin response thereto) is left in place for the quilisma that follows the first occurrence of “ti” in the measure.

    The modern notation LU edition that Bud Clark has up (http://quilisma-publications.info/pdf%20files/Liber%20Usualis/(17)%20Good%20Friday%20Liturgy.pdf), though, has B-natural at the quilisma.

    Is there a rule of which I am not aware that cancels the B-natural in the quilisma in the chant notation? It does seem awkward to go “la-te-do” in chant....
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    Within this context (and most other ones), the B-flat is only assigned to the word in which it appears.

    If the B-flat appears next to the clef in every staff of a piece, then the flat is applied to all notes affected by the line (excepting those that are naturalized).

    So the modern transcription has it right.
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Good to know - thanks!
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