matching antiphon setting to psalm tone
  • rye
    Posts: 13
    Hello, I have a question about how to match a musical setting for an antiphon to a particular Gregorian psalm tone. It seems to me I read how to do this in a book available on one of the online free libraries of sacred music, but I can't locate it now. I'm using antiphon settings from Like Burning Incense, an antiphonary created by Gethsemani Abbey for the Dominican Sisters in Michigan. Those antiphon settings correspond to modern psalm tones (which are quite good), but I would like to use Gregorian psalm tones with those settings. How do I decide which Gregorian tone to use? I will attach the organ accompaniment for Christmas Benedictus Antiphon and Magnificat Antiphon. Could someone explain how to choose the corresponding psalm tone? Or refer me to a book that explains it? Thank you! -Br Ryan
    Christmas-Vespers2-Mag-Ant-Organ.pdf
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    Christmas-Lauds-Ben-Psalm-Organ.pdf
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  • rye
    Posts: 13
    I'm sorry, I attached to wrong file for the Benedictus. Here is the organ accompaniment for the Benedictus antiphon:
    Christmas-Lauds-Ben-Ant-Organ.pdf
    64K
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,189
    Your mag is mode 6. Your ben is mode 1.

    Often you can identify like this:
    1. What is the final note?
    2. Does the melody go much above and below the final? Or only above, as much as a sixth or more?
    3. Is the third above the final a major or minor third?
    4. Is the second below the final a major or minor second?

    Then
    * If (2) the melody goes above and below, it’s mode 2, 4, 6, or 8. Otherwise 1, 3, 5, or 7.
    * If (3) the third is minor, it’s 1, 2, 3, or 4; otherwise 5, 6, 7, or 8
    * if (4) the second is minor, it’s 5 or 6; otherwise it’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, or 8

    If these rules don't work, it might not be modal enough to decide, in which case I'd choose mode 6 for major keys and mode 2 for minor keys. Your mileage may vary. If the antiphon is so modern you can't tell what key it’s in or anything, then chant the psalm on the final.
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  • GerardH
    Posts: 480
    What Andrew said, but also:

    5. Is the second above the final a major or minor second?

    Then
    * if (5) the second is minor, it's 3 or 4; otherwise it's 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, or 8
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  • rye
    Posts: 13
    Thanks for those pointers. I tried mode 6 with the Mag antiphon, and it sounds good. However, I notice that it doesn't seem to follow the rules. I'm not a professional musician so I could be missing something here.
    (2) Almost 100% of the melody is above the final c sharp, suggesting modes 1, 3, 5, or 7;
    (3) the third above the final is minor, suggesting 1, 2, 3, or 4;
    (4) the second below the final is major, suggesting it's 1,2, 3, 4, 7, 8.
    Finally, (5) the second above the final is major, suggesting modes 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, or 8. So 6 only satisfies one of the tests... but it still sounds good. Does this indicate that it's not always an exact science, or am I missing something here? Thanks.
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 392
    I tried mode 6 with the Mag antiphon ... So 6 only satisfies one of the tests... but it still sounds good.


    If you mean psalm tone VI with e (not c#) as final, reciting on g#, that's because modes I and VI have quite a lot in common, and even more so their psalm tones. But the antiphon is mode I. Obviously an adaptation of https://gregobase.selapa.net/chant.php?id=2486
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  • GerardH
    Posts: 480
    Yes, looking at the antiphons now (I wasn't able to previously), they are both in mode 1
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  • GerardH
    Posts: 480
    Let's have a look at the first few antiphons in the 4-week psalter from the collection.
    --
    image
    EP1 Antiphon 1: No key signature so Do will be C, final on E = Mi, therefore mode 3 or 4 (Phrygian and Hypophrygian). While the melody stays above the final, it doesn't go very high, so mode 4 suits better; Reciting tone is on A = La, use ending E (ending on Mi) to end up back near the starting note of the antiphon ready for the repeat at the end.
    --
    image
    EP1 Antiphon 2: Four flats in the key signature, so Do will be A-flat. Final is on E-flat = So, therefore we're in mode 7 or 8. Tessitura isn't wide, and the melody briefly dips below the final, so I'd go with mode 8; Reciting tone is on A-flat = Do, use ending C (ending on Do) to end up near the starting note of the antiphon.
    --
    image
    EP1 Antiphon 3: Six flats (why would you do that???), so Do is G-flat. Final is D-flat = So, therefore we're in mode 7 or 8 again. Wider tessitura than the previous antiphon, I'd go with mode 7; Reciting tone will be A-flat = Re, use ending A (ending on La).
    --
    Incidentally, for all three of these, the first reciting tone Gethsemani gives has matched the most appropriate Gregorian tone. Having looked ahead, that doesn't always hold, but it could be helpful. Let's continue.
    --
    image
    MP Antiphon 1: This has been allocated the same Gethsemani psalmtone as EP1 Antiphon 3. The same rationale holds.
    --
    image
    MP Antiphon 2: Four sharps, which makes E look like Do, however, with a final on C-sharp, that would make our final La. Generally, the finals are restricted to Re, Mi, Fa or So. This is resolved by setting the final to Re, and flattening Ti every time it occurs; we're in mode 1 or 2. Melody goes quite high above the final, so it's mode 1; reciting tone is G-sharp = La (and notice how the psalmtone has Ti flattened). Ending could be basically any of the options; I quite like ending A or A2 (ending on G-sharp = La), because returning at last to the antiphon, you get quite a nice consonance with the perfect fifth interval on 'midst'.
    --
    image
    MP Antiphon 3: Four flats, Do looks like A-flat; Final on C = Mi, so mode 3 or 4. Doesn't dip below final, reaches a sixth above, so let's say mode 3. The new Solesmes office books put the tonus 3 reciting tone on Ti (the ancient form), whereas older books put it on Do (aka tonus recentior). Let's go with the ancient form; Reciting tone is G = Ti, I suggest ending A2, but you could try others.
    --
    That will do me for now! Hopefully my process sheds some light. There are some other ways you could think about modes to reach the same or similar conclusions. Finally, I'm certainly no expert, so others may disagree with good reason.
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  • rye
    Posts: 13
    Thanks for the great explanations!
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  • FKulash
    Posts: 83
    Another thing that may help: sometimes the music seems to be inspired by Latin antiphons with the same text, especially on major feast days. For example, at second vespers of Christmas, "You have been endowed", "With the Lord", "In the beginning" and "Christ the Lord is born today" are similar to "Tecum principium", "Apud Dominum", "In principio" and "Hodie Christus natus est" as found in Antiphonale Romanum (and other sources) respectively, and I would use the psalm tones given in Antiphonale Romanum.
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  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,050
    You can also look for melodic fragments or gestures typical of different modes.

    Often this will echo some part of the psalm tone - e.g. EP1 Ant2, the melody on "that I desire in life" is similar to the termination of the psalm tone (A-flat - G - A-flat - F - E-flat). Or it could be a interval typical of the mode: the rising 5th from the tonic ("midst" in MP Ant 1) is often found at opening of antiphons in mode 1 (cf. the well-known antiphon "Ave Ma-ri-a).
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