Hodie: Pronunciation of (arch)ANgeli ?
  • probe
    Posts: 67
    We're preparing the Hodie Christus Natus Est for Christmas.

    As written, and sung the downward inflection on the 'ge' of 'An-GE-e-li' and 'Arch-an-GE-e-li' makes it sound uncomfortably to my English-speaking ears as if we're singing about jelly.
    Would it be a violation of a thousand years of practice to rephrase that as 'ca-a-nunt AN-ge-li' to put the stress on 'An'; and '-tur A-arch-AN-ge-li' similarly?
    It's not specifically mentioned in the Gregorian Musical Values PDF.

    Maybe I'm running into a question of Italianate Ecclesiastical Latin versus Classical Latin.
    Hodie angeli 1.png
    1002 x 171 - 17K
    Hodie angeli 2.png
    1024 x 171 - 19K
  • davido
    Posts: 1,156
    Text stress is on first syllable of Angeli. Musical stress is on the second syllable “ge.” The two stresses are in tension, which is one of the advertised features of Solesmes chant.
    I would teach my choir to be aware of the tension, but to sing into the text stress and de-emphasize the musical stress so as to not make it sound like they are putting the emPHAsis on the wrong sylLABle.
    Thanked by 4Chant_Supremacist Liam probe smvanroode
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,233
    Even if you’re not doing Solesmes (or rather Mocquereau in particular) I think that the above idea is a Very Bad Idea.
  • probe
    Posts: 67
    Thanks, @davido, I was not aware of that intentional tension. I'll do as you say.
    Although I should not be surprised, I'm currently setting a 19c. poem to a 20c. piano piece without doing too much damage to either and the word stresses can be a bit ... offbeat.
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 241
    I think of tension between word stress and musical stress as an artistic opportunity.

    I like davido's answer but personally I don't solve in favour of the word stress in every case.
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