The Ordinary Chants : Vernacular : (adapted from LIBER)
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    I am doing an in depth analysis and conversion of the Ordinary Chants from the Liber into the vernacular (English) as best I can. Please critique this and send it my way!

    Liber Usualis

    Vernacular
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 864
    If you could make the Magnificat and Benedictus available in English in the eight modes, you would be doing us at Saint John Seminary a great favor.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    Hi Paul:

    I have developed a brand new modern (hybrid chant notation) that utilizes the neumes in conjunction with the five line staff and key signatures. In this method I also eliminate the time signature and modern bar lines which are frankly, a PITA, as they do not bode well for setting fluid chant. The benefit of this new musical system is that it allows the text to determine exact placement of neumes using the modern staff. It does not force the even distribution of note values. I have been examining the placement of neumes in various manuscripts, and it seems that the vowels receive the vertical alignment. Do you have a preference in vertical alignment?

    Since there exists an entire camp of anti-antiquitists who refuse to learn moveable DO on the Gregorian staff, this will be a good bridge for them to appreciate the value of neumes without loosing their sense of pitch while doing so. For those who can sightread intervals with ease, GN is not too difficult to absorb, but for those without that skill, it can become the point of departure for grasping the perfect art of chant. Learning two foreign systems (neume durations and idioms) and four line staff (pitch values) at the same time can be overwhelming. Once they have learned the rhythmic rudiments of the neumes, then they can more easily become fully immersed (graduate?) to the perfect practice of reading authentic Gregorian Notation.

    I am working on the eight modes at the present, but hope to include the common psalms and canticles outlined in the Liber. Do you have particular English translation that you are using? I imagine the one in the official LOTH since you are an order?

    In the Liber (I am looking at the 1956) the Magnificat is set to all eight tones, but the Benedictus to only Tones I and VIII. On page 113 there is an interesting note:

    "For the Canticles Benedictus. and Magnificat. a more ornate modulation was formerly used at the intonation and at the mediant of each tone. These formulas may still be employed at least for the principal feasts. (1st and 2nd class.)"


    [I imagine those classes have been altered since 1961, yes?]

    (I think) I have a 1931 Liber and am wondering if those ornate modulations are contained there. Do you know about them? It would be interesting to see how they could be employed.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    Hi All:

    Here are the first two pages of the Liber in English and utilizing the hybrid chant notation that I developed as explained above. Page 1 bears the Gregorian Notation and then the hybrid. Page 2 bears the explanation of the use of the eight psalm tones and then illustrates the First Tone in hybrid notation. Hope this helps. (NOTE: The clef sign bears markings that identify the hybrid chant system as it uses both the G clef and the Do clef embedded inside of it.)

    Page 1 (Liber pg. 112)

    Page 2 (Liber pg. 113)
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 864
    The solemn tones are in my 1914 edition (and, yes, the 1st and 2nd class distinctions hold for the EF only). I'd love to see the Magnificat available in both the simple and in the solemn tones. I need them in the NRSV translation.

    I found the Benedictus set:

    tone I solemn, lauds for Holy Thursday
    tone II, lauds for the dead
    tone VIII solemn, lauds for Christmas and Easter

    Gratefully,
    Paul
  • David Sullivan
    Posts: 355
    For what it's worth, both the Magnificat and Benedictus using the solemn tones are in the 1934 Antiphonale, pp. 1220-22. As I understand the solemn tones, what's different is the mediations--the terminations are the same. Somewhere between the simple office psalm tones and the very solemn ones for the introits at Mass.

    By the way, the O Antiphons for the last days of Advent specify the solemn Magnicat tone. These are 'privileged ferias' or some such.
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 864
    David,

    Thanks for the reminder of the 1943 Antiphonale. The layout on pages 1220-1222 is very helpful. I'll try to imitate these if I end up being the one to accomplish the task.

    Blessings,
    Paul
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    Hmmm... I have the 1912 antiphonale... are the solemn tones for the mag and ben in there too? Under which feasts were they listed?

    Here is the Magnificat (Tone VIII) and the Antiphon, page 85. See if it is the same as in your edition.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    HA! The PBC... duh!

    It has the solemn tone and simple tone, but I am still interested to find the ornate intonation. Is it possible to scan and send to me????
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 864
    Here is the scan from the 1934 Antiphonale Monasticum.
    solemn tones for canticles reduced file size.pdf
    912K
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    Thanks Paul

    right off the bat it is tough to set the solemn tones to english because the use of syllables is so drastically different in each language so this will take some finessing to get it right
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    Paul

    why is the second half of the first line absent in the Mag?
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    Hmmm

    I don't think Paul has seen this yet, so does anyone else know why the phrase is missing?
  • David Sullivan
    Posts: 355
    Francis,
    The terminations for the solemn Gospel canticle tones are not shown because they are the same as the regular office tones, so it's presumed that the singers know them already. The first half is spelled out because it's different.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    David:

    That can't be right because all the other terminations are on the page (see PDF above of the page Paul scanned from the Antiphonale)
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    The Antiphonale page scanned above indicates these are the solemn mediations (the mediation being the first half of each verse), here grouped by accent pattern; and that the second half of the verse (which is called the termination) is "always sung on the psalm tone", that is, using the regular tone, with the ending specified with the antiphon. It's just the way they do it, Francis; I've never seen a table like this with both halves written out.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    Thanx Richard

    I guess I need the other page to see how that one phrase is applied. Perhaps you or JO can direct me to a digital copy. Tnx again.
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    Here is a scan of the relevant pages from the Liber, but I can't believe there isn't a better copy floating around this site somewhere.
    MagnificatSolemnTone_LU.PDF
    472K
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    RR...

    Much obliged for your efforts! Let's see how this project pans out. Ahhhh... there is the 'anima mea Dominum'! Richard, have you tried setting this one in English? That first line is a real challenge.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    David

    I take that back

    you are correct

    the terminations are missing

    mea culpa
  • David Sullivan
    Posts: 355
    Francis, not a problem. I thought I must have misinterpreted the question.

    Yes, setting Gregorian tones in English can be tricky, especially for the modes with two accents in the cadences. It can work by keeping the accented syllables within the context of the whole line, ie. don't pounce on every accented syllable.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,816
    Paul

    I am working at this. Presently in the second iteration with paper and pencil for the eighth tone. Hope to finish soon. It is interesting that the Aniphonale and the Liber Solemn terminations are different from each other for VIII and these were published within a few years of each other.
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 864
    You are GREAT, Francis. Thank you!

    (You wouldn't be willing to do this in Spanish, would you?)
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