Anglican convert trying to learn Plainsong notation and useage
  • Francesca
    Posts: 51
    Our parish is just coming out of the OCP stupor. I am a Catholic convert from Anglicanism, and although I actually know more plainsong (Sarum type) than in is our books, I am really ignorant of the use of the Liber and Graduale Romanum, and read plainsong very haltingly (i.e., about like Hebrew - translate each note into modern notation). My husband and I hold advanced degrees in Music and don't think it will take long, but we need some help. What do you folks recommend?

    Some of you are going to say, 'Come to Pittsburgh!' Wish I could. Health and financial constraints will probably prevent it, so I need something local. New Haven, CT area.
  • IanWIanW
    Posts: 765
    Linda, for me it was (is) a combination of finding a Parish where it's sung regularly (not always easy, I know); a British equivalent (kind of) of the Colloquium; and books and recordings.
  • JahazaJahaza
    Posts: 470
    Your local Latin Mass folks are the St. Gregory Society. I'd get in touch with their schola directors.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,229
    The other day I was introducing a fellow music student to chant notation, and he imagined that it would be harder than modern notation, so we sat down with a mostly syllabic piece and treated it as an exercise: here's the do clef, the piece starts on fa, and I started to sing it on solfege syllables, and he joined in. He loved it!
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,101
    I came to this from an Anglican background too, and I noticed how ingrained modern notation is there. It's almost a conscious differentiation from the RCs, in the same way that the 1970 Missal could not possibly be anything like what Anglo-Catholics have used. One thing you might try is to download the Palmer/Burgess Plainsong Gradual and see if there is anything in there that you've done, and how it compares with what you remember. You'll need a little care, as it might not be exactly the same; Englished chant is like that.
  • Francesca
    Posts: 51
    Thanks, everyone for your help. I really appreciate it!
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Linda, have you tried comparing the modern notation LIBER USUALIS with the chant notation version?
  • Francesca
    Posts: 51
    JMO - didn't know there was one. Be gentle with me - what would it be called?

    Actually, that's how I originally learned Hebrew - by comparing the letters to a transliteration (that wasn't a joke, folks).

    I'll try googling and probably wind up on your site...
  • Mark P.
    Posts: 248
    See http://quilisma-publications.info/pdf files/Full Liber Usualis/(00)%20Liber%20Usualis,%20Pp%20001-100.pdf
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