Panis quem ego dedero (EF Communio)
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    I'm totally captivated by this coming Sunday's mysterious Communio. When I sight-read it last night, I couldn't make head or tails out of it, but after listening to the Schola Bellarmina and the recording below, it finally clicked.

    Dom Johner's commentary:

    Holy joy welled up from the heart of the Saviour when He spoke the prophetic words we sing here. This joy is reflected by the brilliant and exultant melody. It attains its summit and greatest expansion precisely over the word vita. The thought, "life of the world," forms an independent musical phrase, being, however, strongly influenced by the melody over mea est in the first phrase. Here we have a descending fourth, followed by a pes and a clivis, while in the former instance there was a descending fifth with a descending pes and climacus. These sequences of tones and the surprising beginning over Panis are well calculated to rouse in our souls reverent astonishment at the marvels spoken of. For this reason, too, the word ego is especially emphasized by the melody.


    Is it the fourths which give this piece its unique character? They seem to give an unexpected twist to the melodic line and lend a feeling of astonishment or surprise. All I know is that singing fourths in chant is always a bit troublesome for me. I usually have to stop and figure them out the first couple of times. I can rarely hit them right the first time, on the run, so to speak. Are there any easy tricks for mastering them?

    http://www.ccwatershed.org/video/10645880/?return_url=/goupil/
  • gregpgregp
    Posts: 632
    Solfege, solfege, solfege. I have the same problem.

    I think "Down-town; down-town". If you're too young to remember Petula Clark, you can use "O come, all (ye faithful)".
    Thanked by 1JulieColl
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    "Down-town; down-town"

    There goes the bride.
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Totally agree that this is a captivating chant.

    When a group struggles with descending intervals- and every group I've eve worked with feels most nervous about descendig intervals- I've found it very helpful to think of how it sounds on the rebound/ upswing. Their mind is often focused on "I'm singing here, then I sing a little lower/much lower note". Solfege helps immensely, but even still descending intervals grip fear on the mind. :) So it helps to widen the focus to include how one steps/leaps out of the trouble leap.

    The image of jumping over a puddle works in this case. It's not just about clearing the puddle, but knowing where your feet go immediately afterwards. The momentum doesn't stop.

    So if the trouble spot is, say do/ sol, we work on 1-2 notes before the jump, and 1-2 notes afterwards. By way of drills, we isolate the notes using solfege, then sing on [nu] or [ni] to build legato but *think* solfege if needed, then expand the phrase in either or both directions, each step a few times as needed, and keeping mindful of neumatic groupings. The we sew it back into the larger phrase until there's evenness.

    The singers learn pitch accuracy AND context, so the line isn't upset by "that sticky spot", and they are more free to pray the text.

    Before the drills mentioned above, typically 1-2 voices will demonstrate the trouble spot and its immediate neighbors correctly, while I ask the bigger group to scan and listen attentively.

    From your other posts, I'd imagine you are already doing these kinds of things, but I thought it worthwhile to include such rehearsal techniques just in case they're helpful to someone.
    Thanked by 1JulieColl
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Thanks for the very helpful advice. I knew y'all were the people to ask. : )

    Gregp, I didn't recognize the "down-town" bit but "O Come all ye faithful" really does the trick! That's just what I needed.

    Mary Ann, the drill you describe is excellent, and I love the jumping over the puddle analogy. Our little schola is rather a motley crew, and we all live so far apart that rehearsal time is limited---I don't know how we manage to pull the propers off every week---it's quite miraculous, really, but after three years of singing the Graduale Romanum, we've developed a method that works, although there is still much to learn.

    I find that each schola member brings some essential quality to the chant, and when we sing together, the sum is somehow greater than the parts.

    I imagine most lay scholas never reach the point of being 100% satisfied with their chanting, but therein lies the challenge and the appeal.
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