Plainsong

History#

Plainsong developed during the earliest centuries of Christianity, influenced possibly by the music of the Jewish synagogue and certainly by the Greek modal system. It has its own system of notation. Their collection consists of 170 volumes of plainsong chants for the procession, Mass, and Office. It is probable that even in the early period the two methods caused the differentiation in the style of musical composition which is observed throughout the later history of plain chant, the choral compositions being of a simple kind, the solo compositions more elaborate, using a more extended compass of melodies and longer groups of notes on single syllables. The last type of plainsong performance is the solo performed by the choir or the individual performer. The Plainsong and Medieval Music Society was founded in 1888 to promote the performance and study of liturgical chant and medieval polyphony. Interest in plainsong picked up in 1950s Britain, particularly in the left-wing religious and musical groups associated with Gustav Holst and the writer George B. Chambers. In the late 1980s, plainchant achieved a certain vogue as music for relaxation, and several recordings of plainchant became “classical-chart hits”.

Chant types and traditions#

There are different types of plainchant. Syllabic chants are the simplest chants; they one note per syllable for most of the text. Hymns, and some sections of the mass such as the Gloria and Credo are typically set to syllabic chants. Neumatic chants have multiple notes for each syllable. These are often used for short texts such as introits, and the Sanctus and Agnus Dei of the mass. Finally, some chants combine a syllabic setting with occasional use of melismas – a sequence of multiple note on a single syllable. In the example above, there is a nine-note melisma on the first syllable of the word eleison. Gregorian chant is widely used today, but through much of its history plainchant had distinct local varieties, linked to differences in the form and content of church services. In England, the Sarum rite had its own associated chant, for example. Other chant traditions included the Ambrosian and Visigothic. Some monastic orders had their own chant, such as the Dominicans.

Composers#

Plainchant is typically anonymous. Among the few identifiable composers are Adam of Saint Victor (c.1068 – 1146), a prolific composer of Latin hymns, Hildegard of Bingen, a nun who lived in the 12th century, who composed 71 Latin liturgical pieces and Henri Dumont, who published five plainchant mass settings in 1660. Notker Balbulus (Notker the Stammerer) who lived from about 840 to 912, composed hymn chants and sequences, and Hermannus Contractus (Hermann of Reichenau, 1013–1054) is identified as the composer of several well-loved chants including the Salve Regina and the Alma Redemptoris Mater.

Modes#

Plainchant employs a distinctive system of modes and this is used to work out the relative pitches of each line on the staff. It is distinct from the modal system used in ancient Greek music.

See also#

• Anglican chant
• Gregorian chant

External links#

• Gregorian Chant - CDs, MP3 files, videos, free scores. Sacra Musica
• The book of Psalms sung in Sarum Use plainsong by Sarah James.
• The Plainsong & Medieval Music Society