Chapter 2: The Christian Church In The First Millenium

Question 1

Psalms

Answer 1

A poem of praise to God, one of 150 in the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Christian Old Testament)). Singing psalms was a central part of Jewish, Christian, Catholic, and Protestant worship; each psalm was assigned to a particular day

Question 2

Cantillation

Answer 2

Chanting of a sacred text by a solo singer, particularly in the Jewish synagogue; melody was based on formulas that reflected phrase divisions in the text.

Question 3

Rite

Answer 3

The set of practices that defines a particular Christian tradition, including a church calendar, a liturgy, and a repertory of chant

Question 4

Church Calendar

Answer 4

In a Christian rite, the schedule of days commemorating special events, individuals, or times of year.

Question 5

Liturgy

Answer 5

The prescribed body of texts to be spoken or sung and ritual actions to be performed in a religious service.

Question 6

Plainchant

Answer 6

A unison unaccompanied song, particularly a liturgical song to a Latin text.

Question 7

Chant

Answer 7

(1) Unison unaccompanied song, particularly that of the Latin liturgy (also called plainchant); (2) The repertory of unaccompanied liturgical songs of a articulated rite.

Question 8

Gregorian Chant

Answer 8

The repertory of ecclesiastical chant used in the Roman Catholic Church, developed by Roman leaders with the help of Frankish kings. The Schola Cantorum (school of singers), the choir that sang when the pope officiated observances, also probably played a role in its development. This chant is named after Pope Gregory I, who is said to have written down the chant texts dictated by the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. While this is probably a legend invented by the English (who revered Pope Gregory), it helped to spread the chant throughout Western Europe and established it as a “traditional” repertory, despite its relatively new form.

Question 9

Byzantine Chant

Answer 9

The repertory of ecclesiastical chant used in the Byzantine rite and in the modern Greek Orthodox Church; most characteristic Byzantine chants were hymns, which became more highly developed than their counterparts in the west. Hymns were written down starting in the 10th century on, and many are still sung in Greek Orthodox services.

Question 10

Ambrosian Chant

Answer 10

A repertory of ecclesiastical chant used in Milan and named after St. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan from 374-397; many of these chants are similar to those used in Rome, indicating either interchange or the use of a common source.

Question 11

Old Roman Chant

Answer 11

A repertory of ecclesiastical chant preserved in eleventh- and twelfth-century manuscripts from Rome representing local tradition; a near relative of Gregorian chant, using the same melodies in a more ornate form.

Question 12

Neumes

Answer 12

A sign used in notation of chant to indicate a certain number of notes and general melodic direction (in early forms of notation) or particular pitches (in later forms), and perhaps rhythm or manner of performance; served as reminders of the melodic shape, but could not be read by someone who did not already know the melody.

Question 13

Heighted Neumes

Answer 13

In an early form of notation, neumes arranged so that their relative height indicated higher or lower pitch; also called diastematic neumes. This made the pitch contour clearer, but sacrificed the more subtle performance indications in neumatic notation.

Question 14

Diastematic Neumes

Answer 14

approximate intervals are indicated by relative height, also called heighted neumes; these made the pitch contour clearer, but sacrificed other subtleties in performance

Question 15

Emperor Constantine

Answer 15

Roman emperor (r. 310-37); legalized Christianity and allowed the church to own property in the Edict of Milan (313)

Question 16

Echoi

Answer 16

Eight modes used in the Byzantine church, which later served as a model for the eight modes of the Western Church

Question 17

Charlemagne

Answer 17

(Charles the Great, r. 768-814), crowned Emperor of Rome on Christmas 800, establishing the Holy Roman Empire. His alliance with Rome and the Church there helped both spread and standardize liturgy and chant throughout the Empire.

Question 18

Pope Gregory I

Answer 18

(R. 590 - 604), attributed by the English as developing the Gregorian Chant; legend says that the texts were dictated to him by the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. This legend helped to spread Gregorian chant throughout the Holy Roman Empire and establish this relatively new form of chant as both divinely inspired and traditional.

Question 19

Notation

Answer 19

A way to write down using; the earliest surviving books of chant with music notation date from the late 9th century, but it may have already been in use in Charlemagne’s time. The first definitive examples date from 850. This was both a result of striving for uniformity and a means of perpetuating that uniformity.

Question 20

Guido of Arezzo

Answer 20

(991 - after 1033) monk who developed the predecessor to our modern staff by using a line of red ink signifying the note F and a line of yellow ink signifying the note C, as well as lines in between, with letters in the margin identifying them; musicians could now learn music without having heard it beforehand.

Question 21

Abbey of Solesmes

Answer 21

Abbey in France where they developed modern editions of chant intended for performance instead of historical study. They were adopted by Pope Pius X as the official Vatican editions in 1903.