Plainchant

Question 1

How was Paris important to the development of church music?

Answer 1

• Influence of Notre Dame was important for start of polyphony (or at least lots say this)
• Earth 12th century-mid 13th century, great increase of population in paris. Cathedral schools built to educate kids;

Question 2

What were the precursors to Gregorian chant?

Answer 2

1) ‘Old Roman’ (although only first notated 10th century)
- Gentle, stepwise motion

Ambrosian (from Milan): two styles

• Syllabic
• Elaborate (for more important functions, or occasions e.g. alleluias more decorative for important services)

Question 3

Who were the musicians pre-Gregorian chant?

Answer 3

• 8th century: Schola Cantorum allowed clerical career to musically gifted boys
• Everything sung from memory, no notation
• Monks/cantors – sang up to 150 psalms a day, seen as spiritual training
• Pre-9th century it was responsorial with a lector singing the verse
• 9th century it was antiphonal: split choir of monks (to avoid exhaustion, and as part of Carolingian reform)

Question 4

Give 3 different historical views outlining the development of chant

Answer 4

• Traditional: transmission to Roman chant achieved orally by end of 9th century
• New historical: fluid and improvisational, singers reconstructed melodies based on general understanding of rules, gradually solidified into chant.
• Revisionist view: Fully notated book available by 800 and used to ensure everyone using

Question 5

What was the Carolingian dynasty?

Answer 5

• 800 coronation marked the creation of the Holy Roman Empire – alliance between pope and Frankish power
• Carolingian reform: attempt to unify kingdom by use of Latin chant
• Gallican chants removed, everyone made to learn Roman/Latin chants
• 8th century – first examples of chant being written down
• St Peter’s Basilica centralised so everything modelled on it

Question 6

What is Ordinary chant?

Answer 6

• Standardised settings of mass text.
• Melody moving largely by step.
• Stylistic differences between sections of the mass can be seen e.g in Liber Usualis: kyrie more melismatic, Gloria more syllabic. Alleluia more decorative because more dramatic function.

N.B. general point that style depended on text function

Question 7

What is Proper chant?

Answer 7

• Text changed depending on calendar/liturgy.
• Older, came from psalm-singing – mostly recitation with some more decorative passages, centred around a single note. E.g. Christmas day introit ‘Et vocabitur nomen Eius’.

Question 8

Give 2 examples of musicians/musical educators in Paris

Answer 8

• Adam of St Victor: precentor at Notre Dame in 12th century – composed 91 sequences (seen as first major musical endeavour of Notre Dame school and precursor to polyphonic rep of later generations)
• Abelard, was wondering scholar who went to Paris and became master in the Cathedral school by 1115

Question 9

What is a sequence?

Answer 9

• Sung in the mass after alleluia and before the Gospel
• Regular verse form
• Trochaic rhythm
• Melodic doubling makes it a sequence (essentially repetition)

Question 10

What did the rise of cities mean for music?

Answer 10

• Gradual break-up of Carolingian empire after 900
• Holy Roman Empire continues in Germanic East
• West dissolves into territories ruled by Dukes.
• 11th century rise of urbanisation in prosperous north associated with great abbeys and cathedral
• Therefore cities like Paris become centres for musical development in churches/cathedrals.