Chant is a topic near and dear to our hearts, since Donna and I met singing for a weekly Latin Tridentine Mass. It was really a special opportunity as a lutenist to participate in sacred music with the same sort of demands and crazy schedules as musicians in the 16th century. Except we only sang weekly with extra feast day responsibilities now and then. There is an awful lot of very good written material on chant available, on sources, texts and dissemination. My favorites include "The Emergence of Gregorian Chant in the Carolingian Era," by James McKinnon in _Antiquity and the Middle Ages_, edited by the same author; "Recent research on the origins of Western chant," by David Hiley in _Early Music_ (Vol. XVL, No. 2, May, 1988). The best treatment I've seen so far is, of course, by Christopher Page, _The Christian West and Its Singers: The First Thousand Years_, which it seems is regrettably out of print already. [1]http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn--80300112573 I'm slogging my way through but not because it's heavy reading. It's because the book weighs about ten pounds and one tires easily. One of the most interesting benefits of delving into chant and singing the propers throughout the liturgical year is seeing how chant melodies were woven into polyphonic motets. It's satisfying to recognize and highlight the chant tune when playing an intabulation on the lute. RA > Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:04:22 +0000 > To: [email protected] > CC: [email protected] > From: [email protected] > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Nazi rules for jazz performers > > Well - having had a quick read of the reviews on Amazon I suspect the author > has an axe to grind. > > Religious and monastic life may well have been horrific but so by our > standards was life in general in the Middle Ages and well into the 18th > century. > > I think one should be cautious about projecting backward our way of looking > at things. People in general didn't share our sensibilities in the past. > > You have to try and judge people in the past by the same standards that they > judged themselves. > > Monica > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mark Wheeler" <[email protected]> > To: "Monica Hall" <[email protected]> > Cc: "Lutelist" <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 1:40 PM > Subject: Re: [LUTE] Nazi rules for jazz performers > > > It seems that the punishment was exile or life imprisonment.... > > http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/haywardp/hist422/seminars/Chant.htm > > "Charlemagne... discovered in time that the monks he had sent to the other > cities were all singing differently. He reported this to Pope Leo of holy > memory, who had succeeded Stephen. And Leo recalled the monks to Rome and > punished them with exile or life imprisonment." > > But pain of death was probably always looming over anybody who didn't fit > into the regime back then anyway. > > I have just finished reading "The Swerve: How the Renaissance Began" by > Stephen Greenblatt, which does a great job of showing how horrific religious > and particularly monastic life was. > > Mark > > > > On Mar 14, 2012, at 1:42 PM, Monica Hall wrote: > > > Well - I would take anything Wikipedia said with a large pinch of salt. > > I have just finished reading Hywel Williams study of Charlemagne and the > > Carolingian Empire which has a couple of pages on the subject of spread of > > Roman chant northwards. He says nothing about the clergy being forced to > > use it on pain of death. > > > > I can't quote the whole section in the book but needless to say it was > > much more complicated than that. Among other things chant as performed > > in Rome did not remain static. There were significant changes to it > > during the period in question. > > > > What Williams concludes by saying is - > > > > "A uniform chant remained the Carolingian goal and a New Hymnal was > > issued during the reign of Louis the Pious (Charlemagne's son). But > > Gregorian chant as it evolved during the next two centuries was a > > synthesis of Carolingian, ancient Roman and the Gallican plainchant which > > had prevailed under the Merovingians". > > > > Monica > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Wheeler" <[email protected]> > > To: "Tony" <[email protected]> > > Cc: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 1:11 AM > > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Nazi rules for jazz performers > > > > > >> Ironically fitting for this thread, the domination of Gregorian Chant > >> over other forms of chant came through the use of extremely draconian > >> methods... > >> > >> "Gregorian chant appeared in a remarkably uniform state across Europe > >> within a short time. Charlemagne, once elevated to Holy Roman Emperor, > >> aggressively spread Gregorian chant throughout his empire to consolidate > >> religious and secular power, requiring the clergy to use the new > >> repertory on pain of death." > >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_chant > >> > >> Mark > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> On Mar 14, 2012, at 12:01 AM, Tony wrote: > >> > >>> > >>> Thanks Gary > >>> I tried to find information about what the church prohibited in > >>> medieval and renaissance Europe( some of you here may have some useful > >>> links) While searching for the Council of Trent I came across this > >>> list, a summary of approved music > >>> > >>> The Church's doctrine on liturgical music can be summarized in seven > >>> points .... > >>> > >>> 1 Types of Music Appropriate for the Mass. The music of the Mass and > >>> the Sacred Liturgy of the must be either Gregorian Chant, or must be > >>> similar to Gregorian Chant. The primary example of music similar to > >>> Gregorian Chant is Sacred Polyphony, exemplified by the compositions of > >>> Palestrina. > >>> > >>> 2 Characteristics of Music Appropriate for the Mass. The music of the > >>> Mass must have "grandeur yet simplicity; solemnity and majesty," and > >>> must have "dignity," and "gravity," should be "exalted" and "sublime," > >>> should bring "splendor and devotion" to the liturgy, and must be > >>> conducive to prayer and liturgical participation, rather than > >>> distracting the listener from prayer. It must be music that befits the > >>> profound nature of the Mass, which is the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As > >>> Pope Paul VI put it: "The primary purpose of sacred music is to evoke > >>> God's majesty and to honor it. But at the same time music is meant to > >>> be a solemn affirmation of the most genuine nobility of the human > >>> person, that of prayer." > >>> > >>> 3 Types of Musical Instruments Appropriate for the Mass. The instrument > >>> that is most "directly" fitted for the Mass is the classical pipe > >>> organ. Other instruments, however, can be adapted to the Mass, > >>> including wind instruments, and smaller bowed instruments. > >>> > >>> 4 Types of Music Prohibited in the Mass. All secular and entertainment > >>> styles of music are utterly prohibited in the Mass. The introduction of > >>> inappropriate music into the liturgy is regarded as "deplorable > >>> conduct." > >>> > >>> 5 Types of Instruments Prohibited in the Mass. All "noisy or frivolous" > >>> instruments are prohibited for use in the Mass.The specific instruments > >>> named by the Popes have included guitars, pianos, drums, cymbals, and > >>> tambourines. "Bands" also are prohibited, as are all automated forms of > >>> music (recordings, automatic instruments, etc). > >>> > >>> 6 Adapting Musical Traditions of Indigenous Cultures, and > >>> "Universality." The musical traditions of particular cultures can and > >>> should be incorporated into the Sacred Liturgy, but only in such a way > >>> that they will be recognized as sacred ("good" in the words of Pope St. > >>> Pius X) by people of all cultures. That is, all such music must have > >>> the characteristic of "universality." > >>> > >>> 7 Preserving the Church's Musical Tradition. The treasury of the > >>> Church's sacred music is to be carefully preserved, rather than > >>> discarded > >>> > >>> aEUR|written in 2002 ..... [1]http://www.matthewhoffman.net/music/ > >>> > >>> I guess compiled by a traditionalist - I know people who go to churches > >>> in the UK and Latin America where these rules are vigorously flouted > >>> > >>> And resumably the lute is a 'noisy' instrument associated with > >>> thedreadful frivolities of pianos and guitars > >>> Tony > >>> > >>> --- > >>> > >>> -- > >>> > >>> References > >>> > >>> 1. http://www.matthewhoffman.net/music/ > >>> > >>> > >>> To get on or off this list see list information at > >>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >> > >> > >> -- > > > >
-- References 1. http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn%E2%80%9480300112573
