A Proper Definition for the Earliest Adiastematic Notations of Gregorian Chant

By Anthea Grasselli

The framework time of music is almost defined in each century of our history. Conversely, this situation is not the same between the first medieval period and late antiquity. The vision of music's history has not provided an evident understanding of these differences, which includes several centuries from the start: a condition melted in a sort of accepted reality, even if there are impediments about the layout of this subject.

Augustine's writings about time and liturgy was an influential model on how to represent history: a referral point for our comprehension. However, the peculiar approach in which Augustine's model grows out of liturgical practice mixes the dimensions of time. Two clashing approaches on how medieval people and moderns perceived history are represented. The complexity was contemplated but never finalized inside Gregorian chant.

This publication focuses on the characteristics of the passages specific for the earliest medieval period, with the topic of that time: the word. Words established a powerful generative aid, and the chant was the exegesis of the text.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jan 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645360070

Anthea Grasselli

Anthea Grasselli, organist and harpsichordist who obtained the Organ Diploma at the Conservatorium G. Rossini of Pesaro in Italy, had an intense activity, both as a soloist and in chamber formations in different European countries. Anthea attended master courses with important European organists, such as T. Koopman, H. Vogel, M. Chapuis, L.F. Tagliavini, M. Torrent, M. Radulescu, and B. Leighton. In several places, such as the Academy of Organ Music at Pistoia in Italy, she was chosen in 1988 to represent the Academy in a performance at Uppsala inside the sister Swedish Academy, and also the Norddeutsche Orgelakademie at Bremen in Germany. Her works of historic organ-building were published, together with conferences of similar subjects, but she also gave conferences with a special care to notation consolidation of musicological interest. In regard to Gregorian chant, Anthea Grasselli was firstly trained privately at a young age by Fr. Umberto Franca, particularly for Gregorian Semiology. Franca was the substitute of Eugene Cardine at the PIMS (Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music) in Rome. The improvement and the interest of the chant went further, together with the knowledge of the organ. After successfully attending the exam for teaching organ and Gregorian chant at the Conservatorium of 'Cesare Pollini' at Padua in 2000 (Italy), her name was inserted in the permanent list of graduated Personnel for Gregorian chant and complementary organ inside all the conservatoriums.

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2019-01-31

About the Author

Anthea Grasselli, organist and harpsichordist who obtained the Organ Diploma at the Conservatorium G. Rossini of Pesaro in Italy, had an intense activity, both as a soloist and in chamber formations in different European countries. Anthea attended master courses with important European organists, such as T. Koopman, H. Vogel, M. Chapuis, L.F. Tagliavini, M. Torrent, M. Radulescu, and B. Leighton. In several places, such as the Academy of Organ Music at Pistoia in Italy, she was chosen in 1988 to represent the Academy in a performance at Uppsala inside the sister Swedish Academy, and also the Norddeutsche Orgelakademie at Bremen in Germany. Her works of historic organ-building were published, together with conferences of similar subjects, but she also gave conferences with a special care to notation consolidation of musicological interest.

In regard to Gregorian chant, Anthea Grasselli was firstly trained privately at a young age by Fr. Umberto Franca, particularly for Gregorian Semiology. Franca was the substitute of Eugene Cardine at the PIMS (Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music) in Rome. The improvement and the interest of the chant went further, together with the knowledge of the organ. After successfully attending the exam for teaching organ and Gregorian chant at the Conservatorium of ‘Cesare Pollini’ at Padua in 2000 (Italy), her name was inserted in the permanent list of graduated Personnel for Gregorian chant and complementary organ inside all the conservatoriums.

Dedication

To my father, Alfredo Grasselli, in commemoration for the 90th birthday in 2018, who supported me in this journey for the achievement of the work.

Copyright Information

Copyright © Anthea Grasselli (2019)

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Publisher’s Cataloguing-in-Publication data

Grasselli, Anthea

A Proper Definition for the Earliest Adiastematic Notations of Gregorian Chant

ISBN 9781641826174 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781641826181 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781645360070 (E-Book)

The main category of the book — Music / History & Criticism

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First Published (2019)

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Introduction

This paper is an important reminder for 2018: special anniversaries for both the first publication of Gregorian Semiology, published 50 years ago, and of its founder, Eugene Cardine, who died 30 years ago. The dissertation is essential in this moment, because a controversial approach to this discipline has characterized at least the last 30 years. Eventually, a sort of clarification is beneficial not only for older researchers, but also for new studies as well. In fede lapsus, a fresh start is a requirement from a semiological viewpoint and this is bearing to a different horizon from the conventional grounds, that is not always considered. The idea to focus on the determination of the first adiastematic notations is the main argument that cannot be rejected at this stage, because the speculation on this subject is beyond the current expectation.

As far as the medieval chant research is concerned today, an appropriate term to compensate the scarcity of terminology about the earliest adiastematic notations of the beginning, is a solution for being more aware of the diversities located specifically in this type of chant. The reason that for centuries the array of different expressions was fundamental for the chant, should be alone the motive for an urgency of accurate terminology. A precise definition would help to use the language productively and give a stable opportunity to consider a cross-reference referred to in this information: a critical, evaluative understanding of Gregorian chant composed in the earliest notations. The observation about a terminological usage might appear innocuous, yet it is not any less useless, which is evidently demonstrated in this paper.

Historic assessment

Historic assessment about the approach of the earliest notations, with a contribution for its understanding.

The term plainsong, or plainchant, is derived from Latin, cantus planus. In the actual fact, this term was coined by theorists of the 12th century to distinguish the old music from musica mensurata, or mensurabilis, developed after the period analyzed in question. Consequently, the related dynamics of the term plainsong or plainchant, even the original cantus planus, were a belated expression distant from the characteristics of the earliest notations in Gregorian chant. For understanding the ecclesiastical chant’s nature, we are required to identify what chanting meant from the beginning of Christianity, as Augustin Gontier stated.¹ While it is tempting to think that the term plainchant was located without investigating its inherent meaning, the use is totally adequate and justified during and after the 12th century. Additionally—but I am in the substance skeptical—there are some kind of considerations referred to a presumable origin and history of this term in Asia, where the languages are more connected to a singsong voice, is related to pronouncing prayers². Nonetheless, the contemporary writings of this period never mentioned these terms to address the chant, and more so in the beginning, when the words had a special position inside neumes. As a clarification, Aribonis Scolastici (around 1078) ³ in his De Musica teaches us the difference from metrici cantus, where types of proportions were respected, to prosaici cantus, where these kinds of notions were less considered. From another perspective, antiphons and responsorial chants with these proportion characteristics are several.

Guido d’Arezzo, one of the well-known theorists of medieval times, explained the subject in chapter 15 of his Micrologus de discipline artis musicae⁴, written around 1028, in which are illustrated the rules for a good modulation in general. These kinds of rules can be enforced either by a syllabic chant, what can be classified as a melisma-type, but even simply by what is considered a melodic chant. Guido again perceived the difference between metrici cantus and prosaici cantus, with the estimation that the last prosaici kinds were not accurate⁵. Most importantly, Guido wrote about a hierarchy of cadences types in chants, with the last note of what he called a section (pars), slightly lengthened, and particularly at the end of a distinctio (verse or verse-halves), more lengthened.⁶

Aribo, referring to Guido, interpreted the word morula as the silence between phrases rather than the closing note itself. He also wrote that a morula must be related to a silence between two pitches, that is, twice as long as the silence between two important pitches⁷. What is outstanding of Aribo is the clarification about the attention of the predecessor composers and cantors before and around the invention of the neumes, almost a couple of centuries before the neumatic writings (Antiquitus fuit magna circumspection non solum cantus inventoribus, sed etiam ipsis cantoribus). This was clearly supported by a person who acknowledged the various school of neumatic families of the time, and with persisting in declaring that the antique attention was almost vanished (quae consideration iam dudum obiit)⁸.

Inside the main hypothesis, Guido was mostly considering the approach characterized by the Guidonian hand, but most important, the solmization already included in the book.