Music In Wester Civilization_Ch.3 & 4

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antiphon

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in antiphonal singing the short chant sung before and after a psalm and its doxology

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antiphonal singing

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a method of musical performance in which a divided choir alternately sings back and forth

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canonical hours (liturgical offices)

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a set of eight periods of worship occurring throughout the day and observed in monasteries and convents; first prescribed in the Rule of St. Benedict (c530 C.E.)

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canticle

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a particularly lyrical and memorable passage of scripture usually drawn from the New Testament of the Bible

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cantor

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the practitioner who performs music, as distinguished from the musicus; in a medieval monastery or nunnery the person specially trained to lead the music of the community who sat with one of the two groups and led the singing

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Credo

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a profession of faith formulated as the result of the Council of Nicaea in 325; one of the five parts of the Ordinary of the Mass

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doxology

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a standard formula of praise to the Holy Trinity

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Gloria

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a hymn of praise originating in early Christian times; one of the five parts of the Ordinary of the Mass

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Gradual

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the first of the two melismatic, responsorial chants of the Proper of the Mass that are sung between the Gloria and the Credo; consists of two parts a respond and a psalm verse

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Gregorian chant (plainsong)

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a vast body of monophonic religious music setting Latin texts and intended for use in the Roman Catholic Church; the music sung daily at the eight canonical hours of prayer and at Mass

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hymn

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a relatively short chant with a small number of phrases, often four, and a rather narrow vocal range; hymns are invariably strophic, the usual hymn having three or four stanzas

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Introit

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an introductory chant for the entrance of the celebrating clergy; the first item of the Proper of the Mass

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jubilus

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the melisma on the final syllable of the word Alleluia; called this because at that moment the full choir and community celebrates with jubilation the redemptive life of Christ

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Kyrie

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an ancient Greek text and the only portion of the traditional Mass not sung in Latin; in this the first section of the Ordinary of the Mass the congregation petitions the Lord for mercy in threefold exclamations

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Mass

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the central and most important religious service each day in the traditional liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church

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Matins

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the night office of the canonical hours, required much singing, and on high feasts such as Christmas or Easter, might go on for four hours

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melisma

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a lengthy vocal phrase setting a single syllable of text

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melismatic chant

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chants in which there are many notes per syllable of text; Matins, Vespers, and the Mass have the most melismatic chants

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neumatic chant

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chants in which there are three, four, or five notes for each syllable of text

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opus dei

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"work of the lord"; the services of the canonical hours as referred to in the Rule of St. Benedict

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Ordinary of the Mass

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chants of the Mass with unvarying texts that can be sung almost every day of the year; Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus dei

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Proper of the Mass

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chants of the Mass whose texts change each day to suit the religious theme, or to honor a particular saint on just that one day

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psalm tone

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eight simple recitation formulas (simple repeating patterns) to which psalms were chanted

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psalmody

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act or process of singing the psalms (of the Psalter); done each week during the services of the canonical hours

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Psalter

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the book of one hundred fifty psalms found in the Old Testament

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respond

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the opening chant in responsorial singing; usually sung by the full choir, it is followed by a verse sung by a soloist, and is repeated by the full choir

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responsorial singing

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when the full choir prefaces and responds to the psalm verse, which is sung by a soloist (choral respond, solo verse, choral respond)

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syllabic chant

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chants in which there is usually only one note and only one note for each syllable of text

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Vespers

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the late-afternoon service, and most important of the eight canonical hours for the history of music; not only were psalms and a hymn sung but also the Magnificat

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authentic mode

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in the eight church modes the authentic is the first of each of the four pairs of modes; each authentic mode has a corresponding lower mode (plagal), but both modes of the pair end on the same final pitch

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church modes

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the eight melodic patterns into which medieval theorists categorized the chants of the church; the four principal ones are Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, and Mixolydian

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Guidonian hand

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ascribed to Guido of Arezzo that involves a system of using the left hand to inscribe mentally all the notes of the Guidonian scale and thus provide a portable mnemonic aid for the musical staff and the notes set upon it

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hard hexachord

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in the Guidonian system, the hexachord-six-note pattern of TTSTT-set on G

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Micrologus

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(Little Essay) music theory treatise written c1030 by Guido of Arezzo setting forth all that a practicing church musician needed to know to sing the liturgy

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natural hexachord

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in the Guidonian system, the hexachord-six-note pattern of TTSTT -set on C