Misplaced Pages

#789210

53-511: The monophonic chants of plainsong have a non-metric rhythm, which is generally considered freer than the metered rhythms of later Western music. They are also traditionally sung without musical accompaniment , though recent scholarship has unearthed a widespread custom of accompanied chant that transcended religious and geographical borders. There are three types of chant melodies that plainsongs fall into: syllabic , neumatic , and melismatic . The free flowing melismatic melody form of plainsong

106-447: A papal tiara , and holding two large keys. These keys commemorate Saint Peter as the apostle to whom Jesus gave the " Keys of Heaven ". Within the monks' choir section, there are choir stalls that are for use by the brothers at Solesmes. The Abbey church has sixty-four choir stalls and was built in 1865. However, twenty-four of these stalls date back to the second half of the 16th century. These older stalls were originally located in

159-459: A certain "Gregorius", probably Pope Gregory II , with his more famous predecessor. The term Gregorian Chant is often incorrectly used as a synonym of plainsong. For several centuries, different plainchant styles existed concurrently. Standardization on Gregorian chant was not completed, even in Italy, until the 12th century. Plainchant represents the first revival of musical notation after knowledge of

212-603: A certain Henri Lenoir Chantelou and its archives were burned in a "civic" bonfire on 14 July 1794. The church was reopened at the time of the Concordat and the Lenoir de Chantelou family were given statues by Napoleon himself so that those at Mans were not removed. In 1825, government property administrators sold the monastic buildings and 145 acres with its farms. In 1831 the remaining buildings, which had escaped demolition in

265-495: A monophonic tune sometime between 1527 and 1529. Many of Luther's hymns were later harmonized for multiple voices by other composers, and were also used in other polyphonic music such as the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach . See Voicing (music)#Doubling DeLone more loosely defines monophony as "passages, movements, or sections in which notes sound alone, despite instrumental doubling" even if "such passages may involve several instruments or voices." Indian classical music

318-501: A nun who lived in the 12th century, composed a total of 71 Latin liturgical pieces. The following is a list of her devotional pieces to the Virgin Mary. Responsory- Antiphon- Hymn- Sequence- Allelula- Plainchant employs the modal system and this is used to work out the relative pitches of each line on the staff. Read more about the use of modes in plainsong here . Monophony In music , monophony

371-402: Is also available at this time. Solesmes hosts spiritual retreats for men, women, and for large mixed-sex groups. The Rule of Saint Benedict states, "All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ" ( Rule of St Benedict , Ch. 53). The monastery has guesthouses within the monastic enclosure available for men. However, women who wish to participate in a retreat may not reside on

424-459: Is an ancient musical tradition where monophonic melodies called ragas are played over drones , sometimes accompanied by percussion and other accompaniment. Solesmes Abbey Solesmes Abbey or St. Peter's Abbey, Solesmes ( French : Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes ) is a Benedictine monastery in Solesmes, Sarthe , France, and the source of the restoration of Benedictine monastic life in

477-428: Is still considered monophonic. Plainsong was the first and foremost musical style of Italy , Ireland, Spain, and France. In the early 9th century, the organum tradition developed by adding voices in parallel to plainchant melodies. The earliest organum merely augmented the texture of the melody by adding a second voice in parallel octaves or parallel fifths , which could still be considered monophonic; however, by

530-728: Is still heard in Middle Eastern music being performed today. Although the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches did not split until long after the origin of plainsong, Byzantine chants are generally not classified as plainsong. Plainsong developed during the earliest centuries of Christianity, influenced possibly by the music of the Jewish synagogue and certainly by the Greek modal system. It has its own system of notation . As

583-420: Is the simplest of musical textures , consisting of a melody (or "tune"), typically sung by a single singer or played by a single instrument player (e.g., a flute player) without accompanying harmony or chords . Many folk songs and traditional songs are monophonic. A melody is also considered to be monophonic if a group of singers (e.g., a choir ) sings the same melody together at the unison (exactly

SECTION 10

#1732877060790

636-501: The Early Middle Ages , the earliest Christian songs, called plainchant (a well-known example is Gregorian chant ), were monophonic. Even into the twenty-first century, songwriters still often write songs that intersperse sections using monophony, heterophony (two singers or instrumentalists doing varied versions of the same melody together), polyphony (two or more singers or instrumentalists playing independent melodic lines at

689-473: The Hundred Years' War but was later restored. The rebuilding of the church started towards the end of the 15th century. Prior Philibert de la Croix changed its plan from the basilica form to a Latin cross . His successor, Jean Bougler (1505–1556), completed the restoration of the church, added the tower, and rebuilt the cloisters, sacristy, and library. Under his direction two groups of statuary , known as

742-638: The "Saints of Solesmes", were set up in the church. In the 16th century these masterpieces were in danger of being destroyed by the Huguenots and other iconoclasts , but the monks saved them by erecting barricades. From the 17th century on, Solesmes Abbey underwent a slow decline under a series of commendatory abbots . Such superiors, designated in commendam , received part of the monastery's income without living there; they were sometimes laymen with no authority over internal discipline, while in commendam clerics had very limited authority. However, in 1664,

795-401: The 11th century the organum had developed a style called "free organum" in which the voices were more independent, evolving into a polyphonic tradition. Mozarabic chant , Byzantine Chant , Armenian chant , Beneventan chant , Ambrosian chant , Gregorian chant and others were various forms of plainsong which were all monophonic. Many of these monophonic chants were written down, and contain

848-690: The 14th century produced many songs which can be seen as extensions of the Provençal troubador tradition, such as secular monophonic lais and virelais. Jehan de Lescurel (or Jehannot de l'Escurel), a poet and composer from northern French from the Trouvère style also wrote monophonic songs in the style of virelais, ballades, rondeaux and diz entés. Minnesänger were similar to the French style but in Middle High German. A tradition of Lauda , or sacred songs in

901-450: The European vernacular genres as well as of Latin song ... in polyphonic works, it remains a central compositional principle." The earliest recorded Christian monophony was plainchant or plainsong (of which one well-known style was called Gregorian chant ) a single unaccompanied vocal melody sung by monks . Sung by multiple voices in unison (i.e. the same pitch and rhythm), this music

954-612: The North and South sections of the transept. Their estimated construction period was from c.  1530  – c.  1553 (being the date inscribed on the South colonnade ). It is unknown who sculpted these icons, as nearly all of the monastery's archives were destroyed during the French Revolution. In addition, any records of who financed the creation of the Saints of Solesmes was lost with

1007-594: The Revolution but were threatened with destruction for want of a buyer, came to the attention of a locally born priest, Prosper Guéranger . Inspired by a vision of a restored monastic life in France, he acquired them for the home of a new Benedictine community. In 1832, it was decided to demolish the buildings, starting with the east wing, which has now disappeared. The Benedictines moved in on 11 July 1833. The new community flourished and in 1837 not only received Papal approval but

1060-499: The Tridentine rite has increased; this, along with other papal comments on the use of appropriate liturgical music, is promoting a new plainsong revival. The Plainsong and Medieval Music Society was founded in 1888 to promote the performance and study of liturgical chant and medieval polyphony. Interest in plainsong picked up in 1950s Britain, particularly in the left-wing religious and musical groups associated with Gustav Holst and

1113-505: The Work of God, being Psalms that are recited in common (together with one another) and Lectio Divina being a reflective period of reading Scripture and embracing God's word as a centre to religious life. At Solesmes, as in any other monastery that abides by the Rule of Saint Benedict, physical labor is an integral part of Benedictine Life. This manual labor is such that it maintains and supports

SECTION 20

#1732877060790

1166-462: The adjacent slope (informally referred to as "the valley" by members of the congregation) is accessible by retreaters for meditation and reflection. The larger of the two gardens is located within the enclosure. The enclosure is defined by the brothers at Solesmes as: The area delimited by a wall that includes the monastery buildings and adjoining garden and is reserved for monks. Enclosure helps devote us to searching for God alone by separating us from

1219-433: The ancient Greek system was lost. In the late 9th century, plainsong began to evolve into organum , which led to the development of polyphony . When polyphony reached its climax in the sixteenth century, the use of plainsong chant was less appealing and almost completely abandoned. There was a significant plainsong revival in the 19th century, when much work was done to restore the correct notation and performance-style of

1272-447: The benefit of physically sustaining the community, making the monastic life possible. Throughout the history of Solesmes, importance has been given to the practice and use of Gregorian chant . Solesmes was one of many monasteries to utilize this form of chant. A concerted effort was made to reform the corrupted variants of the chant in 1899. These traditions are still preserved to this day. Monastic Offices at Solesmes are available to

1325-408: The chant's words to help the performer identify the piece's melody but did not specify the pitches or intervals that needed to be sung. Even though there were written musical manuscripts, the performers still needed to memorize the chants through oral traditions before interpreting the notation. It was not until the eleventh century that musical pitches were being integrated into written music. Most of

1378-415: The choral compositions being of a simple kind, the solo compositions more elaborate, using a more extended compass of melodies and longer groups of notes on single syllables. The last type of plainsong performance is the solo performed by the choir or the individual performer. A marked feature in plainchant is the use of the same melody for various texts. This is quite typical for the ordinary psalmody in which

1431-576: The country under Dom Prosper Guéranger after the French Revolution . The current abbot is the Right Reverend Dom Abbot Geoffrey Kemlin, O.S.B. , elected in 2022. Prior to the foundation of Solesmes Abbey, a parish existed at the site. This parish may have been founded at the site as early as the 5th century. Evidence also suggests that the site may first have been built upon in the 6th or 7th century. This original parish

1484-457: The destruction of the monastery's archives as well. It can be inferred the Saints of Solesmes were donated by wealthy benefactors, as the priory's finances at this time period would not have been able to finance a project of this magnitude. With the Rule of Saint Benedict being followed within the monastery, life was, and still is, one of rigid obedience. With the Rule being established around 530 A.D.,

1537-469: The earliest music notation to develop after the loss of the ancient Greek system . For example, Dodecachordon was published by the Swiss Renaissance composer Heinrich Glarean (also Glareanus) and included plainsong or Gregorian chant and monophony. The earliest manuscripts which contain plainsong were written in neumes , a primitive system which recorded only the outline of the melody, and it

1590-572: The early plainsong scripts have been destroyed due to war, purposeful destruction and natural causes such as water, fire, and poor environmental conditions. The Toledo Cathedral in Spain has one of the world's largest collections of indigenous plainsong manuscripts devoted to Western Christianity. Their collection consists of 170 volumes of plainsong chants for the procession, Mass, and Office. There are three methods of singing psalms or other chants, responsorial , antiphonal , and solo. In responsorial singing,

1643-648: The first house of the nuns of the Solesmes Congregation. Since its restoration Solesmes has been dissolved by the French Government no fewer than four times. In 1880, 1882, and 1883 the monks were ejected by force but, receiving hospitality in the neighbourhood, succeeded each time in re-entering their abbey. Between 1901 and 1922 the monks were forced into exile in England. They settled on the Isle of Wight and built

Plainsong - Misplaced Pages Continue

1696-455: The general public. The Abbey Church at Solesmes is open to the public for worship from 9:00 am (9:30 am on Sundays and Feast Days ) to 6:15 pm. The monastery again opens for Compline . Exhibitions on the abbey, which includes an exhibition on monastic life led by one of the Brothers is available from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm daily, excluding Officium Divinum times. Access to the monastery's shop

1749-403: The hustle and bustle of the outside world. This area, while generally restricted to members of the congregation at Solesmes, may be visited by guests, with permission. However, such visitors are asked to respect its peace and silence. Located within the transept of the church are "The Saints of Solesmes." These artistic masterpieces, whose creators have been lost to time, are displayed on both

1802-568: The monastery has always been tied to the Order of Saint Benedict . In the year 1084, the French Bishop Hugh of Grenoble established the monastic Carthusians at Chartreuse . However, the Solesmes monastery did not change or sway from its role as a focal point of the Rule of Saint Benedict in France. Solesmes, being a Benedictine monastery, follows a two-part model of prayer. Opus Dei consists of

1855-576: The monastery was aggregated to the Congregation of Saint Maur (the Maurists) and a stricter monastic observance was resumed. Following the French Revolution, the newly formed National Constituent Assembly prohibited all religious vows on 13 February 1790. At Solesmes one of the seven monks (the sub-prior) broke his vows to become a constitutional priest and soldier of the Republic. At the beginning of 1791,

1908-551: The monks began to leave the monastery, and those who resisted were imprisoned or deported to the Island of Jersey . One of them, Dom Pierre Papion, hid in order to celebrate secret masses across the region. After signing the Concordat of 1801 , he became chaplain of the hospice de Sablé. Solesmes, whose occupants had been forced out in March 1791, was then commandeered as the country residence of

1961-463: The nave of the church. On the stalls, icons of Jesus' lineage are depicted. These icons begin with Jesse , the father of David . The lineage is continued until reaching the Virgin Mary carrying the child Jesus. Solesmes currently holds two well-manicured gardens. The smallest of the two, being the guesthouse terrace gardens surrounds a small house coated in coarse pink plaster. This area, as well as

2014-458: The nave, a large stained glass window had to be blocked to install a great organ, which now sits in the back of the nave. Originally, there were two aisles in the church, but these were destroyed during the Hundred Years' War. A statue of Saint Peter can be found on the right side of the nave. This statue was created in the 15th century and displays Saint Peter wearing pontifical vestments ,

2067-441: The number of chants in the church's repertoire increased, officials needed a better way to standardize the music. A unique form of musical notation was developed to help standardize the music and provide a reference for the performers and audience alike. The musical notations that were used were called neumes , and they are employed on a four-line staff, unlike the five-line staff we are accustomed to today. The neumes are placed above

2120-619: The old plainsong collections, notably by the monks of Solesmes Abbey , in northern France. After the Second Vatican Council and the introduction of the vernacular Mass, use of plainsong in the Catholic Church declined and was mostly confined to the monastic orders and to ecclesiastical societies celebrating the traditional Latin Mass (also called Tridentine Mass ). Since Pope Benedict XVI 's motu proprio , Summorum Pontificum , use of

2173-579: The present Quarr Abbey . The community survived those trials and those of two World Wars and is still at Solesmes. As part of its mission of monastic revival the abbey has been the mother house of some twenty five other monastic foundations, including the monastery at Palendriai in Lithuania . The abbey is noted for its contribution to the advancement of the Roman Catholic liturgy and the revival of Gregorian chant . A documentary film on life at Solesmes

Plainsong - Misplaced Pages Continue

2226-405: The religious community as a whole. St. Benedict makes this clear when he says: " veri monachi sunt si labore manuum suarum vivunt sicut et patres nostri et apostoli " or "they are true monks if they live by the labor of their own hands just as our fathers and the apostles [did]." Thus monks must do various kinds of manual labor necessary to support the community.   ... Manual labor has

2279-408: The same formula, the "psalm tone", is used for all the verses of a psalm, just as in a hymn or a folk song the same melody is used for the various stanzas. Gregorian chant is a variety of plainsong named after Pope Gregory I (6th century A.D.), but Gregory did not invent the chant. The tradition linking Gregory I to the development of the chant seems to rest on a possibly mistaken identification of

2332-508: The same pitch) or with the same melody notes duplicated at the octave (such as when men and women sing together). If an entire melody is played by two or more instruments or sung by a choir with a fixed interval, such as a perfect fifth , it is also said to be monophony (or "monophonic"). The musical texture of a song or musical piece is determined by assessing whether varying components are used, such as an accompaniment part or polyphonic melody lines (two or more independent lines). In

2385-405: The same time), homophony (a melody accompanied by chords), or monody (a single melodic line with instrumental accompaniment) elements throughout the melody to create different atmospheres and styles. Monophony may not have underlying rhythmic textures, and must consist of only a single melodic line. According to the modern medieval scholar Ardis Butterfield , monophony "is the dominant mode of

2438-408: The soloist (or choir) sings a series of verses, each one followed by a response from the choir (or congregation). In antiphonal singing, the verses are sung alternately by soloist and choir, or by choir and congregation. It is probable that even in the early period the two methods caused the differentiation in the style of musical composition which is observed throughout the later history of plain chant,

2491-608: The style of Troubador songs, was popularized in the 13th and 14th centuries by Geisslerlieder , or Flagellant songs. These monophonic Laude spirituale songs were used in the 13th and 17th century by flagellants , as recorded in the medieval chronicle Chronicon Hugonis sacerdotis de Rutelinga (1349). Monophony was the first type of texture in the Lutheran Church . A well-known example is Martin Luther's hymn "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (" A Mighty Fortress Is Our God "), written as

2544-532: The writer George B. Chambers . In the late 1980s, plainchant achieved a certain vogue as music for relaxation, and several recordings of plainchant became "classical-chart hits". The following is a classification of Gregorian chants into types. Other chant traditions, such as the Ambrosian or Visigothic , may lack some of the types listed, and may have other types not listed. Syllabic Neumatic Neumatic with melismatic sections Hildegard of Bingen ,

2597-466: Was dedicated on 12 October, sometime between 1006 and 1015. In the 12th century, a lord of Sablé returned from the Holy Land in possession of a relic . This relic, being a piece from the crown of thorns was given to the brothers at Solesmes for safekeeping and veneration and drew crowds. The relic is depicted in the center of the monastery's coat of arms . Solesmes was sacked and burned during

2650-531: Was elevated to the rank of an abbey and was to become the mother house of an extensive French Benedictine Congregation, now the Solesmes Congregation . This later became a founding member of the Benedictine Confederation . In 1866 a convent, St. Cecilia's Abbey, Solesmes , was also founded at Solesmes, by Mother Cécile Bruyère (the first abbess) with the support of Dom Guéranger, which was

2703-530: Was made in 2009 and focuses on the tradition of the chant at the monastery. The Abbey celebrated a Jubilee Year from 11 October 2010 to 12 October 2010. The Abbey Church at Solesmes dates back to the 11th century. The church is long, narrow, and composed of two sections: the Nave and the Monk's Choir. The Nave was built between the 11th and 15th centuries and the Monk's Choir was built by Dom Prosper Guéranger in 1865. In

SECTION 50

#1732877060790

2756-476: Was not until the 11th century that Guido d'Arezzo invented a more modern musical notation system that the exact notes of the melodies were preserved. Most troubadour songs were monophonic. Troubadour songs were written from 1100–1350 and they were usually poems about chivalry or courtly love with the words set to a melody. Aristocratic troubadours and trouvères typically played in courtly performances for kings, queens, and countesses. Poets and composers in

2809-632: Was surrounded by a large cemetery. Sarcophagi found at the site suggest that they may go back to the Merovingian period . These sites are still preserved to this day. Solesmes Abbey was founded in 1010 by Geoffrey, Lord of Sablé, who donated the monastery and its farm to the Benedictine monks of the Saint-Pierre de la Couture Abbey , "for the redemption of his soul and those of his parents, or those who went before him and those who come after him". The church

#789210