Choral Public Domain Library

Hi everyone,

I was wondering what people know about gregorian intonations for liturgical music such as the Gloria and Credo movements of the mass.

In case you aren't sure what I'm talking about, I draw your attention to David Fraser's attractive edition of Byrd's Mass for Four Voices: http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/images/6/65/BYRD-M4H.pdf. The intonation can be found on pages 4 and 12.

For editions like that Byrd mass where the intonation is provided, it's all well and good, however; many editions do not provide intonation, leaving choirs to take a bit of a 'stab in the dark' as to what the correct intonation may be. There are some intonations which seem to recur in recordings, but then there seem to be others, such as those listed at http://www.nocturnale.de/pdf/Missale/Cantus.pdf.

My question is, how do you determine the pitch of the intonation, and what determines which actual chant should be used? There must be some system of different chants for different times in the liturgical year, and something which determines what note the intonation begins/ends on.

Cheers.

Further to my last post, I notice there are a number of editions of the Magnificat on CPDL (notably by Victoria and Morales) which set alternate verses of the text to chant:

Morales - Magnificat Primi Toni 'Anima mea'
http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/images/f/f5/Morales-Mag1-1.pdf
Victoria - Magnificat Primi Toni
http://www.upv.es/coro/victoria/pdf/Mag ... mpares.pdf

These editions are great, but there is an immediate problem with performing them: what plainsong is used in the verses which aren't set? These editions would be substantially improved if they included the correct plainsong for the tone.

The Eight Psalm Tones:
http://interletras.com/canticum/images/ ... lmos01.gif

So for example with the Morales linked to above, tone I ('primi toni') would be used. The magnificat should begin with the "magnificat" intoned according to the first tone chant indicated on that eight tones graphic, and then the plainsong verses according to the (rather complicated) psalm rules which can be found at: http://interletras.com/canticum/Eng/psalmody_ENG.htm. Am I right? If so, does anyone have a nice edition which sets out the text for each tone?

It doesn't seem particularly helpful to completely omit these verses from editions; OK, the Morales editions do at least have the text written in between verses, but there is no indication as to what the performers should be doing with it other than indicating that "plainsong chant would be used". They're more likely to get performed if directors and singers don't have to research the chant for half the canticle!

There are probably other scores like this on CPDL as well.

Hi Edward,

To answer your two "can-of-worms" type questions about determining the pitch of the intonation, and suitability for the season. If the intonation were to lead into the corresponding Gloria or Credo of the plainsong mass, then the mode of the intonation would match that of the rest of the mass, so any comfortable pitch is possible and there is no problem - because many of the plainsong masses were intended for a specific season, occasion, or type of solemnity (e.g. Tempore Paschali). :)

On the other hand, if a plainsong intonation is to precede a polyphonic composed mass, then in the past it was viewed as essential, more or less, to match the mode of the intonation to the mode of the polyphonic music; for example, in the document you cited (which BTW contains several execrable mistakes: http://www.nocturnale.de/pdf/Missale/Cantus.pdf ) the well-known seventh (VII) Gloria intonation is in mode 5 (indicated by the roman V to the left of the clef), which would suit any mass composed in the corresponding mode. If you could then choose an intonation which respected the liturgical season, then all the better (extra ecclesiastical brownie points) but this isn't always possible.

These days however it is more common for choirmasters to choose intonations that match the key of the polyphonic mass and if necessary, transpose the intonation to arrive at a clear starting note for the first entry. For example, my edition of Palestrina's Missa Iste confessor (in mode VII, and then transposed up a tone) uses the mode V intonation, but transposed up a tone: the final note F becomes G (and then the entire mass is transposed up another tone, so what was G mixolydian becomes A mixolydian).

Why doesn't this edition match, you may ask? This is because the church choir I edited it for had at one time had a choirmaster who mixed and matched modes, and so that intonation had quite arbitrarily been paired with this Gloria. Likewise, the Agnus Dei intonation (necessary if some of the polyphony is omitted) in the edition is another arbitrary choice, one that happens to come from a completely different plainsong mass.

In the end, unless a composer specified a particular intonation, then any choice of intonation is equally arbitrary, and the inclusion of intonations in editions is then a courtesy from the editor to the singers, to say, "here's one possible intonation, one which I know works well in this context". However choirs are free to supply alternatives or to change such intonations depending on context.

There are a surprisingly large number of masses where the appropriate intonations are specifically known: for example, Requiem masses always will employ the intonations from the plainsong requiem mass. Likewise if a composer wrote a mass for a particular occasion it is not uncommon to find the polyphonic mode will match one or other of the possible plainsong masses for that specific liturgical season. It may be inferred that parody masses might well be appropriate to a season based on the nature of the parody (e.g. you would perform Victoria's Missa O quam gloriosum on the Feast of All Saints).

As regards the Magnificat verses, again it is perhaps simply a matter of courtesy as to whether a given editor includes the plainchant for the omitted verses in polyphonic settings of the odd or the even verses - perhaps some editors assume that any well-equipped choir will have a psalter at hand to supply these, or they are simply transcribing old scores that already lacked the required plainchant. Again with most of the Renaissance settings it is fairly easy to find the necessary chant if you know where to find it. :)

Regards, Philip

Hello to all

This is for me a very pertinent post. I'm singing Palestrina's Missa Aeterna Christi Munera and I'm very confuse about the intonations for the Gloria and Credo.
Can you please enlight me on these subjects? What intonation should I pick for this time of year?

Most thankful

Luís Henriques

Magnificats

First of all, let me address the Magnificats which present only odd or even numbered verses. The missing alternate verses may appropriately be sung using the corresponding Gregorian Magnificat (Psalm) tone. In the case of the Morales and Victoria Tone I (primus tonus), the Intonation would begin on B-flat, (Victoria gives the Intonation, and in both cases it is easily deductible from the "anima mea" continuation in the Soprano/Cantus/Treble line).

Gregorian Magnificat PDFs for each of the eight tones may be found at gregorianchant.co.uk (they are in chant notation). Apparently this is a new site, since several of its pages have yet to be flushed out (but all the Magnificat tones are there). Unfortunately, this site only supplies a single "termination" formula, which is appropriate if the entire Magnificat is chanted. This is adequate enough for the Morales and VIctoria primus tonus Magnificats: with the Intonation of these Magnificats beginning on B-flat, the final note will be C. Note: in the chant score (which begins on F) this final note is G - this explains why the chant is properly described as "Tone I g". It would also be appropriate to use the "Tone I D2" formula - transposed so the chant begins on B-flat, the final note would be on G (which is the final tonality of each section of the Victoria and Morales primus tonus Magnificats).

One final point about Magnificats which provide only alternate verses: It was (and is) not at all uncommon to perform these works with Organ Magnificats substituting for the missing verses. For example, there are the "Organ magnificats on the eight tones" by Hieronymus Praetorius, the "Choral Preludes and Magnificats for Organ, BuxWV 177-224" by Dietrich Buxtehude (available at IMSLP for free download), and the "Organ Magnificats on the eight plainsong tones" (1626) by Jehan Titelouze.

Gloria and Credo

In the case of Missa Aeterna Christi Munera by Palestriina, the Gloria and Credo intonation forumlas given in the CPDL edtion are completely appropriate, especially since they match the mode of the Mass.

Chuck

That was precisely what I suggeste for the Gloria. The Credo is another one, but this intonation is more suitable (because of it's ending).
Thank you very much Charles for the enlightment.
Greetings,
Luís Henriques