A Beginner’s Guide To Reading Gregorian Chant Notation
A Beginner’s Guide to ReadingGregorian Chant NotationNoel JonesIndexOverview.2Punctum.5Punctum Mora.12Staff. 18Divisions - Pauses. 20DO Clef. 22Torculus. 46Virga. 48Podatus. 50Clivis. 52Punctum Inclinatum. 54Porrectus. 56Liquescent. 58Horizontal Episema.60Vertical Episema & Ictus. 62FA Clef.64Quilisma. 66Flat & Natural. 68Custos.70AppendixSample Chant PagesSecond EditionISBN: 1438257481 2008 Frog Music Press
To my auntMary Jones,who has alwaysencouraged me.
1The Musica Sacra website at www.musicasacra.com has a longlist of chant book resources that may be downloaded on theinternet. They also are publishing and reprinting books on thesubject. Their “An Idiot’s Guide to Square Notes” by ArleneOost-Zinner and Jeffrey Tucker is not to be missed.This short book is an effort to quickly outline and explain thesimple system of writing and reading chant. Prior to organization of the writing of chant into this form there were squiggledsigns above words that were the first attempts to preserve theoral tradition of sung chant.We hope that this book serves to answer questions, give you confidence and encourages you to study further the music of theChurch.The next two pages are an overview. You may skip them andgo straight on learning to read basic chant on page 4.
2A Brief Overview of Chant Notation The foundation of modern written music notation Easier to read than modern notation Takes less space on the page than modern notation. Chant is made up of small groupings of organized notes Each group has a different and consistent purpose Music staff covers just the range of the human voice There are only four lines in the staff Notes are always directly above the vowel that is sung There are only two clef signs There is only one sign, a flat. that alters the pitch of a note All chant may be written with the same note, a neume Neume groupings organize notes over their word syllables
3Sample5f 0p -2p 3p 2p 3p 2p 3p 2p 3p 4p 5p 3p 3p 2p 2p-2p 3p-3p 1. An Alleluia written using the basic chant neume, a simplenote for each pitch.Al-le - - - - - - -- - -lu- - - - - - - - - - - ia------2. This Alleluia using chant neumes that clearly show thegrouping of pitches above the syllable being sung, as well asinterpretation.5f 0p 23P-2p32R3P -2p34P-35x5v3p-3L2l 223P.3.2. Alle-lu-ia[Title]3 The same Alleluia using in modern notation. Note theScore amount of space this takes, a major issue when writing onexpensive vellum in medieval times. Chant notationis com[Composer]pact and to the point.&2& œ œœœœœœœœœœAl - le- lu œ - ia.
p4Neumes - NotesLordA-menHo-san-naOne PulseOne Syllable[one part of a word]Name: Punctum
5 3p- Lord 3p- 3p- A-men 333p - 3p- - 3p Ho - san - naThe punctum is the only note needed to write out any chant.As we study we will find that the additional neumes andneume groupings that we are learning either:1. Serve to tie a group of neumes together over one syllable2. Indicate how to sing the neume
p p6LengthLordA-menHo-san-naTwo PulsesTwo Syllables
7 Lord3p 3p A - men33p 3p 3p Ho - san - naA space between nuemes over one word tells us that eachone is sung to a different syllable of the word.
pp8Length-LordA-meHo-san-naTwo PulsesOne Syllable
9 3p-3p- Lord 3p- 3p-3p- A-men 333p 3p-3p- 3p Ho - san - naTwo neumes almost touching lengthen the amount of timethe syllable below is sung by the number of neumes above.Chant notes are sung to an equal pulse, so distinctions wemake in modern music notation of whole notes, half notes,eighth notes, sixteenth notes and their equivalent rests arenot needed. In modern music the neume would be a q note,two neumes close together a h note.
ppp10Length- -LordA-menHo-san-naThree PulsesOne Syllable
113p-3p-3p Lord3p-3p-3p 3p-3p-3p A-men33p 3p-3p-3p 3p Ho - san - naThis indicates the vowel is sung on one pitch for three pulsesin what would be a dotted half-note h . in modern notation.
p.12DecorationsLordA-menHo-san-naTwo PulsesOne SyllableAlso, at the end of a chant designates:and is then called a Punctum Mora
13 3p4. Lord 3p 3p. A - men 333p 3p 3p. Ho - san - naThe dot indicates that this neume is interpreted in a specialmanner. This is the first “interpretation” chant sign westudy. They may be called decorations.This tells us to lengthen the neume to two pulses.However, at the end of a chant this dot also means to softenthe singing of the neume
p1p14PitchLordA-menHo-san-naTwo PulsesOne Syllable
15 3p4p Lord 3p4p 4p3p A - men 4p33p 3p- 3p. Ho - san - naTwo notes touching are both sung to the same syllable.They are always sung in order from left to right.
p 1p 2p16PitchLordA-menHo-san-naThree PulsesThree Syllables
17 Lord A - men 3p 4p 5p Ho - san - naThree notes not touching are sung in the direction they arearranged.rising or falling in pitch.
18 PitchLordA-menHo-san-naNo PulsesNo SyllablesName: Staff
19 Lord A - men Ho - san - naEach note is placed n a Staff. The Staff covers the naturalrange of the human voice, 9 pitches up and down. Notes maybe placed on the spaces between lines and on the lines.Occasionally an extra short line may be drawn in above orbelow the staff for permit the writing of a chant that goesbeyond the usual range of the voice.
20 ; PausesLordA-menHo-san-naQuarter Line, No BreakHalf and Full Line May Permit Breath
21 Lord ; A - men Ho - san - naThe pauses serve to break up the long lines of chant to makethem easier to read and understand. The simple one cuttingacross one line has that purpose alone. The next two cuttingthrough two lines or all four may also indicate that this is aplace where a breath may be taken.
7d 22PitchLordA-menHo-san-naName: DO Clef
23 77d 7p Lord 5d 5p 5p- - - - - A - men 3d 3p 3p 3p Ho - san - naThe DO may appear on just these three lines.All the neumes above are the same pitch, DO.This makes it possible to keep the notes of the melody cenetered on the four lines and three spaces of the staff.
247d 0p 1p PitchDORE
25 7d 0p Lord 7d 0p 1p A - men 7d 0p 1p 1p Ho san naThe first two intervals are DO and RE.
7d 0p 1p 2p 3p 26PitchFAMIREDO
27 7d 0p Lord 7d 0p 1p A - men 7d 0p 1p 2p Ho san naThis is half of an octave stretching from DO to DO. Theseneumes are evenly spaced in pitch until you reach the fourth.FA is half the pitch difference that you hear between DO,RE and MI.This interval, the Perfect Fourth, in the building block of theoctave.Sing DO RE MI and then feel the urge to end on FA. MI“leads” you to FA. It’s called a Leading Tone.
287d 3p 2p 1p 0p PitchFAMIREDO
29 7d 3p Lord 7d 3p 2p A - men 7d 3p 2p 1p Ho san naSinging down the scale of notes the effect of the FA - MIhalf-step is not as pronounced to the ear.Composers of chant write whole-steps and half-steps in 8 different patterns called modes. Modern music uses only two modes commonly - that we call Majorand Minor. Heavy emphasis on the TI DO is common, rarely do sections of pieces and endings ever not follow the TI DO pattern.
307d 7p 6p 5p 4p PitchDOTILASO
31 7d 7p Lord 7d 7p 6p A - men 7d 7p 6p 5p Ho san naThe second half of the octave is the second interval of fourpitches that are stacked on top of the first set. to make an 8note scale.The Leading Tone here is TI. It’s effect is not as pronoucedhere either as this is a descending scale.
327d 44p 5p 6p 7p PitchTILASODO
33 7d 4p Lord 7d 4p 5p A - men 7d 4p 5p 6p Ho san naHere you will feel the pull from TI to resolve up to DO.
7d 0p 34PitchDO
35 7d 0p Lord 7d 0p 0p A - men 7d 0p 0p 0p Ho san naCount down eighth positions [lines and spaces] of the stafffrom the DO Clef to find another DO an octave [8 notes]lower.
367d 7p-6p-5p-4p-3p-2p-1p-0pPitchDOTILASOFAMIREDO
37 7d 7p Lord 7d 6p 5p A - men 7d 4p 3p 2p Ho san naA full octave of pitches descending.
387d0p-1p-2p-3p-4p-5p-6p-7p PitchDOTILASOFAMIREDO
39 7d 4p Lord 7d 5p 6p A - men 7d 7p Ho san naThere are 8 Modes.that are used when writing chant melodies. Instead of ending on DO as many modern melodies do,chant melodies may begin and end on any note of the scale.Some think this gives chant its “floating” character, as it isnot bound to the modern major/minor tonality.Music written from the time of Bach on all tends to only bein only two of the modes, what moderns call the Major andMinor.
407d p1p Pitch12LordA-menHo-san-naTwo PulsesOne Syllable
41 7d 0p1p Lord 7d 1p2p 2p1p A - men 7d 1p2p 3p4p 3p2p Ho - san - naWe review.two neumes sung on one syllable.
427d p 1p PitchLordA-menHo-san-naTwo PulsesTwo Syllables
43 7d Lord 7d 0p 1p A - men 7d 1p 2p Ho san naWe review.one neume sung per one syllable.The pulses that are the sung notes remain constant like theticking of a clock.In some editions space between neumes has a meaning. For more information about this, research Morea Vocis.
447dp 1p 2p PitchLordA-menHo-san-naThree PulsesThree Syllables
45 7d Lord 7d A - men 7d 0p 1p 2p Ho san na
467d p1p0p PitchLordA-menHo-san-naThree PulsesOne SyllableName: Torculus
47 7d 0p1p0p Lord 7d 0p1p0p 00.p. A - men 7d 0p1p0p 1p2p1p 0p. -- -Ho - san - naThe Torculus is one of the common neume arrangments thatyou will fin. When you see it, glance down, read the syllable, and then look up and sing the three neumes above it.These neume combinations are like common road signs thattrigger a response in the brain.
487d 3v PitchLordA-menHo-san-naOne PulseOne SyllableName: Virga
49 7d 3v Lord 7d A - men 7d Ho - san - naNote how the line on the Virga leads your eye.It tells us the next neume we sing will be lower in pitch thanthis one.
507d 02P Pitch21LordA-menHo-san-naTwo PulsesOne SyllableName: Podatus
51 7d 02P - Lord 7d 02P 1p. A - men 7d 02P 24P 4p. Ho - san - naA line connects the two notes in this note configurationcalled Podatus or foot.The lower note is sung first followed by the upper.So our brain will understand we sing the same syllable ontwo notes, one lower and the next higher every time we seea Podatus. Podatus is “foot” in Latin.
527d 10C Pitch12LordA-menHo-san-naTwo PulsesOne SyllableName: Clivis
53 7d 1c0p - - Lord 7d 1c0p 5c4p A - men 7d 1c0p 3c2p 4c3p Ho - san - naThe Clivis starts with a vertical line that leads our eye to ahigher pitch, almost always followed by a lower pitch.
547d 7p6n5nPitchLordA-menHo-san-naThree PulsesOne SyllableName: Punctum Inclinatum
55 7d 7p6n5n - Lord 7d 7p6n5n 4p A - men 7d 7p6n5n 6p5n4n 5p. -Ho - san - naThe Inclinatum is a dead give-away that we are singingmore than one pitch on a syllable.As you may have already discovered, while all of the formsof neumes we have seen could be represented by individualneumes strung across a page, the clumping of them in structured forms gives us a heads up and simplifies the reading ofchant.
567d 35X5p53x3p4p 35X53R4P Pitch132LordA-menHo-san-naThree PulsesOne SyllableName: Porrectus
57 7d 75X75R6P - Lord 7d 75X75R6P-6p-6p5n4n 3p. - A - - - - - - - men 7d 75X75R6P 46X64R5P 5p - Ho - san - naFor some the most difficult of neumes to read, it’s simply aneasy way to write a group of three neumes that follow apitch pattern of high, low and back to mid.The grey notes on the left page shows the same notes thatare in the Porrectus that follows it.It was easier for those writing chant to write without liftingthe pen from the score than three neumes. And it clearlydefines a unique yet common musical pitch pattern.
587d 1k15x5K PitchLordA-menHo-san-naTwo PulsesOne SyllableName: Liquescent
59 7d - - Lord 7d A - men 7d 1p 1p15x5K 5P Ho - san - naThe tiny note of the Liquescent is always a consonantthat may resonate when sung.quietly.Think Sa Ahn. Say it, let your tongue flip to the roof ofyour mouth to make the soft AHN sound.
607d 3pH Modern DecorationLordA-menHo-san-naA Lengthened PulseOne SyllableName: Horizontal Episema
61 7d 4pH3p2p Lord 7d 3pH 3p A - men 7d 1p 1pH-2p 2p Ho - san - naEmphasis, usually thought to be stretching of the neume intime.Just one of the additions made to more modern chant notation to more fully guide us in the interpretation of chant.These signs were created and added to chant in response toa desire to try and write down the musical things that weresung and passed down as tradition.
627d 3pI Modern DecorationLordA-menHo-san-naIndicates initial note of 2 or 3 note groupName: Vertical Episema
63 7d 2p-3p-4p-5pi-5p-3pI-4p-3p -Lord 7d 7v6n5n4pi-4p-4p3p-3p. -A - men 7d 1p-2pp 2pi 3p 2p 3p -3p 3p 3. Ho -san - naJust one of the additions made to chant notation to morefully explain interpretation.The Monks of the Abbey of Solesmes were charged with themission of further editing chant to assist those singing in understanding the underlying rhythm.groups of two and threeneumes, that are the heart and soul of chant. They used thevertical mark shown to point out the Ictus.
-5p-4p-3p- f 3p7d-7p- 6p 64PitchDOTILASOFAFADo and Fa Clefs Center melody on StaffName: FA Clef
65f 5p-4p-3p-2p d 2p-1p-0pPitchFAMIREDO DOTILA
667d 3p4q5p PitchLordA-menHo-san-naOne SyllableName: Quilisma
67 7d 2p-3q4p -Lord 7d 7p6q5p -A - men 7d 4p 4p3q2p 2p. Ho - san - naIt is generally accepted that the squiggle indicates that thenote prior to it is sung as a lengthened note.
687d 6p 6b’6p 6a’6p PitchTITETIFlat lowers TI one-half step to TENatural resets it back to TI.It only appears on the pitch TI.Name: Flat & Natural
697d 3uPitchLordA-menHo-san-naSilent - Not SungIndicates First Note coming up to be sungon next Lower StaffName: Custos
70DefinitionsClivis Higher note comes first in group of twoCustos Indicates next pitch on next staff.Divisions Ends of phrases and lines where breaths may be taken.DO Clef Shows location of DO on Staff. FA Clef Shows location of FA on StaffFlat Pitch of TI is lowered to TE, a half-step.Ictus First “lift” note in groups of two or three.Inclinatum A note that is leaning rather than straight.Natural Raises Flatted TE back up to TI.Neumes NotesPodatus “Foot”, the basic neume or note.Porrectus High note then lower note and high notePunctum “Point”, a single note or neumeInclinatum A note that is leaning rather than straight.Punctum Mora A note that is longer and dies away.Quilisma Three notes, first lengthened.Repercussive The same syllable sung more than once on same pitchStaff Four LinesTorculus Opposite of PorrectusVirga Descending notes
71Clivis.52Custos.70Divisions. 20DO Clef.22FA Clef. 64Flat.68Horizontal Episema. 60Ictus.56Natural.68Pauses. 20Podatus. 50Porrectus.56Punctum.5Punctum Inclinatum. 54Punctum Mora. 12Quilisma. 66Staff. 18Torculus. 46Vertical Episema.62Virga. 48
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Noel Jones first sang chant in a choir of men and boys and followed that upby chanting daily masses before he was a teenager in a small town in Ohio.Summer studies with Benedictine monks took him further along thechant path prior to his leaving for New York City where he directed Catholicchoirs and was organist at the Church Center for the United Nations as well asaccompanist for the United Nations Singers. Later in Germany he was organist for the English masses at the DOM Cathedral in Frankfurt.Picking up work as a chor-repetiteur in Germany he was involved invocal coaching as well as a musical direction in Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg,Bremen and Munich. Of the three Broadway musicals he led there, he conducted two recordings and the European premiere of one. Having experiencesetting translations to scores, he was engaged to do so in Germany, the UnitedStates and eventually Italy, where he set the Italian text for Sir William Walton’s opera The Bear. He also served as chor repetiteur and rehearsal conductor for that performance under the supervision of Sir William.During this time he played for masses at Il Duomo in Barga, Italy, aswell as producing and conducting the town’s annual San Cristoforo Day celebration concert in the 11th century church.Working as a church organ designer , he eventually located in Tennessee, where he joined the staff of a Catholic church as director of music involvedin returning church music to chant and polyphony. He along with Mary C.Weaver have founded Musicam Sacram, a CMAA chapter in East Tennessee.His first chant book, A Beginner’s Guide To Reading Gregorian ChantNotation, has been one of the most frequently books on chant purchased onAmazon.com.A Beginner’s Guide To Reading Gregorian Chant NotationA Beginner’s Guide To Singing Gregorian Chant RhythmA Beginner’s Guide To Singing Gregorian Chant Using Solfeggio.
There is only one sign, a flat. that alters the pitch of a note All chant may be written with the same note, a neume Neume groupings organize notes over their word syllables. 3 Sample 1. An Alleluia written using the basic chant neume, a simple . A Beginner’s Guide To Reading Gregorian Chant
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