Ambrosian chant
This article may be too technical for most readers to understand.(March 2019) |
Ambrosian chant (also known as Milanese chant) is the liturgical
History
The history of Milan as a centre for religious music goes back to St. Ambrose, who is not known to have composed any of the Ambrosian chant repertory, much as Gregory the Great is not known to have composed any Gregorian chant. However, during his 4th-century tenure as bishop of Milan, he is credited with introducing hymnody from the Eastern Church to the West. Ambrose composed original hymns as well, four of which still survive, along with music that may not have changed too much from the original melodies.
Two methods of singing psalms or other chants are responsorial and antiphonal. In responsorial singing, 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.[1] In the Western Church, formerly the responsorial method seems to have first been used alone, the antiphonal method was introduced by St. Ambrose.[2]
Over time, the Milanese liturgy developed into the
Between the 8th and 13th centuries, however, the Carolingian chant commissioned by Charlemagne developed into what we now know as Gregorian chant, which began to influence and eventually replace most of the other Western plainchant traditions. By the 12th century, the Mozarabic, Gallican, Celtic, Old Roman, and Beneventan chant traditions had all been effectively superseded by Gregorian chant. Ambrosian chant alone survived, despite the efforts of several Popes over a period of several centuries to establish Gregorian hegemony. A chronicle by the Milanese historian Landolphus from around the year 1000 recounts a legend that two Sacramentaries, one Gregorian and one Ambrosian, were placed on an altar to see which chant had divine acceptance; miraculously, both books opened simultaneously, showing both were equally acceptable.
Ambrosian chant did not wholly escape Gregorian influence. The earliest 8th-century fragments, and the more complete chantbooks from the 11th and 12th centuries that preserve the first recorded musical notation, show marked differences between the Gregorian and Ambrosian repertories. Later additions to the Ambrosian repertory, whose style differs from the earlier chants, may reflect Gregorian influence. Although St.
Ambrosian chant has survived to the present day, although its use is now limited primarily to the greater part of the Archdiocese of
General characteristics
Ambrosian chant is largely defined by its role in the liturgy of the
Like all plainchant, Ambrosian chant is monophonic and a cappella. In accordance with Roman Catholic tradition, it is primarily intended to be sung by males, and many Ambrosian chants specify who is to sing them, using phrases such as cum Pueris (by a boys' choir) and a Subdiaconis (by the subdeacons).
Stylistically, the Ambrosian chant repertoire is not generally as musically uniform as the Gregorian. Ambrosian chants are more varied in length, ambitus, and structure. Even within individual categories of chant, Ambrosian chants vary from short and formulaic to prolix and melismatic, and may be freely composed or show significant internal melodic structure. Its most distinctive feature compared with other plainchant repertories is a significantly higher amount of stepwise motion, which gives Ambrosian melodies a smoother, almost undulating feel. In manuscripts with musical notation, the neume called the climacus dominates, contributing to the stepwise motion. More ornamental neumes such as the quilisma are nearly absent from the notated scores, although it is unclear whether this reflects actual performance practice, or is simply a consequence of the relatively late musical transcription.
The Gregorian system of
Nearly all of the texts used in Ambrosian chant are
Chants of the Office
The Office chants of the Ambrosian repertoire are still largely unresearched, so only preliminary evaluations have been made.
The minor hours have little of musical interest: some hymns, and the simplest of reciting tones only. The main chants of the Office are those of Matins, Vespers and the Vigils.
The
Other Vespers chants include the Psallendae and the Antiphonae in choro. Psallendae comprise the largest category of Ambrosian Office chants. Two Psallendae, similar to the Marian antiphons of Gregorian chant, are performed on the more solemn Vespers, to cover processions. They conclude with one of several recitation tones that segue into the Gloria Patri. Antiphonae in choro are similar in style, but have no psalm or verse.
Responsoria occur in both Matins and Vespers. Their names often identify who is to sing them: the boys' choir, the deacon, the subdeacons, and so on. A Responsorium usually consists of a refrain called a respond, a verse, and a repetition of an expanded part of the respond. These expansions contain some of the longest melismas of the Ambrosian chant repertoire, which often contain complex repeat structures.
Vespers begin with a chant called the Lucernarium and end with the Completorium. The word Lucernarium hearkens back to the original function of Vespers as a time of lighting lamps, and the texts of Lucernaria usually contain some reference to light, such as Quoniam tu illuminas, Paravi lucernam, and Dominus illuminatio. Stylistically, Lucernaria and Completaria vary. Some are proper, specific to certain feasts, while others are ordinary and can be used throughout the year. They range from highly elaborate chants to simple reciting tones. There are relatively few Lucernaria and Completaria; four Completaria are used for all but three days of the year.
Chants of the Mass
The Mass is the Christian celebration of the
Ordinary chants of the Mass
The ordinary chants consist of the Laus Missa or
Only a small number of each of these ordinary chants exist: four Gloria melodies, four Sanctus melodies, and just one melody for the Symbolum. The Symbolum melody is quite simple, just a slightly ornamented reciting tone. Of the four Gloria melodies, one is simple like the Symbolum melody, one is an expanded version of the simple melody, and one is a freely composed syllabic and neumatic melody consisting of only one or just a few pitches per syllable. The fourth melody is elaborately melismatic. All four melodies segue into a very simple threefold Kyrie chant.
Only two of the few Sanctus melodies are regularly used, both fairly simple.
Proper chants of the Mass
The Ingressa corresponds to the Introit in the Roman rite. Unlike the Introit, the Ingressa has no psalm verse or doxology. While the Introit fills in the time that the celebrant processes to the altar, the Ingressa is sung during the censing of the altar.
The next three proper chants follow and amplify three readings from
The Offertorium is sung during the bringing of gifts to the altar, corresponding to the Gregorian Offertory. While the Gregorian Offertories had lost their verses by the 12th century, some Ambrosian Offertoria retained their verses, every bit as complex as their defunct Gregorian counterparts.
The Confractorium is sung during the breaking of the bread, which has no counterpart in Gregorian chant. Finally, the Transitorium, so called because it originally involved the transfer of a book to the opposite side of the altar, corresponds to the Gregorian
The Ingressa, Post Evangelium, Confractorium, and Transitorium never have verses, while the other chants may have responds and verses, up to three verses for some Cantus melodies. The Psalmellus, Post Evangelium, Offertoria, and Transitoria sometimes show complex repeat structures.
References
- ^ "Weber, Jerome F. "Early Western Chant", Western Catholic Liturgics". Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Plain Chant". newadvent.org.
Sources
- Jesson, Roy (1990). Ambrosian Chant. In ISBN 0-253-20601-4
- Ricossa, Luca (2011–12), Luca Ricossa ([1]), "Antiphonale Ambrosianum" (complete edition of the medieval ambrosian antiphoner, with original musical notation and complete liturgical context). Voll. I - II - III - IV - (V)
- Hiley, David (1995). Western Plainchant: A Handbook. Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-816572-9.
- Hoppin, Richard (1978). Medieval Music. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-09090-1.
External links
- Bailey, Terence: Ambrosian Chant [Milanese Chant], Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 30 April 2006), Grove Music – Access by subscription only Archived 16 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Ambrosiana at Harvard. New sources of Milanese Chant. Conference website with digital facsimiles of Houghton Library. MS Lat 388, Houghton Library. MS Lat 389, and Houghton Library. MS Typ 299.
- Antiphonale Missarum juxta ritum Sanctae Ecclesiae Mediolanensis - Reference book, complete scan
- Liber Vesperalis juxta ritum Sanctae Ecclesiae Mediolanensis - Reference book, complete scan
- Free scores by Ambrosian chant in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)