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* * 1910 Max Springer Organum Comitans (PDF)
• Organum comitans ad graduale parvum quod juxta Editionem Vaticanam • Organ accompaniments by Max Springer • (x, 510, iii pages) • 1910 Ratisbonae [i.e. Regensburg] : Sumptibus Alfred Coppenrath (H. Pawelek). •
Notes: Includes bizarre version of the Veni Sancte Spiritus, full of ninth chords and Dominant seventh chords. The strangest thing about this book is that it omits the Sundays after Epiphany AND the Sundays after Pentecost. I have photocopied the entire PROPRIUM DE TEMPORE, some VOTIVE MASSES starting with the 4 for Our Lady, the entire KYRIALE, REQUIEM, and some COMMUNE TONES at the end. HOWEVER, I have not copied the COMMUNE SANCTORUM, due to time and money constraints. It is, therefore, an INCOMPLETE COPY
An English Translation
of its German Preface:
I. Fundamental Principles of the Harmonic Accompaniment of Gregorian Chant
The present organ accompaniment has been worked out according to the principles which the author set forth in detail in his work Die Kunst der Choralbegleitung (The Art of Chant Accompaniment — a theoretical-practical guide to the proper singing and accompaniment of Gregorian chant).* The following considerations were decisive:
The accompaniment must be developed out of the spirit of the melody and reflect its essence; only then can it be called artistic and stylistically correct.
The essence of chant rhythm is movement regulated by the laws of free, natural speech, resting on an aesthetically pleasing alternation of contrasts.
The essence of the chant is melody and rhythm; the essence of the chant melody is diatonicism.
A fully accomplished accompaniment must therefore:
- be diatonic;
- adapt itself to the free, light rhythmic flow of the melody — and this is its first and chief task.
The concept of diatonicism in the harmonization of chant can be expanded to mean that chromaticism in the accompaniment is not absolutely excluded. It is not that the accompaniment in and of itself must under all circumstances be diatonic; rather, the diatonic melodic character must be preserved in the accompaniment. By “chroma” we mean here, not the diesis as understood in our current terminology, but rather notes foreign to the scale of a passing nature. While the diesis not infrequently destroys the diatonicism of the melody, in the case of the chroma it is excluded in the form just mentioned. It may be appropriate to justify this assertion briefly, since some may find it puzzling.
The old school was generally quite right in its claim that harmony, once it has been called in to help, must also be granted its own rights — only it should have added: insofar as the chant in its essence (melody and rhythm) does not suffer thereby. If we go back to the origin of the diesis, we find that the old masters introduced the diesis (♯ut, ♯fa, ♯sol) for the formation of a satisfying cadence. By “cadence” we understand a harmonic close that signifies a point of rest. In relation to the chant, these cadential formations of the old masters are not always to be used. Either they come into application in the middle of a piece of chant — in which case their concluding, retarding character stands in the way of the light rhythmic melodic flow — or else they stand at the end of a phrase, and then they disturb the diatonicism. A cadential close in the Dorian mode, for instance, employing the diesis, evokes in us very distinctly the feeling of a tonal full close in D minor. The Dorian character of the chant melody is thereby completely effaced. The chroma (diesis) is therefore impermissible in all cases in which it produces a cadencing or modulating effect, since in the first case it offends against the rhythm and in the second against the tonality. The importance of the chroma in accompaniment should not be underestimated, however; the requirement is a measured and reasonable use of it. It lends beauty and pleasant variety to the harmony — something not too seldom missed in a rigid diatonicism — and contributes its driving force to the rhythm.
Whoever favors complete exclusion of the chroma may simply ignore all the incidental chromatic accidentals, which in any case are placed in brackets in the rules.
Of quite special importance is the harmonic expression of the rhythm.
In order to preserve and promote as much as possible the free rhythmic flow of the chant melody, it is not single notes but groups of notes that are harmonized, and indeed a change of chord occurs only under accented notes, while the unaccented syllables are as a rule treated as light chord-tones and passing notes, and are thus relieved of weight as far as possible.
Every change of chord signifies a musical accent which, depending on when it occurs, can show itself in various degrees of strength. The strongest accentual force is exerted by dissonances, which by the forward-driving energy inherent in them press with all might toward the resolution chord. Since rhythm is of infinitely far-reaching significance for chant singing, the use of scale-proper, passing dissonances is fully justified for the preservation of that rhythm — indeed, in many cases even commanded; consonance is more likely than dissonance to detract from the rhythm. A detailed treatise on the use of dissonances and on the harmonic means that serve to safeguard rhythm is to be found in our above-mentioned book (pp. 33, 83 ff., 120).
II. Execution on the Organ
The accompaniment should be played at moderate volume — rather too soft than too loud.
The organist should adhere closely to the singing and should observe the rests together with the singer.
A skillful registration is of eminent importance for the harmonic accompaniment and is of great aesthetic effect. A mixture of strings and flutes is recommended: for the cantor, e.g., Fernflöte 8′ with Salizional 8′, Dolce 8′, soft 8′ flutes, possibly also a soft Prinzipal 8′ or similar tone colors. For the choir, on another manual, register a stronger Dolce 8′, Flute 8′, Gedeckt 8′, possibly also Gemshorn 8′ or a Viola d’amore 8′, or, in absence of those, a Salizional 8′ or a weaker Gamba, etc. The pedal stops will be Dolce 16′, soft Gedeckt 16′, and Subbass 16′. The strength of the registration will depend on various circumstances. With less practiced choirs, where the organ must positively lead the singing, indeed not infrequently must carry it along, a stronger registration will be indicated than with well-trained choirs, where the accompaniment is meant to mean nothing other than what it is in principle: a fine harmonic shading, a delicate, transparent carpet over which the melodies move airily and gracefully. Furthermore, the dynamics of the accompaniment will be guided by the number of singers, the size and acoustics of the church, and the number of churchgoers present — all factors that vary at different places and at different times.
III. General Remarks
For practical reasons the organ setting was notated in an easily executable manner, so that it can be played without pedal as well. In places where the bass is more than an octave away from the tenor, one can easily help oneself by playing it an octave higher.
The responsories of the Mass have been compiled in summary form at the end and notated in the most commonly used keys.
The same has been done with the tones of the Gloria Patri at the close of the Introit. The clear numbering of these and the reference at the end of each Introit to the corresponding Gloria Patri exclude any error. Much space is thereby saved, whereby the production costs are significantly reduced and the sale price brought down.
For similar reasons we have also refrained from adding small preparatory preludes. Even if they are only a few measures long, they nevertheless add up in the course of the work to a quite considerable bulk. For longer preludes the organist will in any case have to reach for printed models, and shorter markings of the entrance can be replaced by a very simple and at the same time practical method. One plays in free measureless rhythm the opening number of the chant piece in question (roughly up to the *). In most cases this will suffice and the entrance will be sufficiently prepared. Moreover, one may assume of every organist who wishes to accompany the chant at all that he can in case of need return to the tonic triad of the relevant key with two chords.
Many organists will be grateful to us for having notated, in the appendix, the most commonly used recitation cadences of the Asperges and Vidi aquam, as well as of the Kyrie in various pitches. The original plan of interspersing them in the Mass chants we abandoned, since this might have a disturbing effect on some, and those who do require them will not shrink from a little preparation. Of course the examples given may also be used for other texts, such as the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Tract, etc. Choirs that are not capable of executing all the chants of the Gradual in chant style, but who nevertheless wish to sing a liturgically correct office, may help themselves by means of text-recitation with organ accompaniment. Here I take the liberty of drawing attention to the Rezitations-Kadenzen und Präludien (Recitation Cadences and Preludes) for the organ, op. 23 (Coppenrath Verlag [Pawelek], Regensburg), which I have composed expressly for this purpose, and in which, besides a thorough introduction to liturgical text-recitation, pieces of music are to be found in every extent and in all keys.
For the remarks on the vocal execution, see the foreword to the Songbook of the Graduale parvum.
The organist need not concern himself with the breathing marks (′ ″). These have been carried over into the organ accompaniment only as warning signs, having had meaning for the singers, so that the organist does not outrun the singer who, on account of taking breath, falls somewhat behind.
In chants with a constant flattening of the b-natural to b-flat, the key signature was, for the sake of simplicity, generally changed accordingly. Thus, for instance, the first tone transposed up a major second occasionally bears the G major signature (1♯) instead of the designation D major (2♯) properly belonging to it.
Passing accompaniment notes under a three-part melodic note were, in the interest of a beautiful flow of harmony, generally expanded to eighth notes; these are naturally permitted to claim only the duration of the melodic note — thus ♩♩♩ or ♩. = ♩²♩.
The Advent and Lenten Sundays have likewise been harmonized. Purely practical considerations were decisive in this. With weaker choirs, chant singing without organ accompaniment is, by experience, simply not conceivable. Now since in these times the organ may be played in support of the singing, the harmonization of these chants will also be very welcome to many. To better choirs it should serve only for practice purposes. In no case should it support comfort. In divine service, therefore, in the Advent and Lenten seasons, one should use the organ for the singing only in the most urgent cases.
For hunters of fifths it may be remarked that certain “paper fifths” caused the author no pangs of conscience. Cf. p. 14, end of the 4th line (d a — a e); p. 19, line 1 ve(nit); p. 21, line 2 se(des) and other places. Just as little fifth-progressions which form the end of one phrase and the beginning of a new sentence. The in-and-of-themselves unpleasant effects of fifths are, owing to the pause of the organ, completely abolished. Cf. p. 14, line 1 (di-)e | vir-(tutis); (even pure fifths do not always strike fear into him. Cf. p. 312, line 3 et [2nd and 3rd figure, between soprano and alto], p. 318 line 3, end of the line between soprano and alto, p. 330 line 3 phrase 6 between soprano and alto, among others).
It hardly needs to be mentioned that for chant accompaniment other rules of composition apply than for strict vocal style. The free-rhythmic melody of the chant tolerates no dry schoolmasterly learning, still less rigid “Beckmesserism” — that pedantry which, with dragon’s eyes, watches over the deeply rooted rules of old, and presses aesthetic effects to the wall with theory-spectacles and a yardstick. Chant accompaniment demands for itself the greatest freedom in harmonic matters — though not the freedom of unrestraint and willfulness, but the freedom of artistic beauty, which derives its origin from the spirit of the melody. Here there are many things of which armchair-scholarship has no inkling. Mature, artistic taste alone is in a position to set the boundaries between school and art.
Prague, Emmaus Abbey.
Max Springer.
