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Views from the Choir Loft

A Striking Approach To Performing Gregorian Chant

Christopher Mueller · September 21, 2015

283 Cappella Pratensis HERE IS A WONDERFUL men’s ensemble out of the Netherlands called Cappella Pratensis. In January, 2015, they sang and video-recorded a concert entitled, “Josquin in Rome,” featuring music written by composer Josquin Desprez (c.1455-1521) for the choir of the Sistine Chapel, during the time that he was singing with that ensemble (1489-1495). This ensemble sings polyphony from manuscript part-books, and also sings selected Gregorian chants from manuscripts, both of which require a certain amount of scholarly interpretation of the proper way to execute these hand-notated scores.

Josquin was the pre-eminent composer of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and his polyphony as sung at this concert is stunningly beautiful. I expected that.

What I didn’t expect, though, was the way that this ensemble sings plainsong. A commenter had posted, “Their metrical chant is a revelation!” which piqued my curiosity. Listen as the tenors chant the Gradual TOLLITE PORTAS or the basses chant the Alleluia AVE MARIA, GRATIA PLENA, and you’ll hear the fruits of this scholarly research. Listen again, as you view modern chant editions of the scores. (The “Tollite” is on p. 622 of the Gregorian Missal (1990), and the “Ave” right next to it, on p. 623.) A number of observations leap to mind:

1. By metrical, we mean chant with a regular pulse. Unlike the Solesmes method, of interpreting chant in melodic units of undulating two- and three-note groupings, eschewing a regular “beat,” the chants as sung here have a clear and regular pulse, which lends them a certain inexorable forward momentum.

2. Following the Solesmes-prepared scores in the Gregorian Missal reveals numerous subtle changes in the melody: the occasional note added, taken away, or modified in pitch. Considering all the variance amongst manuscript sources, such differences between a late printed score (drawn from several manuscripts) and a single early manuscript are not unexpected.

3. What is strikingly different is the absence of Solesmes rhythmic markings: they are not found in the manuscripts, and are not sung here. Markings to indicate lengthening of tones, such as episemas (lines) above some notes, or dots on other notes, are absent, and so the melody presses forward with consistent motion. Contrarily, the diamond-shaped neumes (rhombus) are sung with half the value of the other pitches — in effect, little groups of eighth notes that subtly animate the progress of these melodies.

The result is unlike any other performance of chant that I have heard, and I recommend it wholeheartedly. It is, indeed, a revelation.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Christopher Mueller

Christopher Mueller is a conductor and composer who aims to write beautiful music out of gratitude to God, Author of all beauty.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

From 1827 until the last month of his life, Liszt gave lessons in composition and piano playing. He wrote in 1829 that his schedule was “so full of lessons that each day, from half-past eight in the morning till 10 at night, I have scarcely breathing time”

— Re: Abbé Franz Liszt

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