ODAY, I RELEASE dual settings of the AGNUS DEI. I will also discuss ‘melodic variants’ in plainsong; specifically how their existence ties in with a gruesome battle that took place within the Vatican Commission on Gregorian Chant—a battle over a single note (!) in AGNUS DEI IV. The first setting is based on a round by THOMAS RAVENSCROFT (d. 1635)—which I have adapted for use as a polyphonic choral extension—married to the ‘Simplex’ AGNUS DEI in honor of Saint René Goupil. Because it’s a round, that means you can teach your choir the tune and by so doing simultaneously teach them the harmonies:
* PDF Download • RAVENSCROFT AGNUS DEI—Round
—Little is known about Ravenscroft, who’s credited with writing “Three Blind Mice.”
You’re welcome to use this rehearsal video to help your singers learn the round. Obviously, you still need to ‘assemble’ it according to how the choral extension is notated on that score. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, our rehearsal was canceled last week. Nonetheless, because this setting by Ravenscroft is so simple we were able to “put it together” by running through it just once. You can listen to this live recording (Mp3) from yesterday. I don’t claim it’s perfect, but I was extremely pleased to hear it ‘click’ together. Be careful, because once that round enters your ears, it’s hard to banish!
Second Setting • The second setting is a harmonization I composed for AGNUS DEI IV (Cunctipotens Genitor Deus). I hope you enjoy the stepwise movement of the bass line as much as I do. I switch ‘registration’ on the pipe organ with each repetition:
* PDF Download • AGNUS DEI IV—Organ Accompaniment
—Keyboard accompaniment in three keys: High, Middle, and Low.
The following discussion has to do with AGNUS DEI IV (Cunctipotens Genitor Deus).
Melodic Variants • For approximately ten years (early in my career) I was obsessed with using ‘variants’ of plainsong. Readers know that each monastery had its own style of singing Gregorian Chant. Sometimes, they changed a note here or a note there—and that created innumerable variants. I was hardly alone in this pursuit. For instance, if you listen carefully to the recordings made by the Abbey of Solesmes during the 20th century, you’ll notice certain instances in which they depart from the EDITIO VATICANA.
Coming To My Senses • My obsession with ‘variant’ melodies led to some positive results. For example, I discovered that the melody of Ut quant laxis in the “LIBER USUALIS” created in 1903 by Dom André Mocquereau is much more beautiful than the version found in the EDITIO VATICANA. In spite of little discoveries like that, I eventually came to my senses. I realized that at the end of the day, one must choose some form of the melody. One cannot sing two versions of the same melody simultaneously. In other words, choosing one ‘variant’ by necessity eliminates all others. Therefore, it’s usually best to choose the most common version (viz. the version found in the EDITIO VATICANA, which for 120 years has remained the official edition of the Catholic Church).
A Gruesome Battle • When the Vatican Commission on Gregorian Chant was creating the EDITIO VATICANA, a gruesome fight ensued over just one note. Specifically, some of the early manuscripts for AGNUS DEI IV have this version:
But over the centuries, that tritone was ‘smoothed out’ or eliminated: an example of renovata in melius (“renewed for the better”). Regarding that rather harsh tritone, Dr. Peter Wagner said: “one would not dare to expect such things of the ordinary church singers of the twentieth century!” In other words, it was a bit too modal for the German ear of that time.
Two Opposing Teams • The Vatican Commission on Gregorian Chant divided into two camps. The faction led by Dr. Peter Wagner wanted to obey the specific mandate of Pope Saint Pius X, who ordered (on 25 April 1904) as follows:
“Gregorian chant is to be restored according to the most ancient manuscripts, but particularly bearing in mind the legitimate tradition contained in the manuscripts over the course of the centuries, as well as the practical use in current liturgy.”
The other team, led by Dom Mocquereau, felt the mandate of Pius X could be ignored. That team was known as the “archaeology and nothing else” (AANE) faction. At one point, Dom Mocquereau accidentally said the quiet part out loud. When asked what he considered as legitimate tradition, Dom Mocquereau said development can only be considered “legitimate” when it matched exactly the ancient version. In other words—in the mind of Dom Mocquereau—the only “authentic” development took place when the melody remained identical and didn’t change (at all) from the most ancient version. But sensible people realize that ‘to change’ or ‘to develop’ doesn’t mean “remain exactly the same.” In the end, the “legitimate tradition” faction won the day and Pope Pius X rejected the AANE theories.
Conclusion • As I said earlier: it’s only possible to sing one version at a time. Over the years, I have learned to adopt the most common version, unless there’s a grave reason to choose a variant. To be honest, sometimes a ‘variant’ melody strikes us as beautiful mainly because it’s different from what we’ve grown accustomed to.
