Dear Colleagues,
In 2017, a paper of mine was published in the Journal of Music Research Online (volume 8, pp. 1-17) about the original rhythm of Gregorian chant. This paper, entitled The Rhythm of Gregorian Chant: An Analysis and an Empirical Investigation, was favourably received, but one of the criticisms concerned the fact that only four chants were studied, all of them being introit chants. To examine whether these criticisms make sense, I conducted a subsequent study about the same topic, but this time investigating a much larger sample of 30 Gregorian chants. Scholars interested in the results of this study may consult my latest preliminary contribution, entitled The Rhythm of Gregorian Chant: A Regression Analytical Investigation in 30 Chants (see the attached PDF). Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please, use the following email address: kampendf@gmail.com
Kind regards,
Dr. Dirk van Kampen, Stoutenburg 5, 1121 GG Landsmeer, The Netherlands.
Replies
Serait-il possible d'avoir votre article en français car malheureusement je ne maitrise pas l'anglais. D'avance un grand merci !
Bonjour mon Père ! Quelle est la position de Solesmes à l'heure actuelle sur la question de l'ichtus rythmique de Dom Moquereau? Il m'avait semblé lire que dans les nouveaux livres de chants édités par Solesmes on avait supprimé les épisèmes verticaux et les points-mora. Est-ce exact?
Père Jacques-Marie Guilmard said:
Monsieur le Professeur,
Je partage pleinement votre "Reply" du 17 mars 2020, à 13h14.
I fully respect your scientific and musicological point of view. From a liturgical point on view, we are quite satisfied with Dom Mocquereau's method inasmuch as it is widely used in most traditional places of worship and as choir directors and choristers know it and use it.
From a scientific and musicological point of view, it is completely irrelevant that Mocquereau's incorrect ideas about the rhythm of Gregorian chant are still teached in France. So, from this perspective, it remains unbelievable and shocking that Mocquereau's rhythm theory is still considered valid. Even Mocquereau's intentions were to rediscover the true and authentic rhythm of Gregorian chant.
Philippe Fabre said:
Two important schools in France for liturgical gregorian chant use and teach Dom Mocquereau's method.
As you may know, in France, about 500 places of worship give regular sunday masses following the Usus Antiquior, that is latin and gregorian traditional mass.
The great advantage of what is called the ancient Solesmes method is that you can easily go from a choir to another without any adaptation problem, the method being widely spread and known.
Nothing unbelievable and shocking with that ! On the contrary, sunday after sunday, we find great advantages in that method.
Have a look here: https://www.centre-gregorien-saint-pie-x.fr/index.php/outils/annuai...
Thanks.
It's really unbelievable and perhaps even shocking that Dom Mocquereau's views about the rhythm of Gregorian chant apparently are still considered to be valid.
Dear Gregorian friends,
On that website, you can read full size contributions on Gregorian rythm (14 chapters).
Be aware that it is in French
.St Pius X Gregorian Center - Gregorian rythm studies
Best regards.
Phiilippe Fabre
Secretary to Centre grégorien saint Pie X
Hello
Wow! It's a big issue. I'm interested in your empirical approach, I'll read it with interest.
Best regards
Dr. Ángel Chirinos.