Medieval Iberian liturgical practice was independent of the Roman liturgy. As such, its sources preserve an unfamiliar and fascinating devotional journey through the liturgical year. However, although Old Hispanic liturgical chant has long been considered one of the most important medieval chant traditions, what musical notation to survive shows only where the melodies rise and fall, not precise intervals or pitches. This lack of pitch-readable notation has prevented scholars from fully engaging with the surviving sources - a gap which this book aims to fill, via a new methodology for analysing the melodies and the relationship between melody and text.
Focussing on three genres of chant sung during the Old Hispanic Lent (the threni, psalmi, and Easter Vigil canticles), the book takes a holistic view of the texts and melodies, setting them in the context of their liturgical and intellectual surroundings, and, for the Easter Vigil, exploring the relationship between different Old Hispanic traditions and other western liturgies. It concludes that the theologically purposeful text selections combine with carefully shaped melodies to guide the devotional practice of their hearers.
Emma Hornby is Senior Lecturer in Music, University of Bristol; Rebecca Maloy is Associate Professor of Music, University of Colorado at Boulder.
Details
First Published: 18 Jul 2013
13 Digit ISBN: 9781843838142
Pages: 564
Size: 24.4 x 17.2
Binding: Hardback
Imprint: Boydell Press
Series:
Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Music Subject:
Music BIC Class: AV
Details updated on 15 Feb 2013
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Thematic Congruity in the Old Hispanic Lenten liturgies
- 3 The threni
- 4 The Melodic language of the Old Hispanic Lenten Psalmi
- 5 Words and Music in the Psalmi
- 6 The Easter Vigil Canticles
- 7 Afterword: The relationship between the Old Hispanic traditions A and B
- 8 Appendix 1: A guide to reading Old Hispanic notation
- 9 Appendix 2: The threni texts
- 10 Appendix 3: The threni
- 11 Appendix 4: The Lenten psalmi in León 8
- 12 Appendix 5: The Lenten psalmi in T5, compared with León 8
- 13 Appendix 6: Easter Vigil Canticles in León 8 and T5
- 14 Appendix 7: Comparison of some Old Hispanic benedictiones in León 8, T5, T4, T7 and Aemil 30
- 15 Bibliography
Replies
Very interesting. Many thanks.
I will take the opportunity to ask a purely liturgical question regarding cantors in Spain, since I am doing a general study on the liturgical functions of cantors.
Does anyone know whether they were using copes and cantorial staff for both vespers and mass, whether they were ruling the choir, and also how the functions were split between the cantors and the assistants at vespers?
More generally, would anyone of you know of a googlelink to a Spanish cathedral ceremonial?
This is a question re both Roman and Mozarabic rite churches.
I suppose I would also ask the same questions re Portugal.
Many thanks. Any help will be much appreciated
Merci beaucoup Dominique!