'Viderunt omnes'

Greta-Mary Hair

Identifying of the mode of a chant.

How does one identify the mode of a chant in order to access the pitch-at-line? For Introit and Communion chants which have, in general, a similar structure, this is relatively straightforward. As an example, follow the layout for the Communion chant, 'Viderunt omnes', from the facsimile.

Viderunt omnes ... nostri. Antiphon (Free composition)

Iubilate Domino ... psallite. Psalm verse (sung to a melodic modal formula or Psalm- tone. In this particular chant, the Psalm verse is written out and notated in full, but in general, only the notated incipit (e.g. Iubilate Domino) is given in the MS because the Psalm-tones were fixed in the memory of the singers who were required to sing at least one or two within every sung Mass).

Viderunt MS cue for singing the Antiphon refrain: Viderunt ... nostri.

Seculorum amen. [Gloria Patri ... secula] Seculorum amen (Abbreviated by the termination, 'Seculorum amen'. (1) The Gloria Patri is sung to the same, but extended, melodic modal formula as the Psalm verse, see Sample 1, below.)

Saluta[re] MS Cue for the closing Antiphon (sung in shortened form: 'Salutare Dei nostri.)'

Example 1. Psalm-tone for mode 1 Introit and Communion chants, from the Tonary of MS Paris, Bibliothèque nationale fonds latin 776, fol.149v.

Clearly, the structure of the entire Communion is as follows (in translation).

Antiphon All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Psalm verse Shout with joy, every land, sing and exult, and sing to instruments for the Lord.

Antiphon All the ends ... God.

Gloria Patri Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now and forever shall be, and into the ages of ages. Amen.

Antiphon The salvation of our God.

It is the melodic shape of the Psalm verse incipit, 'Iubilate', together with the 'Seculorum amen' fragment from the end of the Gloria Patri which enables one to identify the mode of a chant. Compare, for example, the melodic shape of the Psalm verse incipit, 'Iubilate', on the facsimile with the transcription of the 'Gloria Patri' incipit in modern noteheads in Sample 1 (above) and in Example 7 (Column 1, three from the top). Now compare the melodic shape of 'Seculorum' on the Facsimile with the standard 'Seculorum amen' for mode one in Exercise 1 and on the Table of differentiae , together with its transcription. One is able to conclude from these melodic fragments, which are modal formulas, that the entire chant is assigned to mode one, the pitch-at-line is F, and that the pitches of the opening, two-note podatus neume on 'Vi-derunt' are FG.

Note that the pitches for 'amen' on the Facsimile are higher than the standard differentia in the Psalm-tone (Example 1, above) which cadences on the final, D. An 'amen' termination functions as a melodic, connecting link with the closing Antiphon which follows. In Introit and Communion chants, these 'amen' pitches were modified by medieval cantor/scribes in order to produce a smooth and appropriate connection between these parts of the chant, Psalm verse with Antiphon refrain, and 'Gloria Patri ... seculorum. Amen.' with closing Antiphon. Aptly, these connecting terminations were referred to as differentiae. (2)

See Table of Differentiae

(1) [Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto: sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in secula] seculorum. Amen.

(2) 'In various tones [= modes] when certain neumes are with reason permitted for the saeculorum amen we term them differentiae.' (John of Afflighem, writing c.1100). See Claude Palisca (ed.), and Warren Babb (transl.), Hucbald, Guido and John on Music, Music Theory Translation Series, no. 3, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1978, p.157. The edited Latin text is: ' ... Differentias in tonis nominamus, quando in saeculorum amen aliquae neumae rationabiliter permittantur.' Smits van Waesberghe (ed.), Johannis Affligemensis de Musica cum Tonario, Corpus Scriptorum de Musica, no. 1, American Institute of Musicology, Rome, 1950, p.153.

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