Among the weekly propers there is usually one of them which requires more work than the others. This week, the First Alleluia gets the prize, which is surprising given the fact that the melody is quite familiar since it is found on several occasions during the liturgical year, so we have in fact sung this Alleluia a number of times.
The score may not have changed, but a year of singing the Sunday propers has slowly changed my understanding of Gregorian chant. Where before I saw a fairly simple melodic line, now I see almost endless peaks and valleys, some small and some large, and a demanding series of crescendos and decrescendos. I also search for the dramatic climax of the piece and automatically identify the cadences---the resolution or ending point of each phrase, marked by a falling inflection of the voice, as at the end of a sentence.
I have a rudimentary system of marking the features of each proper: First, and most importantly, the ictus marks (small vertical lines) are placed on the notes which receive rhythmic emphasis, usually on notes of length or the first note of a neum, though there are exceptions. Next, groups of notes that belong together which are not immediately obvious are circled. Then after I listen to the chant on the Schola Bellarmina CD several times, the cadences are marked. Finally, the thematic climax, the strongest point of the melody (usually the most important word in the verse towards which the melody is building and from which it gradually subsides), is highlighted with a large asterisk.
In this piece, the phrase Dominum Jesum appears to be the high point of the verse, which of course makes perfect sense from a literal and musical perspective.
It's almost as if you can hear the apostles exclaiming in wonder to one another, Dominus est! (It is the Lord!) (which, incidentally, is the name of Bishop Athanasius Schneider's seminal book on the Eucharist).
No comments:
Post a Comment