Concentus
The concentus ( singing style ) is the second important style in Gregorian chant , alongside the accentus .
In it, the musical design of the melody is given its own validity compared to the text. According to melodic richness, a distinction is made between three types of melodies in the Concentus:
- In syllabic melodies, each syllable is assigned a tone. Hymns are mostly syllabic.
- In neumatic melodies, individual syllables are divided into several tones.
- In melismatic melodies, the text is only the reason for the music, in which the syllables are distributed over many tones in wide, curved melisms , so that the text is barely understandable.
See also:
- Concentus musicus , book series
- Concentus Musicus Wien , an instrumental ensemble that specializes in performing early music