Psalm tone
As Ps tones is called the melody models with certain Kirchentonarten are connected and when psalmody ( Psalmodie be adapted to Ps texts). Several psalm tones can be associated with a church tone (church tone). They are model-like ways of singing with the following basic structure:
- Initium (beginning, also called intonation )
- Tenor ( recitation tone , also called repercussa or tuba ),
- (in long verses caesura with a flexa (inflection), marked in the text by the sign † or / or +)
- ( Tenor )
- Mediatio (middle cadence, also called mediante or pausa ) in front of the * ( asterisk )
- tenor
- Finalis (final turn, final cadence, also called terminatio or punctum )
The recitation tone is repeated according to the number of syllables of the psalm that are not covered by the other melody parts. The terminatio or finalis leads from the recitation tone to the opening tone of the antiphon sung afterwards . The order of the psalm tones is based on the system of eight church tones or church modes. The following table shows an example of the eight regular psalm tones.
Regular psalm tones
| Psalm tone | Initium | tenor | Flexa | Mediante | Finalis | Differentiae | Church tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. | fg | a | (G) | b (a) ga | gafg | if necessary | Doric |
| II | CD | f | (d) | g (d) | cded | Hypodoric | |
| III | ga | c 1 | (a) | d 1 (c 1 ) ac 1 | ac 1 ha | Phrygian | |
| IV | eg | a | (G) | gah (a) | gahge | Hypophrygic | |
| V | fa | c 1 | (a) | d 1 c 1 | d 1 hc 1 a | Lydian | |
| VI | fg | a | (G) | ga (f) | fgagf | Hypolydian | |
| VII | c 1 hc 1 d 1 | d 1 | (c 1 ) | f 1 e 1 d 1 e 1 | e 1 d 1 c 1 d 1 | Mixolydian | |
| VIII | ga | c 1 | (a) | d 1 c 1 | hc 1 ag | Hypomixolydic |
There are several variants ( differentiae ) for the final turns , which are adapted to the different melodic beginnings of the following antiphons. The choice of a particular psalm tone depends on the key of the preceding antiphon. The key assignment of an antiphon and the differentia belonging to it can be found in the tonar , a book in which the repertoire of Gregorian chant is arranged according to keys.
More psalm tones
In addition to the eight old psalm tones, others later developed that did not obey the strict scheme of medieval modes. The best known of these additional tones is the Tonus peregrinus , also known as IX. Psalm tone denotes which is characterized by the fact that it has not one, but two recitation tones.
| Psalm tone | Initium | tenor | Flexa | Mediante | tenor | Finalis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonus peregrinus (IX) | fg | a | bagf | G | dfed | |
| Tone irregularis (X) | fg | a | gf | a | bgba |
literature
- Willibald Gurlitt , Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht (Ed.): Riemann Music Lexicon (subject part) . B. Schott's Sons, Mainz 1967, p. 756 .
- Marc Honegger, Günther Massenkeil (ed.): The great lexicon of music. Volume 6: Nabakov - Rampal. Updated special edition. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau a. a. 1987, ISBN 3-451-20948-9 , pp. 354 f.