In message <l03130300b294012bf293@[194.184.16.22]>, Daniele
Torelli <[log in to unmask]> writes
>These theoretical sources affirm almost unanimously that the performing
>speed of the chant was directly connected with the degree of the liturgical
>feast, i.e. the more the celebration was solemn, the more the chant was
>sung slower. These theoretical evidences can be verified also in the chant
>notation of the liturgical books: e.g., many Proper chants of solemn feasts
>show a consistent use of the 'longa' figure both in manuscript and in
>printed sources (especially from the late 16th and early 17th centuries).
At that late date, I would certainly expect some sort of aesthetic like
that. The question that is interesting is how far back does this go, and
does anything similiar pertain to the period of the earlier mediaeval
sources. The quotation from the Enchiriadis treatise was very
suggestive of expressivity, but related to text, rather than liturgical
occasion.
--
Peter Wilton
The Gregorian Association Web Page:
http://www.beaufort.demon.co.uk/
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