medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Not that it's terribly academic, but I wanted to point out the extraordinary
quality of the plainchant melody to the hymn under scrutiny also. There are
variants in the number of notes to the final syllable of the third line, but
otherwise the melody seems consistent in most sources. Aside from the
quality as sheer arch-shaped melody, it takes a pleasant asymmetric aproach
to the number of pitches per syllable creating a satisfying pattern from the
otherwise plain meter of the verse itself. Lines one and three are prolonged
by melismata on the final syllable (scheme i), and lines one and two feature
two simple duple pitches approx halfway along each of them (scheme ii). This
leads to two musical "rhyme" schemes ocurring simultaneously:
i) ABAB
ii) AABB
Well, as I said, not very academic, but wanted to say how artistcially
satisfying I find this hymn.
Rob Howe.
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