Display Full Text | Download Full Text
11.81 MB PDF file

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Music, 2004.

Abstract

In the wake of the Council of Trent, the spirit of reform that influenced the style of sacred polyphony also sparked major revisions of the plainchant repertoire. Various musicians labored to bring the archaic, medieval plainchant style up to date with current standards of tonality, rhythm, and textual lucidity. This dissertation focuses on the close link between textual prosody and musical rhythm forged in this revision process. It begins by examining medieval chant as a basis for comparison with reform chant. After surveying the historical highlights of the plainchant reform, it then probes the connection between prosody and rhythm in two seminal publications of reform chant, the Directorium chori of 1582 and the Editio Medicaea of 1614-15. For the latter work, a new interpretation of the notation and rhythm is offered. A variety of evidence bolsters this interpretation, including written evidence from theorists, circumstantial evidence concerning the similarities between the Editio Medicaea and its predecessor, the Directorium chori , and most importantly, the evidence of unmistakable regularities in the relationship between notational signs and patterns of textual accent.

Subject Headings

Music

Keywords

prosody; rhythm; notation; chant; plainchant; Council of Trent; Guidetti; Palestrina; Zoilo; Anerio; Soriano; Directorium chori; Editio Medicaea; Medicean Gradual; performance practice

Advisor

Graeme M. Boone

Pages

xii, 187 p.: ill. (some col.)

Document number: osu1101933410
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1101933410

This ETD has been downloaded 456 times (through March 2013)