the pre-composed melody of the plain chant was assigned to the lower voice.With the advent of melismatic organum a number of changes were made to the vox principalis and vox organalis: Have a listen to this example of parallel organum: Therefore, they were not independent and shared the same rhythm. These two voices moved in parallel and in accordance with the principles of counterpoint, that is, note against note. The upper voice chanted the preexisting plain chant, whereas the vox organalis was derived by the vox principalis by lowering each note of the upper melody one fourth or one fifth below. Parallel organum represents the first polyphonic manifestation of Christian music and is based on the co-existence of two vocal parts: an upper voice, called vox principalis, and a lower voice, named vox organalis. We’re going to analyze one of the compositions included in this collection in the last section of this article.ĭifference between plain chant, parallel organum and florid organumĪs you probably already know, the early examples of plain chant did not involve the use of musical instruments, were not organized in discernible rhythms, apart from those suggested by the words themselves, and were sung in unison, which means that no overlapping of diverse and independent melodies was allowed. One of the most important collections of Gregorian chants arranged in the style of melismatic organum is the Magnus Liber Organi (The Great Book of Organum) by Magister Leoninus. Plain chant, whose creation dates back to the 3rd century AD, was a monodic repertoire of chants used in the context of the Medieval Christian worship and later systematized by Pope Gregory ( 6th century AD), hence the name Gregorian chant. Inventing a florid and melodically dynamic vocal line (duplum) and placing it above the pre-existing plain chant (tenor). The great innovation introduced by the monks that lived there was essentialy this: Geographically, the birth and development of melismatic organum is related to the musical activities that took place in Spain and France ( 12th century), more precisely, in the liturgical life of Santiago de Compostela, Saint-Martial of Limoges and Notre-dame. Well, it has to do with the fact that melismatic organum was cultivated by a series of composers that lived in the twelfth century in Aquitaine, a region in southwestern France. If you want to deepen the characteristics of melismatic singing and compare it with other prominent styles of chanting developed within the Christian music of the Middle ages, let me suggest you this article: “ Difference between syllabic, melismatic and neumatic singing”.īut what’s the rationale behind the choice of the adjective Aquitanian in relation to this specific type of organum? That’s why the word melismatic has been quite often replaced with the adjective florid, which is more immediate in conveying that sense of abundance that characterizes the upper vocal part of a melismatic or florid organum. More specifically, the word organum refers to a polyphonic style of sacred chanting that flourished in Europe from 8th to 13th century and the term melismatic indicates a vocal line in which there are several notes sung on the same syllable (melisma). Technically, a good definition of florid organum could be this:Ī vocal composition in which the upper voice sings a series of rapid melismas (many notes on a single syllable) while the lower voice holds longer notes, primarily double whole notes, acting like a sort of drone. What is a florid organum, also known as melismatic or Aquitanian organum? Florid, melismatic and Aquitanian organum: a definition
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