Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ; ) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text. Plainsong was the exclusive form of the Western Christian church music until the ninth century and the introduction of polyphony.

The monophonic chants of plainsong have a non-metric rhythm, which is generally considered freer than the metered rhythms of later Western music.

There are three types of chant melodies that plainsongs fall into: syllabic, neumatic, and melismatic. Their collection consists of 170 volumes of plainsong chants for the procession, Mass, and Office. It is probable that even in the early period the two methods caused the differentiation in the style of musical composition which is observed throughout the later history of plain chant, the choral compositions being of a simple kind, the solo compositions more elaborate, using a more extended compass of melodies and longer groups of notes on single syllables. The last type of plainsong performance is the solo performed by the choir or the individual performer.

The Plainsong and Medieval Music Society was founded in 1888 to promote the performance and study of liturgical chant and medieval polyphony.

Composers

Plainchant is typically anonymous. Among the few identifiable composers are Adam of Saint Victor (c.1068 – 1146), a prolific composer of Latin hymns, Hildegard of Bingen, a nun who lived in the 12th century, who composed 71 Latin liturgical pieces and Henri Dumont, who published five plainchant mass settings in 1660. Notker Balbulus (Notker the Stammerer) who lived from about 840 to 912, composed hymn chants and sequences, and Hermannus Contractus (Hermann of Reichenau, 1013–1054) is identified as the composer of several well-loved chants including the Salve Regina and the Alma Redemptoris Mater.

Modes

Plainchant employs a distinctive system of modes and this is used to work out the relative pitches of each line on the staff. It is distinct from the modal system used in ancient Greek music.

Example

See also

  • Anglican chant
  • Gregorian chant

References

  • Gregorian Chant - CDs, MP3 files, videos, free scores. Sacra Musica
  • The book of Psalms sung in Sarum Use plainsong by Sarah James.
  • The Plainsong & Medieval Music Society