THANK YOU to those who came to the workshop / Evensong @ The Abbey in Caboolture - it was a great success!! NEXT: 2 November @ St Andrew's - Sung Mass (8.30am) & Evensong (5pm). New Singers are alwasy welcomed!

       Resources

Gregorian Chant Notation - A Basic Explanation

Gregorian Chant has no meter at all, though it does have a slight rhythm of groups of 2 or 3 notes.
Vertical lines separate musical phrases and allow a pause for taking a breath, like
Chant is not in a major key or a minor key, but in modes (though there are some modes which can sound like a modern scale). Chant is written on a 4-line staff, instead of 5 lines as music is written on now.
marks where Do or C is on the staff. Here, it is on the third line from the bottom, so the lines would go F-A-C-E.

would mean that Do is on the top line, so the notes on the lines would be D-F-A-C.

is a Fah Clef, and indicates where fah is on the staff. Here, Do would be on the bottom space.

Punctum
This is just a single note
Virga
This is the same as a punctum.
Podatus (pes)
When one note is written above another note like this,
the bottom note is sung first, and then the note above it.
Clivis (flexa)
When the higher note comes first, it is written like this.
Scandicus
Three or more notes going upward.
Salicus
Three or more notes going upward, but the middle one has a vertical episema: that note is slightly lengthened.
Climacus
Three or more notes going downwards.
Torculus (pes flexus )
Three notes that go up and then back down.
Porrectus (flexus resupinus)
A high note, a low note, and a high note.
The line starts at the first note and goes down to the middle note.

Liquescent Neumes

Epiphonus (liquescent podatus)
Little notes lose some of their fullness
because they are sung on a complicated syllable.
Porrectus liquescens
The little note always comes last.
Quilisma
This is marked by a jagged line in the middle.
The first note is held a little longer than the middle one.

These are other ways of showing that a note is held:

One is by putting a dot (punctum-mora) after the note.
It is something like a dotted note in modern music.
This is called a repercussive neume.
A horizontal line (episema) above a neume means to hold the note, or slow down like rit. in modern music.
A vertical line (episema) written under a note means it has a mild emphasis, like an accent mark.

There is one accidental that may be used in Chant notation, it is the B-flat ,
which does look a lot like the modern B-flat .

At the end of a line of chant, a little, skinny note (custos) is written to show what note is coming up next in the following line.

Pronunciation of Ecclesiastical Latin

Ecclesiastical Latin refers to the pronunciation and usages of Latin by the Catholic Church. In some respects, such as pronunciation, it differs from the Latin spoken by Caesar, Seneca and Cicero, called Classical Latin. Classical Latin is what classics departments in major universities teach, and is also the Latin taught on language tapes, unless Ecclesiastical Latin is specified. A characteristic difference would be the pronunciation of regina coeli. In Classical Latin the "g" is hard and the "c" sounds like "k". In Ecclesiastical Latin, which is defined as Latin spoken as Italian would be pronounced in Rome, the "g" is soft and the c has a "ch" sound.

Vows

A A is pronounced as in the word Father, never as in the word can. We must be careful to get this open, warm sound, especially when A is followed by M or N as in Sanctus, Nam, etc.
E E is pronounced as in Red, men, met; never with the suspicion of a second sound as in Ray.
I I is pronounced as ee in Feet, never as i in milk or tin.
O O is pronounced as in For, never as in go.
U U is pronounced as oo in Moon, never as in custom.
Y Y is pronounced and treated as the Latin I. (see above)
  The pronunciation given for i, o, u, gives the approximate quality of the sounds, which may be long or short; care must be taken to bring out the accent of the word.      e.g. mártyr = márteer.
Double Vowels As a general rule when two vowels come together each keeps its own sound and constitutes a separate syllable.
       e.g. diéi is di-é-i ; fílii is fíl-i-i ; eórum is e-ó-rum.
OU
AI 		The rule of each keeping its own sound applies to OU and AI.
       e.g. prout is pro-oot ; coutúntur = co-oo-toón-toor ; áit is ah-eet.
AE
OE		 However, AE and OE are pronounced as one sound, like E above.
       e.g. caelum
AU
EU
AY		 The two vowels form one syllable but both vowels must be distinctly heard. The principle emphasis and interest belongs to the first which must be sounded purely. If on such a syllable several notes are sung, the vocalization is entirely on the first vowel, the second being heard only on the last note at the moment of passing to the following syllable. 
EI EI is similarly treated only when it occurs in the interjection:
       Hei  = Hei , otherwise, Mei = mé-i, etc.
QU
NGU		 U preceded by Q or NG and followed by another vowel as in words like qui and sanguis, keeps its normal sound and is uttered as one syllable with the vowel which follows : qui, quae, quod, quam, sanguis. But notice that cui forms two syllables, and is pronounced as koo-ee. In certain hymns, on account of the metre, this word can be treated as one syllable.

Consonants

C C coming before e, ae, oe, i, y is pronounced like ch in Church
       e.g. caelum = che-loom ; Cecília = che-cheé-lee-a
CC before the same vowels is pronounced T-ch.
       e.g. ecce =  et-che ; síccitas = seét-chee-tas.
SC before the same vowels is pronounced like Sh in shed
       e.g. descendit =  de-shén-deet
Except for these cases C is always pronounced like the English K
       e.g. cáritas = káh-ree-tas
CH is always like K (even before E or I)
       e.g. Cham = Kam, máchina = má-kee-na
G G before e, ae, i, y, is soft as in generous
       e.g. mági , génitor , Regína
GN has the softened sound given to those letters in French and Italian.
       e.g. (French)  agneau , signor , monsignor
The nearest English equivalent would be N followed by y.
       e.g. Regnum = Reh-nyoom ; Magnificat =  Mah-nyeé-fee-caht
H H is pronounced K in the two words nihil (nee-keel) and mihi (mee-kee)
and their compounds. In ancient books these words are often written 
nichil and michi. In all other cases H is mute.
J J, often written as I (e.g. juris or iurus), is treated as Y, forming one sound with the vowel which follows it.
       e.g. jam, iam = yam ; alleluia = allelóoya ; major = ma-yor
R When with another consonant, care must be taken not to omit this sound. It must be slightly rolled on the tongue (carnis). Care must be taken not to modify the quality of the vowel in the syllable preceding the R.
       e.g. Kyrie: Say Kée-ree-e  not  Kear-ee-e
             sapere: Say sáh-pe-re  not  sah-per-e
             diligere: Say dee-lée-ge-re  not  dee-lee-ger-e
S S is hard as in the English word sea, but is slightly softened when coming between two vowels. e.g. misericórdia
T T is like the English T, except as below.
TI standing before a vowel and following any letter (except S, X, T) is pronounced tsee.
       e.g. patientia  = pa-tsee-én-tsee-a
             gratia  =  grá-tsee-a
             constitutio  = con-stee-tú-tsee-o 
             laetitia  =  lae-tée-tsee-a
TH is always simply T.  e.g. Thomas, catholicam
X X is pronounced ks, slightly softened when coming between vowels.
       e.g.  exércitus
XC before a, ae, oe, i, y  =  KSH.
       e.g. excélsis  =  ek-shél-sees
Before other vowels XC has the ordinary hard sound of the letters composing it.
       e.g. excussorum  =  eks-koos-só-room
Y A Latin vowel, pronounced like I.
Z Z is pronounced dz. zizánia.
B, D, F, K, L, M, N, P, Q and V: Pronounced as in English
Double consonants must be clearly sounded.  bello = bel-lo ; terra  = ter-ra

 

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