The "Benedicamus Domino" is a formula of farewell used at mass and in the office of the hours. The Benedicamus occupies a crucial position in the development of Western polyphony, given the very important role that during centuries XI to XIII as the basis for the composition of organa and conductus and motets.
In this first article dedicated to the Benedicamus, will study a florid organum this text-based and included in one of the most ancient sources of the so-called School of Saint martial of Limoges: "Jubilemus, exultemos",
The "Benedicamus Domino" and their tropes
The Benedicamus is a simple formula of farewell consisting of intonation for the officiating "Benedicamus Domino" (bless the Lord) and the reply of the Assembly (or choir) with the "Deo Gratias" (Thanks be to God).
This formula of farewell is mainly used in the trade, but it is also used in the mass, as an alternative to the "Ite missa est" (go in farewell), formula that ended up giving name to the "mass".
Melodies of the Benedicamus medieval repertoire is very varied, and covers from simple formulas in Recitative, even lush melodies melismaticas, occasionally "borrowed" from other chants of the office or of the mass.
| Una version simple del “Benedicamus Domino ? Deo gratias”. | |
| Una version elaborada del “Benedicamus Domino ? Deo Gratias”. |
The "Benedicamus Domino" received an intense impulse from the 11TH century, in relation to the development of great festivals (such as those dedicated to the Apostle James in Santiago de Compostela).
As a formula of farewell that was, "Benedicamus Domino" should be amplified - often shaped processional - to provide greater spectacle at the end of the liturgical celebrations, leading to the creation of numerous poetic and musical works from this text.
The variety of composition applied to the Benedicamus procedures related to it both the trope (amplification of a Gregorian melody through the addition of new texts and/or tunes) as with the organum (addition of a supplementary voice to a given song) or the conductus (entirely new processional character composition). In this way, the Benedicamus became one of the main sub-genres of the polyphonic composition of the 12TH and the 13TH part.
If us occupies ("Jubilemus, exultemus") participates in all these factors, given that:
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It is composed on a text tropado: A Latin poem of eight verses ending with "Benedicamus Domino", amplifying and contextualizing its meaning with regard to the celebration of Christmas.
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It is made in style of florid organum, in which an organal voice very melismatic overlaps to a main voice of syllabic style.
- The main voice is not based on a plainsong prior, but it seems new (or recent) building which is precisely what distinguishes the conductus of the organum.
1. Jubilemus,
exultemus,
intonemus canticum.
2. Redemptori, plasmatori,
salvatori omnium.
3. Hoc nathali, salutari,
omnis nostra turmula.
4, Deum laudet, sibi plaudat,
per eterna secula.
5. Qui hodie de Marie
utero progrediens.
6. Homo verus, rex atque herus
in terris apparuit.
7. Tam beatum, ergo natum,
cum ingenti gaudio.
8. Conlaudantes, exultantes,
Benedicamus Domino.
intonemus canticum.
2. Redemptori, plasmatori,
salvatori omnium.
3. Hoc nathali, salutari,
omnis nostra turmula.
4, Deum laudet, sibi plaudat,
per eterna secula.
5. Qui hodie de Marie
utero progrediens.
6. Homo verus, rex atque herus
in terris apparuit.
7. Tam beatum, ergo natum,
cum ingenti gaudio.
8. Conlaudantes, exultantes,
Benedicamus Domino.
Los problemas de la notacion
The organum "Jubilemus, exultemus" is recorded in the manuscript 1139 (fol. 41) included in the Latin funds of the National Library of France. It was written around the year 1100 and is considered the oldest manuscripts ascribed to so-called school San martial of Limoges, the principal center of polyphonic production of the 12TH century.
Initiation of the "Jubilemus, exultemus" organum with lines Sol (G) and Do (C, c) added digitally.
The score consists of two voices in aquitanian notation (diastematica), separated by a red intense stroke. A thin perforated line (not noticeable in the picture, and that we have added digitally by a grey line) indicates the height Sol (G) in each of the voices. There are also some scattered alphabetical indications indicator height (Carl Parrish, The Notation of Medieval Music, 1959).
The system of notation which does not provide information about the pace and durations, although presumably it requires an interpretation in free rhythm - suffers from major inaccuracies:
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The determination of heights is sometimes questionable. Especially the descending start of the lower voice, which seems to divide the field of descending fifth (Sol-Do) in six heights instead of five.
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The synchronicity of voices is equally vague.
All of this is not surprising the huge differences that can be found between the modern editions. Adhering to the initial verse, will compare the transcription of the musicologist Jacques Handschin (uber die mehrstimmige Musik der St. Martial-Epoche, Universitat Basel, 1924) with the led to the studio recording by the Group Sequentia medieval in 1994: have marked differences in terms of the heights in red and blue divergences regarding the synchronicity of voices.
Verso inicial de “Jubilemus, exultemus” en la edicion de Jacques Handschin [1924].
Verso inicial de “Jubilemus, exultemus” en la edicion empleada por el grupo Sequentia [1994].
| Interpretacion del Ensemble Gilles Binchois, basada en la edicion de Handschin [1924]. | |
| Interpretacion del grupo Sequentia, basada en una edicion propia [1994]. |
Although differences do not become so intensive in subsequent sentences, the example is very enlightening about the relative value of the transcripts of this type of music, as well as the enormous artistic effort involved to get a convincing interpretation. In any case, the overall profile and the style of the work is sufficiently defined so that the results of the analysis of a particular Edition (in our case, that of Handschin) can make by valid.
Analisis musical
Jubilemos, exultemus is an organum in mode of Mixolydian structured in eight sentences (verses), each of which syllables can be divided into two semi-phrases of 8 + 7.
1. La voz principal
Partitura del organum “Jubilemus, exultemus” recogida en el MS fl 1139 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Paris.
The lower voice (vox principalis) carries the melody in syllabic style (one note per syllable, exceptionally two notes), and it must be toned by a small choir (perhaps two or three singers at most). Although it acts similarly to a tenor (as basis of polyphony), melody has been recognized in another source, and could not have been composed for the occasion, or have also been used in monodic form at an earlier stage.
Melody moves on a plagal scope of ninth (from the bottom Do to Re), by which could be classified as belonging to the mode 8. The prominent use of height Do (above the Sol but, in a most surprising way, below the Sol), reinforces the allegiance to this mode.
The movement of the voice is very fluid and natural, with a predominance of joint degrees. The jumps are all third, except for a jump from fourth just in the last sentence (do not include the fifth jump located in the change of semifrase of the third verse). The final verse presents the most eccentric profile, due to the concatenation of waterfalls descending third (Re-Si-Sol-Mi-Sol-Re).
The melody is continuous from start to finish, without repeating melodic turns in a blatant way.
2. La voz organal
The organum "Jubilemus, exultemus" melodic rhymes.
The upper voice (vox organalis) develops its melody in a style highly melismatic (some melisma becomes overcome 20 notes in the edition of Handschin) and virtuosic, and must be entrusted to a soloist singer. The movement of the voice is very fluid during the main part of the work. It is easy to recognize in the Do reference (like a string of recitation) at least in the first five verses. This state of balance is broken on several occasions well by large upward jumps (sixth and even eighth), broad melodic arches or descending scales. This type of expressive resources are used increasingly intensively in the last three verses.
The organal voice reuses a series of twists at the end of some sentences, as Cadence or melodic rhyme melodic. Are two main rhymes, to which will be called rhyme rhyme and a b. The rhyme is a melodic arc of a 7th of amplitude (in the edition of Handschin). It appears at the end of the 1st and 2nd verse, as well as the first semifrase of the 6th. The rhyme b is a descending scale up to the tonic Sol closing verses 3 °, 4 ° and 8 °.
3. Harmony and global structure
We can simplify the tonal and harmonic structure of the organum analyzing the succession of intervals that form between both voices at the moment that changes the main (lower) voice. So we will check that the initial intervals and end of each semifrase are always the unison and octave. Only on three occasions the initial semifrase opens with an interval other than these: in two cases is a third, and at another, a fifth fair.
Intermediate intervals are much more varied, we find all diatonic intervals from the unison to the octave (and one tenth), including the 5th decreased in comparable proportions ranging from 19% of the fifth up to 5% the seventh and 3% (three cases) of the diminished 5th. Relatively dissonant intervals such as the fourth (11%) and the second (10%) are found in significant proportions.
We'll briefly discuss each verse. Although the analysis is based on the transcription of Handschin, we offer to each sentence hearing from versions of Handschin (left column) and by his recording (right column), a very expressive interpretation group Sequentia.
3.1 Versos 1 y 2
These two verses have very similar characteristics. Their semi-phrases are both a symmetrical tonal structure g-c and c-g. The organal voice moves smoothly within a framework established by the final (g) and the c, concluding with the cadential formula to.
verse 1
| Jubilemus, exultemus (C) / intonemus canticum (GA) |
| https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20631049/HM/U03/jubilemus_s01.mp3 |
Despite sharing characteristics very similar to the previous verse, verse 2 does not repeat literally any significant melodic gesture - with the exception of the cadential formula end-, which gives account of the character (and source) of the organal voice improvisatory.
verse2
| Redemptori, plasmatori (C), salvatori omnium (GA) |
| https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20631049/HM/U03/jubilemus_s02.mp3 |
3.2 Versos 3 y 4
These two verses are slightly different to the previous tonal structures and introduce a new cadential formula (the rima b). The tonal structure of verse 3 is (G-G and D-G). The organal voice opens its melodic framework to Sol-Re, reaching an upper limit on the note f.
verse3
| Hoc nathali, salutari (G), omnis nostra turmula (GB) |
| https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20631049/HM/U03/jubilemus_s03.mp3 |
Verse 4 has a tonal structure D-G and G-G. The initial semifrase appears to recover the initial framework of fourth (Sol-Do), but will start the second semifrase by a spectacular jump of octave that designates also a new upper limit on Sol, allowing you to attack the cadential formula b from above.
verse4
| Deum laudet, sibi plaudat (G), per eterna secula (GB) |
| https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20631049/HM/U03/jubilemus_s04.mp3 |
3.3 Versos 5 y 6
Verses 5 and 6 start to introduce sections in which the organal voice runs syllabic form (notes in black), thus accelerating the global pace. His speech evolves towards a relaxation of the tension and a renewal to the State of equilibrium represented by the initial verses. Verse 5 is the only one that concludes on a note other than Sol(in particular, in the Do), after being held in the seventh frame formed by the notes Sol and Fa.
verse5
| Qui hodie de Marie (G) utero progrediens (C) |
| https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20631049/HM/U03/jubilemus_s05.mp3 |
Verse 6 seems to regress to the level of initial tension, recovering part of fourth original (Sol-Do) and recovering the cadential formula in the first semifrase. Unexpectedly, the second semifrase repeats verse 4 octave jump, being slammed in the upper register and launching the melody to their melodic ceiling (the the) conclusion brilliantly in the sharp sunlight.
verse6
| Homo verus, rex atque herus (GA) in terris apparuit (G) |
| https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20631049/HM/U03/jubilemus_s06.mp3 |
3.4 Versos 7 y 8
Verses 7 and 8 represent the climax of the work. The syllabic passages of the organal voice intensifies (speeding up speech) while maintaining your registration on the sharp edge (reaches the Sol in verse 7 and again the in verse 8). Verse 7 ends with a long melisma on the note Sol of the lower voice.
verse7
| Tam beatum, ergo natum (B), cum ingenti gaudio (G) |
| https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20631049/HM/U03/jubilemus_s07.mp3 |
The final verse reaches for the last time the acute near the end, precipitating the resolution in a virtuosic phrase by recovering the cadential formula b.