Apparently, the men’s schola at the 17th International Gregorian Chant Seminar in Italy are as confused about chant as I am! Because, without even consulting me or reading about my crazy mensuralist theories, they seem to have come up with an interpretation of the offertory chant Laudate Dominum that is remarkably similar to my own.
Here is my single-take home recording, after about five minutes of study:
For comparison, here is the Seminar choir after working with one of the founding members of the International Society for the Study of Gregorian Chant (AISCGre, the group that edited and produced the Graduale Novum). As you listen, you may wish to look at the notation in the Laon manuscript (p. 74, beginning on the bottom left hand side) or else risk a case of motion sickness from the, shall we say, less than ideal camerawork in this video:
This is perhaps the most important post to date here on Euouae dot com, because if you believe that these two renditions are similar, that is evidence that my forthcoming chant method is in fact a practical way to sing chants from the Graduale Novum the way the editors of that volume intend for it to be used.
As always, your comments are most welcome.
Hi, Steve.
It’s the same music, millennium apart, miles apart.
http://newman-community-melbourne.org/Laetare2006/OffertLaudate.mp3
Fascinating! Some nice voices in there.
I’d say their performance is more of a strict mensuralist, wysiwyg (google it!) interpretation of the notation, whereas I believe my approach would be more properly termed “mensuralist-accentualist.” But maybe others wouldn’t agree.
Oh, and… Steven, if you please.
or Sven, for short.
Sorry; should have checked, Steven.
Probably this Australian schola was starting its semiological practice and got stuck in the neumes… You have to walk before you run, isn’t it.
Since you talk about voices, it seems to me that the Italian schola should have choose a lower pitch, at least judging by the way the soloist struggles to reach and fails systematically the tenor of the mode, a minor third above the finalis.