The idea that the Deuteros modes (second authentic and second plagal) of Greek liturgical chant already had a chromatic character before the end of the Byzantine era has gained wide acceptance in the last decades. Trying to go one step further and reconstruct the scales of these modes, the present article attempts a new interpretation of certain crucial passages in late Byzantine treatises, which can provide important clues, if interpreted in connection with the description of the modes in modern Greek music theory and their actual characteristics in the written and oral tradition. The resulting structures can serve as a basis for future transcriptions of chants, at least for the late and post-Byzantine repertory.

the roman wedding introit deus israel (its text extracted from the book of tobit) was assembled during the latter half of the ninth century using two initial and three cadential formulas that pervade the urban repertory of deuterus introits. at least fifteen additional formulas can be identified within this modal group, by far the most numerous among introits at rome. one initial figure stands out from the rest of these formulas, introducing a ‘paschal tone’ incorporating the alleluias regularly interjected into eastertide introits. narrow in range and archaic in style, the paschal tone quotes a roman office antiphon for easter week dating from the seventh century or earlier, whose pitches – the emblematic initial permeating the tone – eventually generated a psalm-tone differentia and a formula used to begin many later deuterus introits, including deus israel.

responding to recent theories on roman chant by kenneth levy, this article argues, on the basis of liturgical and textual evidence, that non-psalmic offertories were included in the roman chant repertory before carolingian times, that the composition of the offertory cycle was finished by the beginning of the seventh century, that pieces of non-roman origin can be found among psalmic offertories, and that ‘non-roman’ can mean african as well as gallican.

The alleluia was the last proper chant of the Mass to be standardized. Through the twelfth century and beyond, different churches assigned different alleluias to the same Masses, and the composition of new alleluia chants flourished throughout the latter Middle Ages. The Masses from Easter to the octave of Pentecost witness this. A collation of ca. 200 manuscripts demonstrates that identical series of chants are to be found only in sources emanating from the same church (or churches in the same city). Most of the alleluia chants from the eleventh century onward have New Testament or non-scriptural texts, as opposed to the psalmic texts of the earlier post-Pentecostal alleluias. The musical style is varied, ranging from the richly melismatic manner traditionally associated with the alleluia to much more modest melodies with few or no large melismas. A number of the latter can be associated with the reforms of Guillaume de Volpiano at Dijon and in Normandy in the years after 1000.

The interpretation of chromatic content in fourteenth-century music has been widely debated. While most studies have focused on contrapuntal necessity, this study advocates an approach that begins from the perspective of melody. Using the ballades, virelais and rondeaux of Guillaume de Machaut as a central repertory, it proposes that not only are chromatic inflections in Machaut's monophonic songs derived melodically, but that many chromatic inflections in Machaut's polyphonic songs also arise from melodic rather than contrapuntal requirements. Because of their implied semitone motion – arguably crucial to tonal organization – they can have an impact on the definition of tonal structure by privileging the individual pitches they decorate, particularly but not exclusively in cadential melodic formulas or progressions.

in summarizing the findings of a forthcoming monograph and edition, this article reviews the forces leading to the major revisions of chant characteristic of the period 1590–1890. it identifies the major independent editions, outlines their chief characteristics, and documents the need for a geography of chant practice during these centuries. the fundamental changes wrought by the several editors brought about an individualization in melodic constructions and undoubtedly caused accompanying differences in learning processes. new comparative transcriptions of the alleluia veni domine provide a view of representative editorial processes.

liturgical chant bibliography 14 maintains the previously established subdivisions: (1) editions and facsimile editions, (2) books and reprints, (3) congress reports, (4) chant journals, (5) collections of essays and dictionaries, (6) articles in periodicals and festschriften. additions to previous bibliographies, for the most part reviews, directly follow this introduction.

An effort to catch up on missing discs to be included in the Second Edition of my discography has resulted in an unusually long list this year. ‘Christus Rex’ (1997, no. 2) proved to be the first disc in a series featuring Hervé Lamy, a soloist with the Chœur Grégorien de Paris. It has been followed by ‘Spiritus Domini’ (no. 1 in the list below) and ‘Pater Noster’ (no. 3) to form a Trinitarian programme of chants related to each of the Three Divine Persons. In a similar vein, ‘Le Livre d’Heures de Charlemagne' (no. 2) offers groups of chants that focus on the Carolingian chant reform and other aspects of the king's life. Most of the chants belong to a soloist, Lamy's superb professional tenor a perfect vehicle for interpretations that are faithful to current standards yet inspired by a sensitive interpreter. Credo IV, leading off no. 1, is not a good choice for a solo, but it is sung with great panache. The Ambrosian Gloria and the Te Deum on the same disc are better alternating with the men's schola. For the rest, the Exsultet (on no. 3), lamentations, lessons from Office and Mass, and offertories with verses are ideal selections. An original touch also in no. 3 is a passage of St Matthew's gospel that leads into the communion chant Pater si non potest. The Laudes Regiae, heard on the earlier disc already, are sung again for Charlemagne, Pope Leo and Archbishop Hincmar. These are magnificent examples of recorded chant.