Ambitus (music)
Encyclopedia
Ambitus is a Latin term literally meaning "the going round", and in Medieval Latin means the "course" of a melodic line, most usually referring to the range of scale degrees attributed to a given mode
, particularly in Gregorian chant
. It may also refer to the range of a voice, instrument, or piece generally (Powers 2001). In Gregorian chant
specifically, the ambitus is the range, or the distance between the highest and lowest note. Different chants vary widely in their ambitus. Even relatively florid chants like Alleluia
s may have a narrow ambitus. Earlier writers termed the modal ambitus "perfect" when it was a 9th or 10th (that is, an octave plus one or two notes, either at the top or bottom), but from the late fifteenth century onward "perfect ambitus" usually meant one octave, and the ambitus was called "imperfect" when it was less, and "pluperfect" when it was more than an octave (Powers 2001).
Some church modes are distinguished by their ambitus. The plagal mode
s have the final in the middle of the ambitus, while the authentic modes generally go no more than one note below the final.
Ambitus can also be used without reference to how notes are used in a piece (as opposed to register
or tessitura
).
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
, particularly in Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
. It may also refer to the range of a voice, instrument, or piece generally (Powers 2001). In Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
specifically, the ambitus is the range, or the distance between the highest and lowest note. Different chants vary widely in their ambitus. Even relatively florid chants like Alleluia
Alleluia
The word "Alleluia" or "Hallelujah" , which at its most literal means "Praise Yah", is used in different ways in Christian liturgies....
s may have a narrow ambitus. Earlier writers termed the modal ambitus "perfect" when it was a 9th or 10th (that is, an octave plus one or two notes, either at the top or bottom), but from the late fifteenth century onward "perfect ambitus" usually meant one octave, and the ambitus was called "imperfect" when it was less, and "pluperfect" when it was more than an octave (Powers 2001).
Some church modes are distinguished by their ambitus. The plagal mode
Plagal mode
A Plagal mode may mean different church chanting modes, depending on the context.-In Western Practice:A plagal mode is a musical mode, which is one of four Gregorian modes whose range includes the octave from the fourth below the tonic, or final, to the fifth above...
s have the final in the middle of the ambitus, while the authentic modes generally go no more than one note below the final.
Ambitus can also be used without reference to how notes are used in a piece (as opposed to register
Register (music)
In music, a register is the relative "height" or range of a note, set of pitches or pitch classes, melody, part, instrument or group of instruments...
or tessitura
Tessitura
In music, the term tessitura generally describes the most musically acceptable and comfortable range for a given singer or, less frequently, musical instrument; the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding texture or timbre...
).