Celtic chant
Encyclopedia
Celtic chant is the liturgical plainchant
repertory of the Celtic rite
of the Roman Catholic Church performed in Great Britain, Ireland and Brittany
, related to but distinct from the Gregorian chant
of the Sarum use
of the Roman rite
which officially supplanted it by the 12th century. Although no Celtic chant was notated, some traces of its musical style are believed to remain.
goes back to the Irish monastic traditions established by St. Patrick in the 5th century. The churches in Ireland and Great Britain had no central authority, and developed local traditions until Augustine of Canterbury
and others imposed Benedictine
monasticism and a version of the Roman rite
starting in the 7th century. Notable in this transition from local Celtic customs to more standardized Roman traditions was the conflict over the dating of Easter
, where the Roman tradition of solar dating finally supplanted the Irish lunar dating at the Synod of Tara in 692. Over the next several centuries, versions of the Roman rite such as the Use of Salisbury
were gradually enforced in Brittany in the 9th century, Scotland in the 11th century, and in Wales, Ireland, and England in the 11th and 12th centuries.
.
Celtic chant was largely supplanted before being notated, and no musical specimen of Celtic chant prior to Roman influence survived, but possible traces of Celtic chant remain. One chant typical of those that may reflect Celtic style is Ibunt sancti, whose use was attested in Ireland. The original text shows such typical Celtic elements as alliteration and a couplet structure. The surviving melody, from a French manuscript, has an ABA structure, in which the opening phrase is repeated at the end of the melody, and the whole melody is repeated for the second half of the couplet. Neither the ABA structure nor the repeated melody for the couplet are typical of the Roman chant traditions, except in Sequence
s, which themselves trace back to Notker of St Gall
's and Tuotilo
's tropes
at the Irish-founded Abbey of St. Gall
.
Plainsong
Plainsong is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. Though the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church did not split until long after the origin of plainchant, Byzantine chants are generally not classified as plainsong.Plainsong is monophonic, consisting of a...
repertory of the Celtic rite
Celtic Rite
The term "Celtic Rite" is applied to the various liturgical rites used in Celtic Christianity in Great Britain, Ireland and Brittany, sporadically in Galicia and also in the monasteries founded by the Irish missions of St. Columbanus in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy during the early...
of the Roman Catholic Church performed in Great Britain, Ireland and Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, related to but distinct from the 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...
of the Sarum use
Sarum Rite
The Sarum Rite was a variant of the Roman Rite widely used for the ordering of Christian public worship, including the Mass and the Divine Office...
of the Roman rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
which officially supplanted it by the 12th century. Although no Celtic chant was notated, some traces of its musical style are believed to remain.
History
The Celtic ChurchCeltic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
goes back to the Irish monastic traditions established by St. Patrick in the 5th century. The churches in Ireland and Great Britain had no central authority, and developed local traditions until Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597...
and others imposed Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monasticism and a version of the Roman rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
starting in the 7th century. Notable in this transition from local Celtic customs to more standardized Roman traditions was the conflict over the dating of Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, where the Roman tradition of solar dating finally supplanted the Irish lunar dating at the Synod of Tara in 692. Over the next several centuries, versions of the Roman rite such as the Use of Salisbury
Sarum Rite
The Sarum Rite was a variant of the Roman Rite widely used for the ordering of Christian public worship, including the Mass and the Divine Office...
were gradually enforced in Brittany in the 9th century, Scotland in the 11th century, and in Wales, Ireland, and England in the 11th and 12th centuries.
Musical characteristics
The Irish monks famously established monasteries throughout Europe. As a result, Celtic chant was influenced by Spanish, Gallic, Roman, and Eastern traits. However, it shows the greatest liturgical similarity with Gallican chantGallican chant
Gallican chant refers to the liturgical plainchant repertory of the Gallican rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Gaul, prior to the introduction and development of elements of the Roman rite from which Gregorian chant evolved...
.
Celtic chant was largely supplanted before being notated, and no musical specimen of Celtic chant prior to Roman influence survived, but possible traces of Celtic chant remain. One chant typical of those that may reflect Celtic style is Ibunt sancti, whose use was attested in Ireland. The original text shows such typical Celtic elements as alliteration and a couplet structure. The surviving melody, from a French manuscript, has an ABA structure, in which the opening phrase is repeated at the end of the melody, and the whole melody is repeated for the second half of the couplet. Neither the ABA structure nor the repeated melody for the couplet are typical of the Roman chant traditions, except in Sequence
Sequence (poetry)
A sequence is a chant or hymn sung or recited during the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Council of Trent there were sequences for many feasts in the Church's year.The sequence has always been sung...
s, which themselves trace back to Notker of St Gall
Notker of St Gall
Notker the Stammerer , also called Notker the Poet or Notker of Saint Gall, was a musician, author, poet, and Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall in modern Switzerland...
's and Tuotilo
Tuotilo
Saint Tuotilo was a medieval monk and composer. Born in Ireland, he is said to have been a large and powerfully built man. He was educated at the Abbey of St. Gall and remained to become a monk there. He was the friend of Notker of St. Gall, with whom he studied music under Moengal...
's tropes
Trope (music)
A trope or tropus may be a variety of different things in medieval and modern music.The term trope derives from the Greek τρόπος , "a turn, a change" , related to the root of the verb τρέπειν , "to turn, to direct, to alter, to change"...
at the Irish-founded Abbey of St. Gall
Abbey of St. Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall is a religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Carolingian-era Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th century, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was...
.
External links
- Buckley, Ann: Celtic Chant, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 16 May 2006), Grove Music - Access by subscription only