Compositional Planning, Musical Grammar and Theology in Old Hispanic chant

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At first glance, medieval liturgical chant is often taken as being synonymous with Gregorian chant. Despite the wide transmission of that repertoire, however, it is not the only early medieval tradition to have survived. The Iberian peninsula had its own independent chant tradition until the late-11th century, nowadays known as Old Hispanic chant. The main obstacle to appreciating and understanding Old Hispanic chant is the almost complete absence of transcribable melodies. By the time pitched notation was introduced to Iberia in the late-11th century, the Hispanic rite had been largely replaced by the Gregorian tradition. The Old Hispanic sources show where the melodies rise and fall, but do not specify precise intervals. This has acted as a veil, preventing scholars from appreciating what does survive and severely constraining melodic analysis of the tradition. Attempts to analyse the Old Hispanic melodies remain isolated, and generally focus on simple recitations, such as the responsory tones (studied by Don Randel, Clyde Brockett and, most recently, Susana Zapke).Rather than continuing the search for a way of transcribing Old Hispanic notation, this study uses only melodic shape to analyse the formulaic Old Hispanic chants sung during Lent (the threni, some Lenten laudes, and the Easter Vigil canticles). Understanding the way that textual accents and syntax interact with the melodies is an important part of understanding the musical grammar, and this combines with the work of my collaborator, Prof. Rebecca Maloy (University of Colorado), on the chant lyrics, which focuses on the role of biblical exegesis in the choice and treatment of liturgical text. Gaining a sense of the musical grammar and textual aesthetic of these formulaic chants enables us to explore the way in which they relate not only to their Gregorian equivalents but also to the cognate chants found in the local traditions of Rome, Milan and Benevento.This study has two objectives, one practical and the other theoretical. The theoretical questions are addressed through a monograph, which explores how the formulaic Old Hispanic Lenten chants function musically, how text and music relate, how this compares to other European traditions, and what these combinations of text and melody meant historically, liturgically, and institutionally in early medieval Iberia. Musicologists have specialised skills in the deciphering and analysis of medieval musical notations which enable us to add significantly to the understanding of those in historical, liturgical and theological disciplines, and we hope that the monograph will be a model for future scholarship in the field.A scholarly monograph on this subject is long overdue, and our background in comparative chant analysis, chant transmission, and text-music relations in chant uniquely places us to research and collaborate on it. It is equally important to us to communicate in an accessible way and to a wider public about this little-known musical repertoire and the medieval integration of theology with daily life. Our practical objective is to communicate the excitement of the scholarly 'treasure hunt' to the wider community, while also involving current students in the presentation of our findings, providing a model to which potential university students can aspire of musical performance together with an academic approach. We will present a series of lecture-recitals with my choir, the Bristol University Music Department Schola cantorum, including the few transcribable Old Hispanic chants, cognates in other European traditions, and tentative and purely illustrative realisations of some sample chants from the project. These events will bring this medieval sound world and its historical and theological context alive to audiences of early music enthusiasts, school and college pupils, the academic community, and the general public in Bristol and beyond, further facilitated by posting event footage on Youtube.